WVSU Extension Service Hosting Small Fruits Workshop Series

7/29/2014

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UPDATE 8/4/14: DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES, THIS WORKSHOP SERIES HAS BEEN CANCELED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED AT A LATER DATE.



Contact: Kimberly Osborne
(304) 766-3363
kosborne@wvstateu.edu
     
RAINELLE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University (WVSU) Extension Service will host a two-day series of workshops to help farmers increase production of small fruits such as grapes and strawberries Aug. 5-6 at the Fruits of Labor Café and Bakery in Rainelle, W.Va. The free workshops are designed for both small- and large-scale growers.

 "Small fruit production has the potential to be huge for West Virginia agriculture due to the diversity of locations for growing," said WVSU Extension Agent Brad Cochran. "This series of workshops will teach production basics, covering everything from site selection to harvesting."

The full schedule of workshops is as follows.
Tuesday, Aug. 5, 1-2:30 p.m. - Brambles (blackberries/raspberries)
Tuesday, Aug. 5, 3-4:30 p.m. - Strawberries
Wednesday, Aug. 6, 9-10:30 a.m. - Grapes
Wednesday, Aug. 6, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Blueberries
Wednesday, Aug. 6, 1:30-3 p.m. - Fruit Trees

The workshops are funded through a Specialty Crops Block Grant from the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and are the latest in a series of collaborations with Fruits of Labor, Inc.

"We are excited and pleased to host the small fruits workshops with WVSU Extension Service," said Tammy Jordan, president of Fruits of Labor, Inc., which offers community culinary and agriculture training programs in addition to the café and bakery. "This is a great opportunity for those interested in agriculture to benefit from free training in our region."

In addition to the workshops, WVSU Extension Service has partnered with Fruits of Labor, Inc., on initiatives relating to nutrition education, urban farm development and the creation of an orchard for additional agriculture training workshops.

To register, contact Brad Cochran at (304) 541-3301 or bcochran2@wvstateu.edu. Fruits of Labor Café and Bakery is located at 23 Main St. in Rainelle, Greenbrier County.
               
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West Virginia State University is a public, land grant, historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated, and multi‐generational institution, located in Institute, W.Va. As a “living laboratory of human relations,” the university is a community of students, staff, and faculty committed to academic growth, service and preservation of the racial and cultural diversity of the institution. Its mission is to meet the higher education and economic development needs of the state and region through innovative teaching and applied research.