Agriplex unveils new events for January, beyond
When the calendar flips over to the start of a new year, the North Alabama Agriplex will greet 2020 with a full new slate of activities and programs — but you don’t have to wait until January to find out what’s in store for the year ahead.
The Agriplex has just put the finishing touches on its lineup for the next 12 months, and you can get a head start by picking up the educational nonprofit’s new 2020 brochure, which serves up a quick glance at everything that’s on the menu — including program and lecture dates, descriptions, and how to register for anything that catches your interest.
The Agriplex is closed until Jan. 6, but brochures are already available not only at the Agriplex’s offices on Tally Ho Street, but also at the Cullman County Public Library and other local venues.
The first event on the lineup for 2020 is the Jan. 11 Farm Kids Club animal Signs class, which calls on young nature detectives to become animal-tracking sleuths. Learn to recognize scat and other signals animals leave behind to see what wild creatures might be around whenever we humans aren’t. Cost for the course is $5 per child and $10 per family.
On Jan. 14, the Living Landscapes Hydroponics course delves into the world of soil-free plant cultivation. Kicking off at 6 p.m., the class takes you through the how and the why of hydroponic gardening, and aims to increase your backyard yield and eliminate weeds by growing without the need for soil. Master Gardener Mike Weems will teach the basics of constructing and maintaining hydroponics for vegetables and herbs, and cost for the course is $5 per person.
From the Agriplex, here’s the rest of the January course lineup:
January 15 — Lunch & Learn Cooking with an Instapot/Electric Pressure Cooker: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
January 16 — Learning to Sew: Getting to Know your Machine: 6 p.m.
Wondering how to use all those buttons and accessories on your machine? You will become familiar with your machine, feet, bobbin, and tension while making decorative dish towels. Cost is $5 per person.
January 17 — Little Farmers Preschool: The Chicken and the Egg: 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Meet the chickens, see the life cycle from egg to chick, and decide which comes first! Cost is $5 per child, and $10 maximum per family.
January 21 — Heritage Skills Raised Bed Gardening: 6 p.m.
Explore this weedless, productive, instant garden technique discussing plans, irrigation, soil mixes, planting techniques, and year-round growing.
January 23 — Heritage Homeschool Farm Technology Through the Years: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
From mules to satellites — see how technology has changed farming, from the first mule-drawn equipment right up to today, in a world where farmers plan their best practices with help from GPS-equipped tractors. What will be next for farming?
January 30 — Introduction to Beekeeping: 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Taught by Alabama Beekeepers Association President Phillip Garrison, learn to build a complete hive from the foundation up — and then have a chance at winning the hive as a door prize. Walk outside to see the Agriplex’s bee hives, and the learn the basics of beekeeping. Cost is $5 per person.
To register for any of the Agirplex’s January events, visit agriplex.org and click on the “register” tab.