The Farmer to Farmer program focusing on sustainable practices opens Tuesday with visits to the John L. Council farm and the Raft Swamp Farm of Louie and Jackie Hough.

The program is co-sponsored by the Cooperative Extension Service Centers in Moore and Richmond counties.

The Council farm utilizes production practices taught by the farmer's father 50 years ago on an integrated farm that rotates livestock and produce sustainably and efficiently.

On the Raft Swamp Farm, the Houghs grow organically for area farmers' markets. The 200-acre-plus operation serves as an incubator farm for others interested in pursuing agriculture.

The program will continue on July 14 with a visit to the Sandhills Research Station, where participants will see on-going cover crop trials featuring a variety of cover crops growing in Sandhills soils. They will also meet Gary Priest, a Moore County tobacco farmer, who will discuss the challenges and rewards of learning a new vegetable crop, asparagus.

Subsequent field trips will take the group to the Vollmer Farm for a transition from tobacco to diversified produce.

The program will close Sept. 22 with a visit with Sharon Funderburke, an organic small grains farmer.