VERONA, Miss. -- Two half-day training sessions next month will provide expertise on pest and disease control on small farms.

The Alliance of Sustainable Farms will sponsor these “Integrated Pest and Disease Management” events. Ole Brooke Organics will host the first session in Brookhaven on June 5. The North Mississippi Research and Extension Center in Verona will host the second on June 6.

The Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are partnering with the alliance to present the training with support from Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education and Natural Resources Conservation Service Mississippi.

Agricultural professionals, educators, service providers and producers who serve as mentors and trainers are invited to attend one of the sessions.

“The focus will be on production of specialty crops on smaller farms and will include discussion of how NRCS cost-share and technical assistance can be profitably applied on local farms,” said alliance manager Keith Benson. “This training is intended to help ag professionals, educators and others better serve growers.”

There is no cost to attend either program, but preregistration is required. Onsite check-in begins at 10 a.m. The program begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m. A free lunch is provided.

To register for the field day, email AllianceofSustainableFarms@gmail.com.

​Contact: Keith Benson, 601-988-4999