Organic Farm School

Mission

As a learning center, the Organic Farm School trains new farmers to develop and manage small farms focused on ecological, economic, and social regeneration - simultaneously offering opportunities for our community and others to learn about their role in strengthening local/regional food system.

Description

Because we believe there can be no regenerative agriculture without regenerative community, the Organic Farm School provides two different kinds of gatherings that make it easy for folks to connect with the land on which we farm, and with the people who are learning to farm at a community scale.

Our Farm Fridays are great fun, with music, food, and a lot of energy (and they run every Friday evening, from Memorial Day to Labor Day). 

In contrast, our Wednesday Coffee Talks, which run all year from 10am-noon, are designed to be more informal, a little quieter, and more focused on simple connection with others and with the heartbeat of the Farm.

Life can lead too many of us to feel disconnected, lonely, isolated -- especially for those of us facing health issues, separation from family, loss of a spouse, the aches & pains that come with aging, etc.. Our goal is to use the Farm as a space where such feelings can be eased!

To the point....we are hoping to raise $10K to keep these programs vibrant and welcoming. They offer informal and social opportunities for locals and travelers alike to gather at the Farm, connect to people and place, enjoy the diversity of life at the Farm, and learn more about what we do as a regenerative resource for farmers and eaters. They definitely help the OFS in accomplishing our mission -- simultaneously they provide a landscape for conversations to unite rather than divide our community. But perhaps most importantly, we believe that in a time when feelings of isolation, anxiety, and depression are running rampant, these informal gatherings can offer physical and mental health benefits.

But back to our regular description....We train new farmers to not only grow healthy food in regenerative ways, but how to plan for business and marketing success. Simultaneously, we engage our community in cooking classes, farm tours, work parties, and more, in an effort to shorten the distance between those who grow food and those who eat food. Our organizing principle is that in order to shift to more regenerative agricultural systems, we must also seek regenerative practices within our cultural and economic systems. To do this work, each year we offer a paid apprenticeship for 3-6 individuals who are ready to seriously jump into the farming profession, one-month experiences for 4-8 participants who are curious about the work and future of farming, one high school internship, multiple incubator opportunities, and events and activities for more than 2000 visitors. Together, we grow annual vegetables on a 10-acre field, actively participating in our local food system.

Apprentices learn how to follow and create a crop plan, manage crops and labor, set irrigation, produce seed crops, work with farmers markets and direct-to-retail outlets, contribute to food banks, develop their own business & marketing plan, and so much more. As they do all of this, they provide fresh produce for community cooking classes and gatherings, where non-farmers are invited to come learn with our students about how to transform crops into meals. Along the way, eaters and farmers alike are learning about how to best support the kind of agriculture that regenerates soils and people, how to advocate for local/regional farmers and food systems, and how to support new farmers in accessing land.

Our one-month "Summer Block" sessions are intended to inspire as well as to field-test the level of interest an individual might have with respect to farming. It's a great option for those interested in the Apprenticeship, wanting to make sure it's a "fit" for them, or for those who are looking for an experiential break from their regular professional lives. We work to create post-training opportunities, to include paid positions with experienced grads, farm business incubators, and connections to land leases. We just launched a Farm Stay program, giving non-farmers the chance to dive deeply into what it takes to get food from place to plate. And of course we offer workshops and tours throughout the season

Beyond the 10-acre teaching farm, we collaborate with other organizations, agencies, and institutions to explore: small farm grain production; use of cover crops to build healthy soil; and integration of small scale livestock for soil development and vegetation management.