Farmer Field Days, Workshops and Webinars

Meet up with other farmers and agricultural professionals on working farms to see organic systems in action! Share your successes and your challenges with peers and connect with useful resource providers. OAK's Farmer Education Events are on-farm and virtual learning opportunities offered monthly for farmers, ag professionals and local food system allies. OAK welcomes farmers from all types and scales of farms - large and small scale, organic and conventional, urban and rural. 

OAK Members and Member Farms receive discounted registration pricing to OAK events. Keep up-to-date with the details of every farmer-to-farmer learning event - subscribe to our Field Notes newsletter

 

Explore event summaries and resources for past farmer-focused events (2022-2024) below.

Have suggestions for future farms, practices or topics to highlight? Let OAK know

 

Upcoming Events

Cover Crops, Perennials and High Tunnels: Sustainable Practices for Long-Term Farming 

Seedleaf's Headwater Farm, Lexington KY -- April 24, 2025

farmers gathered in conversation at Seedleaf Headwater Farm field dayAlong the headwaters of the Elkhorn Creek in Northeastern Fayette County, Headwater Farm cultivates nutrient-dense produce for community partners and supports small local agribusinesses in Lexington. On this 30-acre parcel of leased land, Lexington nonprofit Seedleaf provides acreage to small-scale growers, cultivates culturally significant seeds for organic markets and offers community education on organic agriculture and agroforestry.

Join us for this Field Day at Headwater Farm to learn more about Seedleaf’s community farming practices during seasonal crop transitions and the coordinated efforts of growing food and supporting local ecosystems. Learn about Seedleaf’s partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to support healthy soil-building, improve Elkhorn Creek’s water quality and enhance pollinator habitat. Discover Seedleaf’s cooperative approach with multiple community gardeners on shared land to ensure clarity and coordination in a community space. Experience their techniques for sowing and terminating cover crops (crimping, tarping and mowing) with multiple scales of equipment. Tour Headwater Farm’s high tunnels and open garden production to explore seasonal crop choices and management, and learn more about their agroforestry practices and perennial orchards. This event is supported by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and by the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).

 

Registration Coming Soon

 

First Five Years of an Organic Market Garden  

DreamTime Market Gardens, Lexington KY -- June 10, 2025

Farm market with certified organic vegetables at DreamTiem Market Gardens

From an open field in the summer of 2020 to a certified organic farm with 1.2 acres of open and covered vegetable and herb production serving an on-farm market, restaurant, grocery and wholesale outlets, DreamTime Market Garden has grown steadily in its first five years. Zach Selby transitioned his work from full-time chef and backyard gardener to full-time organic farmer by learning from other farmers, building in annual growth to infrastructure and production systems, cultivating market and customer relationships, leaning on funding and technical assistance programs, expanding crops and product offerings and growing his farm staff.


At this Farmer Field Day, Zach will walk us through DreamTime’s fields, high tunnels, pack-shed and greenhouse; share his production planning and processes and demonstrate seeding equipment and cultural practices. The Field Day conversation will also explore Zach’s inside perspective on working with restaurants and chefs, the challenges of not living on-farm and farming with limited water access. Grow Appalachia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF) provided support for this Field Day.

 

Registration Coming Soon

 

 

Learnings From a Decade of Rural Community Supported Agriculture  

Old Homeplace Farm, Oneida KY -- June 23, 2025

Old Homeplace Farm - vegetable farm in Eastern Kentucky

Description Coming Soon

 

Grow Appalachia, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF) provided support for this Field Day.

 

 

 

 

Registration Coming Soon

 

 

Farm Resilience Through Healthy Soils

Loretto Motherhouse Farm, Nerinx, KY -- July 1, 2025

Loretto Motherhouse Farm tractor cutting cover crops

Description Coming Soon

 

Support for this project comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities under agreement number NR233A750004G092 and from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund (KADF).

 

 

Registration Coming Soon

 


Past Events

Explore summaries and resources from OAK events from 20242023 and 2022

View previous OAK virtual events on our OAK YouTube page, including recordings, snapshots and lessons learned from host farmers.

 

 

Register Today!

Farmer-Focused Field Days, Workshops and Webinars for the farming community

The Organic Association of Kentucky's (OAK) Field Days are on-farm and virtual learning opportunities for farmers, ag professionals and local food system advocates. OAK welcomes farmers from all types and scales of farms - large and small scale, organic and conventional, urban and rural.