Add to your toolbox of know-how.

Learn more about fixing small engines or go on an outing to visit a village of pumpkin people. Find out more about trails as an economic boost for your community or decide to grow organic – here is a buffet of farm and agricultural pursuit options for your weekend and beyond.

Still some spots left for Community Farm of Simsbury: Safety & Maintenance for Small Engines & Power Tools, Oct. 19, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost, $25; limited to 15 participants. This six-hour class is designed to provide a basic understanding of how small engines work.

There will be a review of the two-cycle and four-cycle process with actual engines to demonstrate how these engines work, and tips on how best to maintain them. Like many machines, these tools are as readily misused or abused as they are used properly, and lack of maintenance often leads to expensive repair or replacement. The instructor will review safe and proper use, as well as daily care and routine maintenance procedures. He will also address a vexing issue for many novices and experienced users alike: starting procedures and using the choke.

With such a variety of small engine machines on the market, it is almost impossible to address all of the potential repair issues on these little workhorses. So rather than focus on actual repair, the class is designed to provide a deeper understanding of how they work and how they are meant to be used, and how proper use and regular maintenance can prevent most repair issues. In lieu of actual repair, the class will cover trouble-shooting small engine issues, and some basic repair steps to correct for some of the more common problems. There will be handouts, and participants are encouraged to bring their own small engine machines (and the manuals!) for demo and review (time permitting).

To register, email to MacKenzie White Mackenzie.white(at)uconn.edu including the following; full name, mailing address, phone number, email address, and any dietary restrictions. Make the check payable to the University of Connecticut and mail to Tolland County Extension Center, 24 Hyde Ave., Vernon, CT 06066.

Governor’s Greenways Council 1st Annual CT Trails Symposium, Thursday Oct. 20, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Middlesex Community College, Middletown, in partnership with Middlesex Community College’s Environmental Science Program. The goal is to promote the development of greenways and waterways in the state – and demonstrate the many benefits a greenway or trail can have to a community.

A panel of experts and greenway advocates will illustrate the benefits recreational trails can have in both locally and statewide through a series of short talks, local examples and testimonials. On-line registration is now open; visit www.ct.gov/deep/greenways for information or to register.

Fun for families – Pumpkintown, East Hampton, at Paul & Sandy's Garden Center, East High Street, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily (weather permitting). Weekends and holidays tour cost: Village only $6; hay ride $7; village and ride $12. Weekdays: Village only $2; hay ride $7; children (under 2) free.

And some news to grow farms.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) released details of 26 grants that will help organic farmers and ranchers improve business operations and bring more organic food to the table. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the grants recently at the New York Times Food for Tomorrow Conference in Pocantico Hills, N.Y. The grants are funded through the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and Organic Transitions Program (ORG).

“America’s organic industry continues to grow and is an increasingly viable option for farmers and ranchers,” said NIFA Director Sonny Ramaswamy. “USDA supports research, education and extension to give organic producers science-based best-practices, helping them grow their business by contributing to a healthy America.”

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s recently released 2015 Certified Organic Survey showed that the number of certified farms, acres and sales were all up and the 12,818 certified organic farms in the U.S. sold $6.2 billion in organic products, up 13 percent over 2014. Certified organic products in the U.S. include a wide range of goods from dairy and meat to fruits, vegetables and grains.

OREI investments totaling $17,640,143 in 18 projects will help existing organic producers grow and market high-quality products. These projects give farmers, ranchers and processers more insight into the science and economics of successful organic production.

One of this year’s planning grant recipients, Oregon State University, received $250,000 to develop an online graduate certificate program in organic agriculture. Another award of $1.9 million will go to the Regents of the University of California to conduct a multi-regional analysis on soil health and food safety in organic crop production.

The 2016 OREI recipients include:

Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Ala, $2,000,000
Regents of the University of California, Davis, Ca. $1,999,848
University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., $49,983
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Peoria, Ill., $1,999,979
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $999,917
Regents of the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., $1,400,940
Regents of the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn., $1,523,708
USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Southeastern Area, Stoneville, Miss., $1,991,149
Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $1,000,000
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $249,810
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore. $44,531
Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa., $1,192,110
Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., $999,770
Organic Center for Education and Promotion, Brattleboro, Vt., $50,000
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $1,999,950
Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., $49,915
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, Madison, Wis. $49,969
The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, Madison, Wis. $38,564
Project details can be found at the NIFA website.

The other $3,777,222 was awarded to eight projects through NIFA’s ORG Program that invests in research, education and extension efforts to help existing and transitioning organic livestock and crop producers improve their competitiveness as well as adopt organic practices. Priority areas for 2016 include research on organic practices such as crop rotation, improved technologies and understanding barriers to organic transition.

2016 ORG recipients include:

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colo., $499,990
Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., $369,853
Board of Regents, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Neb., $499,718
University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H., $499,559
The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $499,415
Pennsylvania State University – University Park, City, Pa., $463,947
Texas A&M AgriLife Research, College Station, Texas, $475,000
University of Vermont, Burlington, Vt., $469,740

Kansas State University will use $370,000 to develop an organic crop budgeting tool for producers. Colorado State University will use $500,000 to quantify how organic production systems help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The University of Vermont will use $470,000 for research and extension services to assist in the transition from conventional to organic maple syrup production.

To date, NIFA has awarded more than $162 million through the OREI and ORG programs. Previously funded projects include a University of Florida study on sustainable organic strawberry cropping systems for the Southeastern U.S. and a Montana State University project that examined the resilience of organic crop-livestock systems under current and projected climate.

USDA is committed to helping organic agriculture grow and thrive through a variety of programs including conservation grants, organic crop insurance, certification cost-share, organic market news and simplified microloans. To learn more about USDA support for organic agriculture, visit an updated organic portal at www.usda.gov/organic. For more about about NIFA’s impact on agricultural science visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, or sign up for email updates or follow Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts.