AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Alabama Extension’s Farming Basics Program is preparing to launch a second online course in 2023. New additions to the Farming Basics Online Course will provide more in-depth knowledge and explore new topic areas.

What is the Farming Basics Online Course?

The Farming Basics Online Course was created in 2017 in response to an increasing number of specialty crop producers in Alabama. New producers can find support through educational resources, including the Farming Basics Program and peer networking.

The online course is a component of the overarching Alabama Farming Basics project funded by a grant from the USDA Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program. The project’s goal is to provide educational resources, technical training and on-farm support to small producers, beginning farms in underserved communities and military veterans.

Twice as Nice

Ayanava Majumdar, Alabama Extension commercial horticulture coordinator, said the second course will build on the lessons provided in Farming Basics: An Introduction, the first online course.

“The Farming Basics Online Course is designed to provide stepwise learning opportunity for new and beginning farmers, market gardeners, field agents, educators, students and crop advisors,” Majumdar said. “The first course introduced several basic topics of interest to anyone getting into farming like basic crop production practices, pesticide certification, pest management concepts, among others.”

The second online course will deliver information regarding the following topics:

• Farm management and marketing
• Soil and soil fertility
• Plant diseases
• Pest management
• Vegetable production
• Fruit production
• Beef management
• Forage management
• Agritourism

How to Enroll

To begin the enrollment process, visit Alabama Extension’s online course portal and select Enroll Now in the Farming Basics Program. The student will provide basic contact information to create an account for certificate distribution.

Upon course completion, the curriculum generates a customized certificate that provides four continuing education units (CEUs) from the American Agronomy Society and the American Society for Horticultural Science.

Something for Everyone

The Farming Basics Online Course is not exclusively for farmers. This resource is open to market gardeners, students, educators and crop advisors.

“The best part is that all the Farming Basics resources are free and open to all. Also, they are supported by other state and federal government agencies,” Majumdar said.

For those who want the resources of Farming Basics in the palm of their hand, the Farming Basics Mobile App is a great way to take the program with you. This component contains links to Extension contact information, social media platforms, calculation tools, crop and pest alerts, event calendars as well as high resolution photos of crops, insects and diseases.

More Information

All new lessons in the Faming Basics Online Course will publish gradually during the course of 2023. Stay tuned to the Alabama Extension website, www.aces.edu, for more information regarding this online resource.