When many people picture farming, they see big tractors lumbering over vast fields of crops. But agriculture on a far smaller scale can still be profitable and rewarding.

That's the message Team Ag Georgia is trying to drive home in the TAG Workshops for Small and Beginning Farmers this summer.

The first workshop is set for July 27 in Tifton, Ga. Another is planned for Gainesville, Ga., Aug. 19. Each figures to provide a wealth of information on small-scale farming.

The programs are geared for farmers with limited resources, others who find running a small farm business appealing and community leaders interested in rural development.

Promising Prospects

Both workshops will have sessions on growing and selling forest products, fruit and vegetable production, growing and selling organic products, marketing through cooperatives, building and managing ponds and managing finances for any small farm.

The Tifton program will also have classes on irrigation, fish farming, soil quality, livestock and turf grasses. At Gainesville, the topics will include roadside markets, poultry farming, greenhouses, composting, and raising goats and other small livestock.

One-day Workshops

Both workshops begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. Both are free and include lunch and refreshment breaks. Farm-related groups and agencies will display exhibits at both sites.

To sign up for either workshop, contact the county Extension Service office. Or call the Georgia Department of Agriculture at 1-800-282-5852.

For questions about exhibiting at the workshop, call Lynda Johnson at (770) 536-0541. To learn more about TAG, call Levi Glover at (912) 825-6806.