Throughout the past four years, David Marrison, Erik Draper, Les Ober and Steve Hudkins (OSU Extension Educators in northeast Ohio) have received numerous requests for consultations from small land owners on how they can raise agricultural commodities on their small acreage.  In response to these questions, the team designed curriculum and taught five small farmer colleges to help farm families in northeast Ohio increase their profits from their small acreage.  Course topics included business planning, enterprise selection, marketing and agricultural resources.  One-hundred seventy-one individuals owning 4,240 acres participated in the five colleges and 235 participated in two targeted on-day production schools.  The team will be teaching this college again in the fall of 2009. The team was recognized at the NACAA Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference held in September in Portland, Oregon as the Ohio, North Central Region Winner and National Runner-up in the National Search for Excellence Award Area of Young, Beginning and Small Farmer/Ranchers. Congratulations!