May 18: Mark your calendars

May 18 may be just another day, but it will be a busy one for the UC Small Farm Program.

That's because on May 18, the Small Farm Program will be in two places at once — hosting two educational meetings in two different locations in the state.

Before I go any further, here are the details in case you are interested in attending either one:

• Blackberry and blueberry field tour
  9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Parlier
  Visit grower fields and packinghouses, with discussions about field establishment, acidification, irrigation, harvest practices, postharvest handling practices and pruning. (The tour will be followed by a blueberry field day on May 19.)
  
  
• "Growing Agritourism" workshop
  8:30 a.m. – 4:15 p.m., Salinas
  Meet with other agritourism operators, tourism experts and government officials to discuss marketing and planning topics. (This is the fifth offering of this workshop, which has already been offered in four other California regions this year.)

(See other small farm-related events on the Small Farm Program calendar.)

At both events, participants will be sharing research, swapping experience and networking, networking, networking.

This is a good reminder that many small-scale farmers have to be skilled at both production (growing food) and marketing (selling food), as they are unlikely to have many employees.

When it comes to production, small-scale farmers can differentiate themselves by growing niche specialty crops — like blueberries. In fact, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors with the Small Farm Program (most notably Manuel Jimenez and Mark Gaskell) have been instrumental in introducing blueberries to California farmers as a niche crop. (Here's more information about growing blueberries.)

In marketing, small-scale farmers can often get a leg up on the competition by connecting directly with consumers — and agritourism is one way to do so. The Small Farm Program has been a leader in California agritourism for more than a decade, with a statewide directory of farms to visit (CalAgTour.org) and education about agritourism for farmers (currently managed by Penny Leff).

Juggling both production and marketing can be a challenge for any farmer — just like being in two places at once.