PINEY WOODS, Miss. -- The National Center for Appropriate Technology will host the Alliance of Sustainable Farms field day on Dec. 15 in Piney Woods.

Representatives from the center's Gulf States Regional Office in Jackson will provide a hands-on bed preparation demonstration at its farm at The Piney Woods School. The demonstration will feature the use of small farm tools, including a rotary tiller, rotary plow, power harrow and flail mower. Attendees can also see bed preparation in a hoop house using a broadfork, lightweight tiller and seedbed rake.

Other topics include cover crops, the Farm to School program and season extension with hoop houses.

The field day is free, 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.

The Piney Woods School is located at 5096 Highway 49 in Piney Woods, about 20 miles south of Jackson. The school’s main entrance is closed. Take Cox 40 Road north of the main entrance. Then take the first right. Continue straight until you see the barn. The classroom is located in the barn.

The Gulf States Regional Office, which focuses on sustainable agriculture and food justice, provides training and information to low-income, minority and historically underserved populations.  

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

Alliance field day partners and sponsors include the Mississippi State University Extension Service, Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, Alcorn State University Extension Program, University of Mississippi Transactional Law Clinic, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce, and Mississippi Department of Education.