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Farmer Field Days, Workshops and WebinarsMeet up with other farmers and agricultural professionals on working farms to see organic systems in action! Share your successes and your challenges with peers and connect with useful resource providers. OAK's Farmer Education Events are on-farm and virtual learning opportunities offered monthly for farmers, ag professionals and local food system allies. OAK welcomes farmers from all types and scales of farms - large and small scale, organic and conventional, urban and rural.OAK Members and Member Farms receive discounted registration pricing to OAK events. Keep up-to-date with the details of every farmer-to-farmer learning event - subscribe to our Field Notes newsletter.
Explore event Summaries and Resources for past farmer-focused events (2022-2024) below. Have suggestions for future farms, practices or topics to highlight? Let OAK know.
Upcoming Events
Cover Crops, Perennials and Diversified Plantings: Sustainable Practices for Long-Term FarmingSeedleaf's Headwater Farm, Lexington KY -- April 24, 2025, 9am - 12pm ET
This event is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF). Registration fees are waived for this event; registration is required. NEW: Kentucky Cooperative Extension Agents, this event is now listed as a training opportunity in KERS; please pre-register in both OAK and KERS event listings.
Register HERE
First Five Years of an Organic Market GardenDreamTime Market Gardens, Lexington KY -- June 10, 2025, 1 - 4pm ET
From an open field in the summer of 2020 to a certified organic farm with 1.2 acres of open and covered vegetable and herb production serving an on-farm market, restaurant, grocery and wholesale outlets, DreamTime Market Gardens has grown steadily in its first five years. Zach Selby transitioned his work from full-time chef and backyard gardener to full-time organic farmer by learning from other farmers, building in annual growth to infrastructure and production systems, cultivating market and customer relationships, leaning on funding and technical assistance programs, expanding crops and product offerings and growing his farm staff. At this Farmer Field Day, Zach will walk us through DreamTime’s fields, high tunnels, pack-shed and greenhouse; share his production planning and processes and demonstrate seeding equipment and cultural practices. The Field Day conversation will also explore Zach’s inside perspective on working with restaurants and chefs, the challenges of not living on-farm and farming with limited water access. Grow Appalachia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture provided support for this Field Day. OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).
Register HERE
Community-Supported Agriculture and Pastured LivestockOld Homeplace Farm, Oneida KY -- June 23, 2025, 4 - 7pm ET
At Old Homeplace Farm in Clay County, Maggie and Will Bowling bring generations of family knowledge into their farming endeavors. Maggie grew up on an organic vegetable farm in southern Ohio. For decades, Will has helped with his family’s livestock farm a few miles upstream from his and Maggie’s current farm. Since 2014, the Bowlings have worked to develop healthy pasture systems; soil health and crop diversity; harvest, post-harvest and storage infrastructure; and a community of customers and supporters. In addition to an online store and local drop-off options, Old Homeplace Farm offers 20-week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares featuring 35 crops and options to add meat, cut flower or honey selections. In this Farmer Field Day, Maggie will provide a look at her greenhouse, high tunnels, packing shed and field crops as she walks participants through her vegetable production, post-harvest and packing systems. Maggie will share the growth of her farm, including equipment, infrastructure and labor needs, while maintaining the growth to a scale that a small crew of three or four farm staff can manage. Join the Field Day to hear Maggie’s considerations of pursuing organic certification and her involvement with the Kentucky Farm Share Coalition. Will will share the pastured livestock operation, including grass-finished beef, sheep and goats, and recent efforts to build silvopasture systems into their rotational grazing. Grow Appalachia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture provided support for this Field Day. OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).
Register HERE
Farm Resilience Through Healthy SoilsLoretto Motherhouse Farm, Nerinx, KY -- July 1, 2025
For 200 years, the Sisters of Loretto have stewarded the land and natural resources of the Loretto Motherhouse Farm in Marion County. For the past 40 years, the Loretto Community has engaged in conservation practices throughout their livestock pastures, crop fields and woodlands. The farm has been in no-till production for more than 20 years and has used cover crops for the past 10 years. At this OAK Farmer Field Day, Cody and Angela Rakes will share the Farm’s crop production systems using no-till methods, limited chemical inputs, cover crop rotation, interplanting and livestock integration. With a focus on building and supporting healthy soils, the Rakes are constantly learning and experimenting with different seeding and establishment methods, crop timing and selection to allow for soil-building and productive income-per-acre results. To diversify their operation and support their mission-driven community outreach and education, the Farm also produces several acres of pumpkins in cover-cropped fields, yielding clean produce with increased weed and fungal protection. Join the Field Day to explore their pumpkin, corn, soybean, and food-grade small grain systems; production and harvest equipment; and in-field and adjacent land conservation practices. Support for this project comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities under agreement number NR233A750004G092. OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).
Register HERE
Conservation on an Urban FarmBearFruit & Grow, Louisville, KY -- July 29, 2025
BearFruit & Grow is much more than an urban farm, it’s a community pillar. Out of the turbulence and solidarity of 2020, LeTicia Marshall created an abundant 15-raised-bed backyard garden and youth education program while creating and contributing to food justice efforts throughout Louisville. Five years later, LeTicia stewards four acres in south Louisville along the banks of Pond Creek. Working with the land and its natural resources to support her subsistence and market food production, LeTicia prioritizes ongoing conservation and whole farm ecology in her growing systems and land management, including
Join this Field Day at BearFruit & Grow to tour this urban farm, explore conservation practices and learn from partner agriculture professionals in engaging presentations and activities. This event is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). OAK's Farmer Education program is supported by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF). Registration fees are waived for this event; registration is required.
Register HERE
Past EventsExplore Summaries and Resources from OAK's Farmer Education events from 2024, 2023 and 2022. View previous OAK virtual events on our OAK YouTube page, including recordings, snapshots and lessons learned from host farmers.
Register Today!Farmer-Focused Field Days, Workshops and Webinars for the farming community
The Organic Association of Kentucky's (OAK) Field Days are on-farm and virtual learning opportunities for farmers, ag professionals and local food system advocates. OAK welcomes farmers from all types and scales of farms - large and small scale, organic and conventional, urban and rural.
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Along the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creek in Northeastern Fayette County, Headwater Farm cultivates nutrient-dense produce for community partners and supports small local agribusinesses in Lexington. On this 30-acre parcel of leased land, Lexington nonprofit Seedleaf provides acreage to small-scale growers, cultivates culturally significant seeds for organic markets and offers community education on organic agriculture and agroforestry. Join us for this Field Day at Headwater Farm to learn more about Seedleaf’s community farming practices during seasonal crop transitions and the coordinated efforts of growing food and supporting local ecosystems. Learn about Seedleaf’s partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to support healthy soil-building, improve Elkhorn Creek’s water quality and enhance pollinator habitat. Discover Seedleaf’s cooperative approach with multiple community gardeners on shared land to ensure clarity and coordination in a community space. Experience their techniques for sowing and terminating cover crops (crimping, tarping and mowing) with multiple scales of equipment. 
