It’s not too soon to start preparing for next year’s growing season, and New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service is hosting a six-part online series on sustainable agriculture topics to help growers get a head start this fall.

“Due to the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, the New Mexico Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program is forgoing the traditional fall conference this year,” said Brad Tonnessen, NMSU Extension senior program vegetable specialist. “In its place, a series of webinars will be presented that focus on the many aspects that make a farm sustainable in New Mexico.”

The free webinars will be 3 to 4 p.m. every Thursday from Oct. 1 through Nov. 5. To receive an invitation to attend the Zoom meetings, register for each session at https://aces.nmsu.edu/programs/sare/news-and-events.  

The session schedule is as follows:
- Oct. 1: “Seed Saving and On-farm Breeding,” presented by Tonnessen.
- Oct. 8: “Strategies to Prevent Development and Spread of Herbicide-Resistant Weeds,” presented by Brian Schuttle, NMSU associate professor, and Leslie Beck, NMSU Extension week specialist.
- Oct. 15: “Beneficial Insect Identification and Habitat Management,” presented by Amanda Skidmore, NMSU Extension integrated pest management specialist and Miranda Kersten, NMSU senior program specialist.
- Oct. 22: “Growing Vegetables in New Mexico – Managing challenges for an abundant harvest,” presented by Stephanie Walker, NMSU Extension vegetable specialist.
- Nov. 5: “Drip Irrigation on the Small Farm,” presented by Tonnessen.

The webinar is funded by Western SARE, a regionalized national program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture that provides funding for farmer-focused research and education.

For more information about the webinar, contact Tonnessen at btonn@nmsu.edu.