This lovely clip above give a snapshot of Arista Holdens most recent sail camp. Arista will be working with the Greenhorns to hold another sail camps in the Summer of 2018 on the beautiful coast of Maine. Contact Arista directly if you would like more information by sending an email to arista@thegreenhorns.org
Category Archives: Training Programs
sustainable farmer training in oregon
Rogue Farm Corps helps teach the next generation of farmers via hands-on immersive training on sustainable farms in Oregon. Live and learn side-by-side with a mentor farmer. Take part in classes, farm tours, and discussion circles. Learn more and apply today for the 2018 season: http://roguefarmcorps.org”
Applications for the 2018 season are now open. They offer programmes for both beginners and advanced apprentices. Click HERE to find out more and to apply.
allegheny mountain institute is now accepting applications for their farm and food education fellowship.
Allegheny Mountain Institute (AMI) is seeking applicants for its fully-funded Fellowship program. Now in its seventh year, the 18-month Fellowship prepares and empowers individuals to become teachers and ambassadors for a more vibrant and accessible local food system. Selected Fellows spend six months in immersive training on their mountain farm campus (Phase I) and one year in service work with non-profit partner organizations (Phase II). AMI is an educational non-profit organization with the mission to cultivate healthy communities through food and education based in Staunton, VA.
Phase I – Farm Study (April 22-October 31, 2018)
- Gain hands-on experience in sustainable fruit and vegetable production, small animal husbandry, beekeeping, homesteading skills and more on our mountain farm in Highland County, VA.
- Study regenerative farming, nutrition and wellness, permaculture design, and community development through expert guest instructors, field trips, and educational sessions.
- Explore local food system leadership opportunities and participate in school gardens, farmers markets and other community events.
- Stay in handcrafted cabins, study in wifi-equipped common spaces and share farm-fresh meals supplemented with whole food staples.
- Receive $1,000 upon successful completion.
Phase II – Service Work (January 2- December 31, 2019)
- Work with AMI and Partner Organizations to help build healthy communities through food and education in Highland and Augusta Counties.
- Contribute to projects such as: developing school gardens and site-based curriculum, creating infrastructure for local food systems, growing food and increasing food access, and teaching nutrition and cooking.
- Build leadership skills through monthly professional development sessions and continuing education opportunities.
- Receive an annual salary of $18,000 (less payroll taxes, paid bi-weekly)
Applicants must be physically fit, able to lift 50 pounds, walk distances up and down steep hills, work outdoors for extended periods of the day, and be comfortable living and working communally as a team in a remote, mountain setting.
Applications are due by February 1, 2018 and are available at: www.alleghenymountaininstitute.org. Applications are considered on a rolling basis and are reviewed as soon as complete. For more information please e-mail jessa@alleghenymountainschool.org or call 540-886-0160.
applications for calypso farm & ecology center’s 2018 farmer training program are now open!
Calypso Farm & Ecology Center (Fairbanks, AK) is now recruiting applications for their 2018 Farmer Training Program, a 5-month immersive residential programs. The Program runs from May 7th to September 29th, 2018 and is designed to equip participants to become self-reliant farmers through immersion in all aspects of farm operations, working alongside experienced farmers for an entire Alaskan growing season. Calypso’s unique setting also provides exposure and experience with farm-based environmental education, community events, and a range of homesteading skills. The following is just a selection of the skills covered over the season:
- Seeding and caring for greenhouse transplants
- Prepping the field for planting
- Planting and direct seeding
- Managing soil fertility
- Weed and pest management
- Caring for farm animals
- Harvesting
- Operating a CSA
- Running a farm stand and selling to local restaurants
- Working safely, using Natural Balance
- Whole Farm Business Planning
- Blacksmithing & Wood Carving
- Building
- Wool Processing
- Tool Making and Maintenance
This program is particularly good for beginning farmers as it includes a ‘Beginning Farmer’s Bonus’. Any participant who completes the entire program (including completing their whole farm plan) will be eligible for a bonus payment after completion of the program, intended to support any future farming plans. Farmer Bonus’s are based on need as well as program participation.
