BF 123: Growing Uncommon Fruit
Expand Your Knowledge of and Connection to Underutilized Fruit
Enroll in Course
From Farmstands to Jams, Agroforestry Fruit Brings a lot to the Table!
Do you want to learn more about lesser-known fruit often grown in agroforestry systems? This course will help you determine whether incorporating diverse fruit crops into your operation is the right decision for you. We discuss producing and marketing these crops from start to finish. Weekly lessons include everything from identifying which fruit fits into your operation and creating a farm business plan, to different production systems and value-added products. Each session is led by well-versed professionals, from nursery owners to agroforesters, economists and extension specialists! Expand your understanding of these promising crops and how they could improve your farm’s ecosystem while also supporting your bottom line.
Target Audience
Beginning to Intermediate: Farmers with a few years of commercial horticulture experience will get the most from this course but all are welcome to participate, including aspiring farmers. This course will also be beneficial to small-scale orchardists/gardeners, permaculture growers, and agroforestry enthusiasts.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this course, you will know:
- How to identify and consider what success looks like when incorporating uncommon fruit into your operation
- Factors for primary site selection and analysis considerations
- Soil and climatic requirements of an array of uncommon fruit
- Potential benefits and costs associated with uncommon fruit in commercial settings
- What factors to consider for analyzing costs, successful marketing, and generating income with these crops
- How to connect with grower-groups and farm
resource agencies to support your operation
Webinars
The bulk of the course happens on your own time, with discussions,
readings, and assignments in Teachable, our virtual classroom. To add to
the experience, webinars will be woven into the online interface of the
course to allow you to meet on a weekly basis to learn from presenters
and ask questions in real time. If you miss one, they are always
recorded and posted for later viewing.
Webinar Schedule
In 2027, this course will be offered live for 6 weeks on Wednesdays from 6:30 - 8:00 PM (Eastern) from January 13 – February 17.
While we encourage live attendance, so you have the opportunity to
engage with presenters and ask questions, all webinars are recorded and
posted in the online classroom to watch anytime. Once enrolled in this
course, you will retain access to all materials indefinitely and can
return to participate in the live webinars in future offerings of the
course if you wish. Join us!
Your Instructor
Anya Stansell is the Western New York Small Fruits Extension Specialist. She works with berry growers and researchers in New York State, working with questions about berry variety selection and cultural management. Before she began working with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Anya studied strawberry growing systems for her Masters degree at Cornell University.
Heather Kase is the Eastern New York Small Fruit Specialist. She collaborates with growers on production, IPM and more for strawberries, blueberries, brambles, and other unique fruits. She earned her master’s in plant health management from Ohio State University and her bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from SUNY ESF.
Student Testimonials
"This course was a valuable resource. It was a good balance of enough information/materials to go more in depth in areas of particular interest, without being overwhelming or "forcing" everyone to spend equal time on all topics regardless of individual interest. The focus was on learning and getting as much value out of the course as possible."
"This course has taught me about many nutritional fruits that can be grown in my area.I took the course to learn more about growing elderberries, but found out that there are many other fruits that I can grow also. My goal now is to get started with a couple plants of all that were discussed and then slowly add more. Thank you for the opportunity to learn more about what I can grow on my land and how to grow them, great class."
Frequently Asked Questions
Online Course Tiered Pricing
The Cornell Small Farms Program offers a tiered pricing model to provide greater access to our online courses. To determine your course enrollment cost, please consult the chart below, and honestly identify your current financial situation.
We realize that not everyone is able to afford the price of our courses, so we also offer a small number of scholarships each year to New York State residents. To apply, please read scholarship requirements and complete the application here.