DATE:     10/13/99 
CONTACTS: Dr. David Bradshaw, (864) 656-4949 
          Lindsay Esterly, (864) 656-4972
          Peter Bahouth, (404) 681-9900
WRITER:   Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876

Clemson Extension Educates Farmers
     
     BLACKVILLE -- These days small farmers can have a hard time
being competitive, especially during times of drought. On Oct.
29, Clemson Extension is offering a training for S.C. farmers to
help them find alternative markets.
     Topics include raising meat goats, medicinal herbs and
small- and large-scale organic vegetable production.
     The South Carolina Growers School, hosted by Clemson
University Cooperative Extension Service and the Carolina 
Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA), begins at 9 a.m. at Barnwell 
State Park. The cost is $10 at the door to cover the cost of
lunch.
     To register, call the Clemson Extension office in Hampton 
County at (803) 943-3427 or e-mail Roy Hollingsworth, the hosting 
Extension agent, at rhllngs@clemson.edu.
     "The Growers School is an outgrowth of a short course we 
offered in May," said David Bradshaw, Extension horticulture
specialist. 
     Bradshaw is president of the S.C. chapter of CFSA, which
promotes sustainable agriculture -- agriculture that is
environmentally friendly - and organic farming.
     The Growers School is part of a series of classes on similar 
topics to be coordinated by Lindsay Esterly, Bradshaw's graduate 
assistant in Clemson's Department of Horticulture. She is also
S.C. education coordinator for CFSA, a new position funded by a
grant from the Turner Foundation in Atlanta. 
     CFSA is using the Turner grant to expand education and 
outreach to meet increasing demand for information from growers
and consumers in North and South Carolina.
     "The Carolina Farm Stewardship Association program provides
a valuable marketing tool for farmers and a way for consumers to
identify organically grown or hormone-free products. We
especially like the fact that CFSA is creating support for
farmers to work with other farmers," said Peter Bahouth, 
executive director of the Turner Foundation.
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