Students can choose to take this program as a 6 credit course through the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.
To find out more about the program, click HERE
the farm school is now accepting applications for 2018
Program Dates: October 2018 – September 2019
Since 2002, The Farm School has offered a practical, real-world agricultural education for aspiring farmers, educators and community leaders. The Learn to Farm program is a full-time, residential immersion in the work and rhythms of sustainable farm life. Everyday, and in every way, student farmers at The Farm School learn to farm by farming, supported by coursework, mentoring and instruction from staff farmers.
The Farm School helps their students establish conceptual understanding and physical competency in a wide range of skills and areas of farm production: forestry, animal husbandry, carpentry, mechanics, business planning, homesteading, marketing, cooking, organic vegetable production and beyond. The program curriculum reaches one hand back into history to pull forward the best of what traditional agriculture has to offer and with the other hand pushes ahead into cutting edge creative and dynamic ways of enriching our stewardship of land.
If you are interest in applying, please note that the Priority Application Deadline is February 15, 2018
There are number of visiting days coming up in the next few months, you can register for one of the below by submitting your farm application.
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Thursday, November 30, 2017
Thursday, December 4, 2017
There are a number of fellowships and significant tuition assistance is available in a number of forms directly from the Farm School. Their goal is to assemble a terrific and diverse group of students, with few limitations due to their capacity to contribute financially to the program.
Doune Trust Fellow:
One full scholarship is available for a uniquely bright and compelling student representing an underserved community with great potential to serve or lead that community agriculturally. This scholarship carries the full value of the student farmer tuition contribution, including room, board, books and materials.
Willow Tree Fellow:
One full scholarship is available for a student that identifies as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx or Indigenous and who demonstrates particular promise to make good use of the Learn to Farm Program’s agricultural training. This scholarship carries the full value of the student farmer tuition contribution, including room, board, books and materials.
The Farm School is licensed by the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure as a private occupational school and approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide training for eligible veterans under the GI Bill. A full year’s college credit is available for Sustainable Food and Farming majors at the University of Massachusetts Stockbridge School of Agriculture. The Farm School will honor the full value of AmeriCorps Education Awards.
For more information about available tuition assistance and fellowships, click HERE
agroforestry in practice training
Cornell Small Farms Programme are running a three day Agroforestry in Practice training course that will take place from October 17th – 19th, 2017 at the Schuyler County Cooperative Extension at Montour Falls NY.
Agroforestry is the science and art of combining trees and forests with crop production. It is a topic of great interest to many landowners and farmers and offers many promising enterprises including maple syrup, log mushroom cultivation, silvopasture (combining trees and livestock) and others.
Agroforestry has been established as one of the most reliable and promising uses of land in terms of economic return and environmental sustainability and health. The 3 day course is designed specifically with service providers in mind and offers a combination of both classroom time and field experience in established agroforestry farms.
The list of farms on the agenda right now are fantastic and will be sure to give a diverse overview of the possibilities of agroforestry. They include but are not limited to a 300 acre cattle grazing and silvopasture system, a farm that grows shiitake mushrooms and maple syrup combined with sheep and duck silvopasture and two farms that focus on orchard alley cropping and animal integration.
To register for this fantastic course or for more information click HERE
farmland for the next generation
credit: AFT
The success of the next generation of farmers and ranchers is crucially dependant on whether they can secure suitable land to start and expand their operations. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the number of new farmers and ranchers in the United States decreased 20 percent from 2007 and hit a 30-year low. In acknowledgement of this barrier for young farmers, the American Farmland Trust have just recently announced that 24 experienced educators will serve as Land Access Trainers to help beginning farmers and ranchers secure agricultural land. This will be part of a nationwide, four-year-long project and the chosen trainers are located in each of the 10 U.S. farm production regions. The American Farmland Trust is a national nonprofit organization that works to protect farmland, promote sound farming practices and keep farmers on the land.
The Food Project is supporting and inspiring young people to make a change in their communities.
