Free agriculture workshop offered in Spanish on June 5th
For small, beginning, limited resource farmers and farmer prospects

ATHENS (April 10, 2007) — Five sessions will be offered entirely in Spanish at the free workshop Team Agriculture Georgia is sponsoring on Tuesday, June 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the “USDA Service Center” located at 734 E. Crescent Drive, Gainesville, GA 30501. The Center is found immediately after (above) the “Hall County Farmers Market” stalls on E. Crescent Drive and across from the fire station.

   This is the first workshop targeted exclusively at Latino farmers and where topics will be presented entirely in Spanish. If the workshop is well attended and received, there are plans to duplicate it at other venues throughout the state of Georgia.

   The purpose of the workshop is to provide the participants with a full day of information on various programs that provide financial and operational assistance for farm and ranch management. For example, one of the seminars will present the available Guaranteed and Direct farm ownership and operating loans together with their requirements and approved applications. Another of the seminars will cover the technical assistance and grant funds earmarked to assist in the development of Cooperatives. Others will describe the benefits and requirements to receive available grants directed at value-added production applications and for the protection and conservation of the agricultural output and the surrounding environment.

   In addition to the these agricultural production-specific seminars, there will be presentations made by technical support agencies such as UGA/Cooperative Extension Service, Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). They will describe the range of services available through their organizations.

   Lunch and all sessions are free. Also there will be made available a wide range of program-descriptive and technical literature in both Spanish and English at no cost to the participants. A list of relevant contacts at each agency will be distributed. These contacts will provide the follow up program and technical support requested by the participants. 

   Please register as early as possible by sending the registration form accompanying the invitation flyer or by calling Jose Pagan at 770-267-1359 ext.3 or Mario Delgado at 770-536-0547 ext. 4. You may also leave your information with the person answering the phone. Early registration is important so as to procure the adequate number of lunches and literature.