The Center for Arkansas Farms and Food's Farm School will host an open house for the 2022 session of its Farm School program on Monday, Sept. 13, from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

CAFF is a service center of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the U of A System Division of Agriculture. It supports local food entrepreneurs and increases small farm viability through experiential learning, said Heather Friedrich, assistant director of CAFF in the division's department of horticulture.

"Our open house is a great opportunity for anyone interested in attending the Farm School next year," Friedrich said. "This event is an opportunity for potential applicants to familiarize themselves with how and where we'll be growing, the methods we use, and to introduce the group to the instructors."

The Sept. 13 open house will be at the Division of Agriculture's Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 1005 Meade Ave., in Fayetteville. Attendees will meet the CAFF team and current Farm School students, with opportunities for public Q&A and one-on-one discussions, Friedrich said. There will also be a tour of the farm and facilities.

The CAFF team includes Friedrich; Wayne Mackay, head of the Horticulture Department; Jonathan McArthur, field instructor and farm manager; and Brooke Anderson, business instructor.

Register for the open house.

Friedrich said the Farm School provides valuable training to the next generation of farmers. The average age of a farmer in Arkansas is 57, and it is estimated that 70 percent of America's farmland will change ownership in the next 20 years, she added.

Andie Kate White, 22, is one of the students in the Farm School's inaugural class, honing her agricultural knowledge and skills to start a small-scale farm and provide nutritious foods in areas where there are none.

"The more research I did on how important it is to get nutritious foods showed me how it's less accessible to certain portions of the population," White said. "My hopes are to provide nutritious food to all parts of the community."

The 11-month farming education program focuses on growing specialty crops and begins Jan. 24 at the Milo J. Shult Agricultural Research & Extension Center.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines a specialty crop as "fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)." Eligible plants must be cultivated or managed and used by people for food, medicinal purposes and/or aesthetic gratification to be considered specialty crops.

For more information on the Farm School, visit farmandfoodsystem.uada.edu/farm-school. The deadline to apply for the 2022 Farm School is Oct. 1.

To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. Follow us on Twitter at @ArkAgResearch and Instagram at @ArkAgResearch.

About the Division of Agriculture: The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture's mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation's historic land grant education system. 

The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses. 

The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.