Join The Food Project from August 3 to 5, 2017 to learn, grow, and connect with your peers from across the country and the world.
The three day summer institute is packed with activities, workshops and engaging and passionate conversation that will teach you about their youth development and sustainable agriculture models, food justice initiatives and the creation of food secure communities.
Cost: $430.
For more information on The Food Project’s Institutes, please email institute@thefoodproject.org or call 781-259-8621 x29 to speak with Cindy Davenport, Director of Programming and Institutional Learning.
Or register on their website: http://thefoodproject.org/institute
hudson valley school plants seeds of herbalism with upgraded training program
Wild Gather, a spectacularly cool herb school in the Hudson Valley, is currently offering Seeds of Herbalism, a foundations class in Western herbal traditions. Registration is open, and those who have looked at the program before will note that they’ve added an additional month to the program with 20 more hours of class time.
Seeds of Herbalism is a 5 month foundational program that takes place in and around Hudson, NY. This 60-hour course will provide students with a grounding in Herbal Medicine by developing the skills to work with plants for their own self care and their communities.
Wild Gather writes, “In this program, we’ll cultivate an understanding of Botany and the plants of our bio-region, learn medicine making, first-aid & hands-on self care skills. We’ll also delve into the spirit world of plants and healing, by exploring our unique ancestries and relationship to plant lore and magic. Additionally, Social and Health Justice are core values for us as facilitators, and our program is rooted in holding space for conversations, learning and growing around the many oppressions people face surrounding health care and its access. With all this and more, students will gain an incredible footing into the beautiful world of Herbalism.”
If you’re interested, go here to learn more; registration is now open!
holy, moly, 2017 ranch apprenticeships!
photo credit – Lars Plougmann
Great news! We found a couple exceptional ranching apprenticeship opportunities with The Quivira Coalition New Agrarian Program. The organization is seeking some eager greenhorns for several 2017 positions on ranches out west.
The New Agrarian Program offers apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture through partnership with mentor ranchers and farmers who are part of the Quivira community. In particular, this program aims to build resilience on Western lands by training the next generation of stewards in agricultural best practices, and by training ranchers and farmers to be mentors.
Our apprenticeship program works closely with carefully selected rancher and farmer mentors who are dedicated stewards of the land; practice beyond organic, regenerative methods of food production; provide excellent animal care; and who are natural teachers for young agrarians.
There are still 4 positions open!
Brett Gray Ranch
Eight-Month Ranching Apprenticeship in Rush, CORound River Resource Management, LLC is a land resource and livestock management company dedicated to restoring and improving agricultural operations through the principles of Holistic ManagementTM in a sustainable manner and consistent with the goals of the resource owner.The name Round River is derived from the metaphorical river described by Aldo Leopold that flows endlessly into itself, circling around and around in a never ending circuit that symbolizes the current of life. Leopold’s illustration describes the manner in which energy streams from the soil into plants, then into animals and finally back into the soil in a continuous circuit of life. Round River Resource Management was founded in 2008 to manage the Brett Gray Ranch and other agricultural enterprises following the principles of Holistic ManagementTM and to provide educational and business opportunities that help young, innovative people enter the ranching business.Start Date: Flexible start date.
TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Louis Martin at louis@roundriver.biz.
Cobblestone Ranch
Eight-Month Ranching Apprenticeship in Chico, CAThe Cobblestone Ranch is a sheep operation based on private property and on federal wildlife refuge lands managed specifically for wildlife habitat. Breanna Owens runs approximately two hundred ewes (with expansion plans over the next few years to increase to five hundred ewes). She uses a rotational grazing strategy on the refuge with the overall goal of maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat and specific goals of reducing thatch, shrub and weed control, and stimulating new herbaceous growth. She moves the sheep one to two times a week, in paddocks ranging from one to five acres depending on seasonality and management objectives. Owens sells lambs as grass-fed and -finished either as feeder lambs to a direct marketer or as finished lambs to a regional processor. She plans on transitioning a portion of the flock to organic and selling through a regional CSA.Start Date: Flexible start date.
TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Bre Owens at breowens5@gmail.com.
James Ranch Artisan Cheese
Eight-Month Dairy and Cheesemaking Apprenticeship in Durango, COJames Ranch Artisan Cheese manages a small herd of Jersey cows for the production of raw milk and small-batch cheeses in the beautiful Animas Valley near Durango, Colorado. Operated by Dan and Becca James, James Ranch Artisan Cheese is one of several family-run enterprises on the larger James Ranch. This dairy and cheesemaking apprenticeship offers professional training for aspiring agrarians committed to a life and career at the intersection of conservation, sustainable agriculture, and artisan foods. The apprenticeship includes hands-on experience with all aspects of dairy operation and cheese production, including low-stress animal handling, milking, cheese making, affinage, biological monitoring, marketing, financial planning, Holistic Management, and land stewardship.Start Date: Before April 1.
TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Dan and Becca James at cheese@jamesranch.net.
Vilicus Farms
Eight-Month Grain Farming Apprenticeship in Havre, MTVilicus Farms is a first generation, nationally recognized organic, dryland crop farm located in northern Hill County, Montana. Established in 2009, Vilicus Farms grows a diverse array of heirloom and specialty grains, pulse, oilseed and broadleaf crops within a 5+year rotation on approximately 5,000 acres. Vilicus Farms practices advanced land stewardship at a scale that matters. The Vilicus Farms Apprenticeship is intended to be a multi-season training and mentoring program that immerses highly motivated young professionals in organic farm operation and management – a journey that ultimately ends in farm ownership. Doug and Anna understand the challenges of taking a farm from vision to reality. Through the Vilicus Farms apprenticeship program they hope to give beginning farmers a real opportunity to start a successful organic dryland crop farm in the Northern Great Plains.Start Date: Before April 1.
TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Anna Crabtree-ones at anna@vilicusfarms.com.
job opportunities like this signal brighter days
Good Monday to you!
Here in the North East the weather seems hellbent on reminding us that its still winter… so when a job posting like this comes across our desks we feel obligated to share the warmth far and wide.
Most rural communities can trace their origin to some sort of food production. As industries come and go and we find ourselves headed back to the soil – to towns and villages that have been watching the population migrate in the opposite direction – we are reminded that food production can/is/will always be a vital part resilient communities.
And now a wonderful opportunity in Huntly, Scotland.
From the posting:
Town is the Garden: Gardener in Residence
Deveron Projects is an arts organisation based in the rural market town of Huntly, Scotland. Through creative critical work we aim to contribute to the social wellbeing of the town, connecting artists, communities and places. Deveron Projects has no building, instead the town is the venue; acting as studio, gallery and stage for artists of all disciplines invited from around the world to live and work here.
Through artist driven projects we explore, map, inhabit and activate new spaces and places around Huntly. We believe artists are cultural activists that can energise people and communities, adding vitality to our society. By utilising creative and playful processes art can be employed to untangle and overcome real-life challenges, invent and enact alternative possibilities, and help solve problems.
The Town is the Garden is a one-year creative horticultural programme aimed at improving Huntly’s potential to grow more of its own food and create a more sustainable local food economy. Through employing a Gardener in Residence we hope to develop Huntly into a garden town that celebrates locally grown produce.
It’s an ambitious project, but we’re certain there are some well callused greenhorns out there looking to dig into something like this.
You can find out more about this position here.
calling all future farmers: apprentice opportunity in big sky country
An exciting opportunity for beginner farmers to take their farming game to the next level! The Quivira Coalition is still accepting applications for its hands-on and highly immersive apprenticeship at Vilicus Farms (focusing on organic dryland grain production) in Montana:
Applicants must have a keen interest in farming and becoming a farmer. They must be self-starters, have the ability to work independently, appreciate the challenges and joys of working outside in all conditions, be a solid problem solver, with an open creative mind, and embrace diversity. The chosen applicants must be mature individuals and excited to engage in their own learning process.
