Western Nevada College hosting lean farm workshop March 25

Lean systems to improve production were popularized by Japanese auto makers. Now, small farms are finding them beneficial.

Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute will offer a lean farm workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 25 at the Carson City campus, 2201 W. College Parkway.

The cost is $35 if registered by March 17 and $40 after. Registration includes “The Lean Farm” book and lunch. Registration is at www.wnc.edu/specialty-crop-institute.

The workshop for small-scale growers will focus on techniques developed with the lean system to minimize waste and increase efficiency on the farm. Author and farmer Ben Hartman will discuss the growing techniques used at his farm to reduce waste and increase productivity and profits. The workshop will include a tour of The Greenhouse Project, with some observations on how to “lean up.”

Hartman grew up on a corn and soybean farm in Indiana, and in 2006, he and his wife, Rachel, started Clay Bottom Farm. They have been practicing the lean farming philosophy for the past six years, making their living by growing and selling specialty crops on less than an acre. The farm has twice won Edible Michiana Reader’s Choice award. Ben is author of “The Lean Farm: How to Minimize Waste, Increase Efficiency, and Maximize Value and Profits with Less Work.”

The WNC Specialty Crop Institute is an innovative program that provides training for alternative farming methods and crops for high desert agriculture. Its goals include expanding and diversifying Nevada agriculture. Funding is provided by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. For more information and registration, contact Ann Louhela at 775-423-7565, ext. 2228 or ann.louhela@wnc.edu.