Climate Smart Adaptation Strategies for Beginning Farmers Course

January 23, 2025
2025 Online Climate Smart Adaptation Strategies for Beginning Farmers Course
UConn Extension is coordinating two offerings of a Climate Smart Adaptation Strategies Course, beginning on February 3rd, 2025, and March 5th, 2025. This is an online course (with an optional in-person graduation) designed for new and beginning farmers in Connecticut who have 1-10 years of farming experience. Participants will learn about the impact of climate change on Connecticut agriculture and discover a range of adaptation strategies. The price of the course is $60, with a $30 refund after completion.
Completion of this course is required to be eligible to apply for the Spring 2025 round of UConn Extension’s Climate Smart Adaptations Microgrant Program (which is limited to farmers in CT with less than 10 years of experience operating their own farm business).
Registration:
  • Register here for our winter cohort starting 2/3/2025 and finishing 3/21/2025.
  • Register here for our spring cohort starting 3/5/2025 and finishing 4/23/2025
(Registration requires a UCONN NETID- when creating your NETID use the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources department)
Additional Course Information
  • The course consists of 14 online modules, each of which includes self-paced videos, supplemental material, and two short quizzes. Participants will need to complete 12 of the 14 modules.
  • The slides presented in the video will be provided in a downloaded PDF file for note-taking and future reference.
  • The supplemental materials will help participants dig deeper into each module.
  • The module quizzes are designed to solidify your knowledge of key points.
  • Each module is expected to take less than one hour to complete, although this varies.
  • The course is fully supported by a course coordinator, Baylee Drown, who will be available to answer questions and provide support throughout the course.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Learning Objectives
At the end of this course, you will be able to manage your farmscape effectively in anticipation of the known impacts of climate change in Connecticut.  You will understand:
  • the forces that create climate change and how your farm can help with mitigation
  • the role that healthy soil plays in adapting to climate change and how to cultivate healthy soils, including manufacturing compost
  • how to use tools such as fabrics and tunnels and their applications in the face of excessive heat, wind and rainfall
  • how to design your farm layout, infrastructure and energy to best handle climate change
  • understand the biological implications of climate change for insects, invasive and native plants
  • How to leverage rotational grazing and silvopasture for livestock, forage and soil health in adaptation and mitigation of climate change
  • How to monitor your farm’s ecosystem and prevent climate related disasters using data including weather prediction, soil testing and biodiversity monitoring
  • How to leverage your Climate Smart Agriculture knowledge into grant funded projects that build the health of your farm and finances
Course, Grants and Soil Test Timeline
This is an asynchronous course which you may work through at your own pace between February 3rd and March 21st for our Winter Cohort, and March 5th to April 23rd for our Spring Cohort.  Applicants who have completed the course will be invited to apply for the Climate Smart Adaptations Microgrant Program for equipment/inputs that cost up to $2,400.  Course participants are also eligible for 4 free soil nutrient analysis tests.  Soil test instructions can be found on the Solid Ground Climate Smart page, and in-person technical support services are available in spring 2025.   
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Course Instructors
Jiff Martin, Extension Educator, UConn 
Dr. Shuresh Ghimire, Assistant Extension Educator, UConn 
Steve Munno, Massaro Community Farm 
____________________________________________________________________________________
For more information, visit https://solidground.extension.uconn.edu/climatesmart/
Please contact the Project Coordinator Baylee Drown baylee.drown@uconn.edu (616)292-3311 with any questions about this course. 
This course is made possible by the Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry Grant Program through Connecticut Department of Agriculture.