This first year position is designed to provide an immersion experience in all facets of the dryland organic crop farm enterprise. Apprentices will work under the direct supervision of the farm managers. Specific training will be tailored to the skill sets and needs of the apprentice. Apprentices will be an integral part of the Vilicus Farms team and are expected to participate fully in the daily work planning sessions, weekly/monthly team meetings and visioning discussions. Apprentices will participate in the physical labor of the operation as well as the mental challenge of all aspects of the management of the farm business.
To apply and to learn more about the position and Vilicus Farms, click HERE. You can also check out the Quivira Coalition HERE – they do awesome work and offer other apprenticeship opportunities throughout the American West.
graziers wanted in NY
We’ve come across a cool program for aspiring dairy farmers! If you’ve been mulling over the various routes get into dairy perhaps this is worth looking into.
From the press release:
Cornell Small Dairy Support Specialist Fay Benson is recruiting participants for the New York edition of the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship Program, the groundbreaking, nationally-recognized apprenticeship program for the agricultu
ral industry.
Modeled after apprenticeship programs such as those for developing a highly skilled level of experience for new plumbers and electricians, the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, or DGA, is recognized by the federal Department of Labor.
The two-year DGA requires 4,000 hours of instruction, including 277 hours of online classes, and on-the-job training on farms approved for good agricultural practices and safety measures. The federally-registered apprentices are paid on an established wage scale to work on an existing grazing dairy farm while they gain knowledge, skills, and early experience. The wage increases over time as skill level grows.
Those interested in becoming an apprentice or serving as a Dairy Master Grazier may apply online at www.dga-national.org; for assistance, contact Abbie Teeter at ajt248@cornell.edu, 607-391-2660 ext 412. Once registered, the apprentices and Dairy Master Graziers can search the entries across the 9-state region to initiate discussion of a possible apprenticeship opportunity.
To learn more about the New York Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, contact Fay Benson at 607-391-2660, afb3@cornell.edu. Benson is project manager for the NY Organic Dairy Program, an educator with the Cornell University South Central NY Regional Team, coordinator of the NY Soil Health Trailer, and a member of the New York Crop Insurance Education Team.
go rogue: join the farm corps
Katy Giomboini shares her seasoned observations on the internship program offered by the Rogue Farm Corps in Oregon. Whether you are interested in farming for the first time or you are looking to hone skills that you’ve gained from past apprenticeships, the organization offers two training programs suited to fit your educational needs. They are accepting applications for this year on a rolling basis
View from the Sidelines: Cultivating the Next Generation of Farmers and Ranchers
By: Katy Giomboini, RFC Chapter Coordinator
As I look to the start of the 2017 growing season and review farm internship applications, I can feel my excitement building. I imagine it’s a similar feeling that farmers get at the start of the season. Excited for what the year will bring, trying out new techniques, doing a little bit better than last year. Another season, another group of enthusiastic individuals looking to see if farming is a career path for them. Their backgrounds are as diverse as the tomato section of a seed catalog. Some are fresh out of high school, others looking to change careers. Some have zero farming experience and others have degrees in agriculture. There are big plans on how they are going to run a farm/restaurant/retreat center and others simply looking to get their hands dirty. For most, this season is going to bring a lot of surprises, a lot of reality checks, a lot of stories, and for a few, it will lay the foundation for their farming career.
I am about to start my fourth season as a chapter coordinator with the Rogue Farm Corps, a beginning farmer training program in Oregon, and each year I am inspired by the folks that choose to uproot themselves to live and work on a farm for a growing season. Farming is not easy. As any of the interns will tell you, the first month they’re on farm, they are tired, like bed-time-at-8:00pm tired. Many experiences don’t require the strength and agility to squat, bend, and pull day in and day out. But as the months go by, they get stronger. One of my favorite image is of an intern, probably 5’2”, who at the start of the program could barely carry a 50 pound bag of poultry feed, but by the end she was easily carrying two 50lb bags as she zoomed around doing chores. What once seemed hard becomes routine. Continue reading
the irresistible fleet of bicycles 