JACKSON – Commercial fruit and vegetable growers can learn to produce strawberries for local markets during a one-time short course offered May 13 and 14 in Choctaw.

Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service, the Research and Extension Division of the University of Arkansas, and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce will present information about crop production and marketing.

Strawberry expert Barclay Poling of North Carolina State University and strawberry grower Mel Ellis of Mayhew Tomato Farm in Columbus are featured speakers.

Topics include plant anatomy, site and cultivar selection, insect and disease management, weed control, internet marketing, the production calendar, food safety and consumer preferences for locally grown strawberries.

The workshop will be at the Choctaw Ag Complex, just off Highway 16 in Neshoba County near Philadelphia.

Attendance is free. Advance registration is required and limited to 50 participants.

For more information, contact Rick Snyder at rick.snyder@msstate.edu or 601-892-3731, or Eric Stafne at estafne@ext.msstate.edu or 601-403-8939.

The workshop is funded by a Walmart Foundation grant administered by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Center for Agricultural and Rural Sustainability.