LISBON FALLS — In response to the educational needs of new farmers, a group of agencies have joined forces to develop a comprehensive workshop series to be held every Tuesday beginning Feb. 26 and ending March 26. These workshops will begin with registration at 9 a.m. and end at 3 p.m. at the Cooperative Extension Office, 24 Main St.

The last workshop on March 26 will be at the Highmoor Farm on Routes 202 and 11 in Monmouth. In case of a storm event requiring a cancellation, the workshop will be held the next day. “New farmers” are defined as having 10 years experience or less, or those who have not started yet.

There will be five workshops throughout this period. Registration for attending all five workshops will cost $75 per person. If not attending all five workshops, the cost is $20 per person for each workshop. The registration fee will cover coffee break refreshments and handouts. Participants must bring a bag lunch for each workshop session.

The New Farmer Workshop flyer and registration form are available at www.androscogginswcd.org. On the home page, click on the link to Famer Workshop Series.

The session planned are Marketing Your Farm Products; Animal Health Issues, Livestock Regulations and Production Practices; General Soil Health; IPM and Pesticide Safety; and High Tunnel Basics.

The Androscoggin Valley Soil and Water Conservation District is partnering with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry to conduct this series of workshops.

In addition to resource specialists from government agencies, local farmers, organizations and business representatives will participate in the workshops. Special benefits for workshop attendees will include credits or a certification exam where possible, coffee break refreshments, resource notebook for those registering for all five workshops, question and answer sessions and opportunities to network.

Register early; up to 35 registrations will be accepted for each session. If there is a significant number over the 35 maximum, a second session may be held later in the year. Registrations must be received by Feb. 12; preregistration is required. If you have any special needs in order to attend contact Jane Heikkinen at (207) 753-9400, ext. 400.