GOODMAN – Fruit, vegetable and flower growers can learn about growing fall crops and a new legal services program during a Sept. 20 field day at the Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm in Goodman.

Experts from the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station will discuss all aspects of fall gardening, including crop selection, field preparation, soil nutrients, and insect and disease control. Law students from the University of Mississippi will discuss basic entity formation and introduce a new legal assistance program for farmers facilitated by the University of Mississippi Transactional Clinic.

Students with the clinic will gather information from field day participants to help build the new program, which will offer farmers assistance with contract issues, probate questions insurance matters, and forming limited liability corporations or non-profit organizations.

The field day begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 3:30 p.m. Growers of all experience levels are welcome. Attendance is free, but preregistration is required. Lunch and materials will be provided.

This field day is the ninth in a series of monthly events scheduled for 2013. Remaining sessions are scheduled for Oct. 18, Nov. 15, and Dec. 13. Upcoming topics include profit planning, spring planting preparation, and equipment maintenance, selection and acquisition. All field days will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To register for the field day or for more information, contact Keith Benson at 601-988-4999 or keithmdp@yahoo.com. The Alliance for Sustainable Agricultural Production Demonstration Farm is located at 1184 Coleman Road off of Highway 51 between Goodman and Durant.

The MSU Extension Service, Alcorn State University Extension Program and Tougaloo College LEADS Program are producing the series, while the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce and a U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Grant are funding it.