MARQUETTE -- Staff members of the Natural Resources Conservation Service convened in Marquette on Tuesday, learning more about supporting local farms.

The NRCS is an agency of the US Department of Agriculture. They provide assistance to farmers and other private landowners and managers.

NRCS employees from across the Upper Peninsula were joined by some staff members from the Michigan Conservation District as they heard from speakers who work with small scale farms and local food networks. The day-long session was part of periodical civil rights diversity day training the NRCS organizes for its employees.

A focus of the day was extending the growing season in the Upper Peninsula.

"We offer some financial assistance for high tunnels which extend seasons, and Marquette has a great local food network happening, and it's spreading in the Upper Peninsula and so we really need to be a part of that to help our producers better," said Heather Bartholomew of the NRCS.

To learn more about NRCS activities in Michigan, check out the NRCS website.