(10/17/25) BATON ROUGE, La. — The LSU AgCenter will begin a free training program for Louisiana’s beginning farmers this spring.

Grow Louisiana offers a comprehensive range of services to support agricultural communities. These include whole-farm planning, horticulture and business training, online resources and access to support, networking and mentoring opportunities.

The program’s overarching goal is to increase the success of small- to medium-scale horticulture farmers by building a statewide network of sustainable growers and equipping new farmers with essential tools and educational resources.

This year’s program continues the tradition of yearlong training held across the state for beginning farmers. Beginning farmers are defined as those currently farming with less than 10 years of experience or those wanting to start farming.

In 2026, the program will consist of 14 Thursday night sessions as well as four Saturday workshops and farm tours. The sessions will be held at the Hill Farm Teaching Facility on the LSU campus in Baton Rouge.

The first session is Thursday, Jan. 22, from 6 to 9 p.m. Participants are expected to attend 16 of the 18 program activities.

Participation is free and is funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Southeast Transition to Organic Partnership Program grant.

Applications for the program should be submitted online at http://bit.ly/4naDtOz by Nov. 25.

For more information, Grow Louisiana organizers can be reached at cmotsenbocker@agcenter.lsu.edu or 225-578-1036.