Microscopy Training Courses for Winter/Spring 2025
December 13, 2024
CT NOFA has a new roster of microscopy courses slated for early in 2025. Trainings include 3 recorded virtual sessions (made available to participants at time of registration) and 1 in-person session, at which participants will receive an OMAX digital compound microscope to keep. Participants will choose their in-person training location/date at registration from the list, below.
- January 23: Ocean House Farm in Newport, RI
- January 25: Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, MA
- February 8: The Hickories Farm in Ridgefield, CT
- February 15: Common Ground High School in New Haven, CT
- March 15: Woven Roots Farm in Tyringham, MA
Course Information
Participants will view various soils and composts, looking at the different soil structures and the microbes that thrive in healthy soil. Demonstrations include how to prepare a slide for viewing, what you might find and how to evaluate your findings. Participants will be trained to analyze the following:
- Bacteria : Fungi ratios – what they mean and why they’re important
- Aggregate structure in soil/compost
- Bacteria numbers and diversity
- Quality of fungi and what that means for your soil
- Predators – identify and quantify both aerobic and anaerobic microbes
- Compost tea and extracts – microbial populations that exist in real time
Throughout the training we will discuss ways to create healthy, living soil using regenerative agriculture techniques. At the completion of the training you will be ready to use your microscope to evaluate soil and compost, with the ability to store the information in written and visual form, to share, and compare with future samples.
Training includes:
- OMAX Digital Compound Microscope (yours to keep)
- 3 Recorded Virtual Training Sessions
- 1 In-Person training
COURSE COST IS $600.
Click here to register.
Recent Posts
CT NOFA Launches Equipment Share Program
CT NOFA is proud to announce the launch of our Equipment Share Program. In partnership with The Hickories in Ridgefield, Connecticut, this program aims to provide both commercial farmers and home gardeners free access to both specialized equipment and expertise in a shared environment. Equipment Share days at The Hickories will include free soil analysis, seed winnowing services, nut cleaning, compost tea brewing workshops, and much more.
Advocacy News: May 2026
The Good News: CT Senator Chris Murphy has introduced a bill (bipartisan and bicameral) to increase funding for Agricultural Management Assistance to $30 million and to expand the eligible uses for these funds to include “soil health improvements, composting, implementing organic farming, and food safety certification in addition to existing authorized uses such as water management structure and soil erosion control.” Let’s thank Senator Murphy for introducing this bill!
The Bad News: The Farm Bill passed the House of Representatives on April 30, despite 320 food, farm, and conservation organizations, including CT NOFA, voicing our opposition to a bill that does not fix SNAP, does not support new and beginning farmers, and does not adequately support conservation programs or organic agriculture. Now it goes to the Senate and we need to urge both of Connecticut’s Senators to reject this Farm Bill.