| BEGINNER FARMER TRAINING PROGRAM
April 11, May 9 & June 13. OPEN to anybody interested in starting an urban farm, the 2012 Urban Workshop Series will focus on skills and resources for getting started, marketing your products, relating to neighbors, testing your soil, and much more. Click here for more info. Thanks to the following organizations for their support of the Beginner Farmer Training Program:
The slots at our Baltimore County and Harford County training farms are full, however, we will be accepting applications until May 31 for up to four additional farmers (depending on funding) interested in training at Summer Creek Farm, our Frederick County training farm. We recruit highly motivated individuals, mostly college graduates with some farming experience and a commitment to a career in sustainable and/or organic agriculture. The program is free to participants. Applications must be submitted online using our BFTP Application Form. Contact Cathy Tipper, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , with any questions. We will announce recruiting specifics for the 2013 program in fall 2012. Program Structure
Future Harvest CASA Conference - The training year begins at the Future Harvest CASA Annual Conference, in mid January, which this year was held on the 13th and 14th at the National Conference Center in Landsdowne, Virginia. We hold a lunch meeting at the conference to meet and discuss the BFTP plan for the year. Workshops- University of Maryland Extension Baltimore County coordinates university professionals and other guest speakers to teach aspiring new farmers through a series of classes, one evening per week for 8 weeks, in February and March at the new Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture. Topics include: Marketing Essentials; Small Farm Business Planning; Soil Fertility and Conservation; Season Extension; Small Farm Business Planning; Pest, Disease, and Weed Management; GAP and Post Handling, and Organic Certification and Integrating Livestock into a Small Farm. These workshops are open to the public for a small fee. Selected BFTP trainees do not have to pay the fee. The trainees also attend a “Seed” potluck dinner meeting, a “Tools and Supplies” dinner meeting, and a “Chef Needs” dinner meeting, led by Baltimore's renowned sustainable local food restaurant entrepreneur, Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen. Click here for a the 2012 workshops. Field Training - BFTP trainees will gain hands-on experience practicing on a weekly basis with either Jack and Becky Gurley from Calvert’s Gift Organic Herb and Vegetable Farm in Baltimore Country, Tom Paduano and Sarah Rider from Flying Plow Farm (diversified organic farm) in Harford County or Rick Hood of Summer Creek Farm in Thurmont, Maryland. The shoulder to shoulder hands-on training covers a broad range of topics beginning with soil and sowing and ending with harvesting and post handling. Also included are discussions and hands-on experience on the topics listed in #1 above. Farm Tours/Workshops - From May through August the BFTP group participates in tours and training at various sustainable farms in the region including the new farms of training program graduates, with a newly added session at Hybridoma Organic Berry Farm. Usually the tours end in the evening with a potluck dinner which enables the BFTP farmers to ask more questions and to develop a sense of camaraderie. This support network, which continues to develop over the years, is one of the greatest benefits of the program.
Program Background and Accomplishments Starting in 2012, Future Harvest CASA is initiating its Beginner Farmer Training Program (BFTP), in partnership with Maryland Agricultural Resource Council (MARC). The Beginner Farmer Training Program (BFTP) is focused on training Chesapeake Region farmers on managing a sustainable family farm operation. The BFTP is a continuation of the New Farmer Training Program created by Future Harvest CASA members Jack and Beckie Gurley and Cathy Tipper, funded by North County Preservation (NCP), and administered by the Maryland Agricultural Resource Council (MARC). This program has trained 17 farmers to date. Of the 17 trainees, seven are currently farming in Chesapeake Region, one is looking for a management opportunity in viticulture, another is looking for a land opportunity (with housing) for organic produce farming in the region, and two have moved out of the state to pursue non-farm opportunities. Graduates and trainees currently sell produce at several farmers markets around the Baltimore and DC area and offer CSA memberships. Several of the new farmer graduates are actively farming in Baltimore City, nurturing not just the soil, but also their communities. Click here for a full report on the program's and graduates' accomplishments to date. Sign up for your Extension Newsletter to keep up to date on local educational opportunities in farming. This year’s mentor farmers are:
Other participating farmers include Robert Hamilton at Hybridoma Organic Fruit Farm and Greg and Karen Lambrecht of Serpent Ridge Vineyard. Our media partners have assisted in getting the word out to prospective farmers and the general public.
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May
- National Good Food Network Webinar
May 17, 2012 (3:30 pm - 4:45 pm) - Ayrshire Farm Spring Farm Tour
May 19, 2012 (All Day) - Training for New and Beginning Sheep and Goat Farmers/Producers
May 19, 2012 (All Day)
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