That is the motto of the PLANT @ Breeze program, a new farm enterprise incubator for the Piedmont Region. The People Learning Agriculture Now for Tomorrow (PLANT) program is an initiative of the Orange County Cooperative Extension Center and the Economic Development Commission, in collaboration with N.C. State University's College of Agriculture and Life Science.

The eight-week training program will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. during January and February 2008 at the Cooperative Extension Food Lab in Hillsborough. The series will introduce apprentice farmers to the basic how-to's of small scale, sustainable vegetable and fruit production. Registration is $100 for the full series or $15 per session.

Once apprentice farmers complete the training in early 2008, they will submit a business plan and farm enterprise plan to be evaluated by the program staff. If the plan is satisfactory, apprentice farmers will be able to tend land in quart-acre increments. Additional, certified hands-on training will enable apprentices to use equipment and tools provided by the PLANT @ Breeze program.

The field component of the farm enterprise incubator will be based at the WC Breeze Family Farm Agricultural Extension and Research Center in northern Orange County at the intersection of Walnut Grove Church Road and Schley Road. Col. William C. Breeze and his family donated the farm to N.C. State's College of Agriculture and Life Science and formally dedicated in spring 2006.

For more information or an application, visit www.orangecountyfarms.org/ or call Cooperative Extension at 245-2050 or Agricultural Economic Development at 245-2330. Applications are due by Jan. 2.