Part III. Section 3.TRAINING AND MENTORING NEW AND CURRENT FARMERS

According to Elliot Coleman, an author and spokesperson for the organic movement, our educational system has forgotten the vital systems of the earth and living organisms. Here are three quotes from Coleman on this subject. He said, "If we wish to teach reverence for the earth, we need to insist that practical time spent on the soils of the earth is just as valuable in training citizens for an informed life in the 21st century as time spent in academy lecture halls." He goes on to say, "When food production is considered a lowly activity, something for the unschooled, the result is to forfeit humanity's essential connection to the source of life." And finally, "By choosing not to educate our children about soil and agriculture and food, our institutions of higher learning deprive today's younger generation of a truly valuable education."

Source: 

Coleman, Elliot. "Educational Agriculture." Vermont Commons, Spring, 2007. 

With the average age of farmers increasing, the need to replace those who are retiring is critical to the future of agriculture. Therefore, it's critical that efforts are made to train new farmers and to support young farmers who grew up on farms and want to continue to farm.    

There are different routes a young person with little farming experience can take -- the academic route or the more hands-on approach or a combination of the two. The focus of this chapter will be on re-training, apprenticeships, mentoring and college programs.   

For many years, colleges and universities have offered the traditional path of education for agriculture students, especially for the sons and daughters of farm families. In the past few years alternative forms of education and training have begun to sprout up around the country.  I will focus on some conventional as well as alternative approaches to education and training in this chapter. 

   

One organization which is dealing with this issue is the Vermont New Farmer Network (VNFN) that increases the capacity of agricultural resource providers to meet the needs of new farmers. Workshops are held to educate new and current farmers in the areas of organic dairy farming, greenhouse and season extension, access to new markets, finances, credit, access to land and alternative forms of land tenure.  

The network includes established farmers who want to stabilize their production and re-strategize their operations, aspiring farmers who are committed to becoming farmers as a career option,  and potential recruits who have an aptitude and interest in farming but little experience. 

* The VNFN is supported by the University of Vermont's Center for  Sustainable Agriculture. Contact Deb Heleba at (802) 656-0233 for  more information.  

Side Notes: 

There weren't any networks in the spring of 1969 when I took the hands-on-approach by apprenticing at Hill & Dale Farm in Putney, Vermont under Erling Anderson, a biodynamic gardener and farmer. 

Here is my story.  When I received my discharge papers from the U.S. Army in the Spring of 1969, I left Ft. Dix, New Jersey and went home to Vermont to begin my apprenticeship. I heard about the training through a good friend of mine, Robert King, who was also apprenticing under Erling.  

This experience changed my life. Erling Anderson was a great teacher. I'll never forget the day Erling asked me check out the bean crop for bean seeds for next year's crop. Well, I picked the beans but they weren't dry enough for picking. Erling was not a happy camper when he saw what I had done. Live and learn.  Hey! I wouldn't be writing this book if it wasn't for him.  

 

Examples of Academic/Practical Programs in Sustainable Farming  

A good place to start is the online USDA directory under the subtitle Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture.  The directory provides a list of the colleges and universities with sustainable ag programs, along with schools offering one or more courses in organic farming.  

Many of the colleges listed are land grant universities and colleges specializing in agriculture.  For years, these school have provided schooling in conventional/industrial agriculture but now are also teaching sustainable and organic farming.  Their goal is to provide the necessary skills needed to make a living on the farm, even though the reality is that many farm families could not exist without off-farm income.

University of Maine: The first U.S. program to offer a Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Agriculture began in 1988 at the University of Maine. Mark Guizzi is a young farmer who graduated in 2000.  Guizzi says he got more out of the program because he had worked or interned on four farms before starting college, which helped him better understand the importance and application of his coursework.  He said that the program was a good way to learn the principles and ecology behind agriculture, but, as he made clear, you also need practical experience.

Guizzi said the keys are to get the necessary training, start small, not go into debt and don't expect to get rich, but rather to seek a richly rewarding life.  This was Mark Guizzi's experience.  He first rented, and now owns, a nine-acre farm in Dixmont, Maine called Peacemeal Farm, where he grows herbs and vegetables.   

Another popular choice for those interested in sustainable agriculture is Washington State University.  It has a solid record of research in organic methods and offers a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture and food systems, including a major in organic agricultural systems.  

CREAM - Cooperative for Real Education in Agricultural Management is a more traditional undergraduate program at the University of Vermont. Every year, about 15 students at UVM embark upon a one-year adventure that begins at 4 a.m. It takes place in the dairy barn at the University along with 30 milking cows.  You might hear comments like "Don't ever miss chores.  You're just screwing each other."  This comment came from Keith Bocatch in 2004.  Decisions on the farm are made by the students who work together as a group. 

The students take part in the milking, cleaning out the barn, feeding the animals, making sure the cows are comfortable, and keeping the books.  They learn the importance of milk prices and how when there is a deficit you have to make hard decisions. The CREAM farm experience is more than reading about farming in a textbook. 

James Sturzione said, "It shows you that not everything is perfect.  That's real life.  Not making it in the business world is a hard reality.  You might just need to face a challenge like this on the farm.  At CREAM, you take it head on.  You don't back away from it."  James grew up 15 minutes outside of NYC where the closest he got to a cow was a milk carton in the supermarket. 

Jim Gilmore, the professor who runs the program, says it is more about  people skills than dairy herd management.  Jim is the son of an Ohio State University animal science professor and farmer.  Gilmore has been part of the CREAM program since its inception in 1987.  Gilmore recalls, "We realized that this is going to be much more than a hands-on experience.  It's not just students doing chores.  It's students learning how to work as a group and solve problems." 

Vermont's model was built on a similar cooperative program at  Washington State University.  The CREAM model is now being used at the Universities of Maine and New Hampshire, and even one in Ireland.  Recently, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) started an organic dairy farm.  (See more on UNH program below)   

The alumni of the CREAM program are now agribusiness executives, teachers, veterinarians, and researchers and dairy farmers.  Eleven graduates have gone on to veterinary school.  Andrew Meyer, a 1992 graduate, helped develop agricultural policy for the former Senator from Vermont, Jim Jeffords.  In 2003, he joined his brothers, both CREAM graduates, on the family farm in Hardwick, which has converted to organic farming.  Meyers was featured in an earlier chapter as an agricultural entrepreneur.   

There are a number of pre-veterinary majors who have worked with animals. Jackie Hulce says that she sees herself driving around Vermont taking care of dairy cows like the "James Herriot" of the Green Mountains.  Amy Krikorian did a summer internship at a zoo and for some odd reason said, "I really like scooping poop.  I can't help it."  Each to his or her own. 

Source: 

The information on CREAM came from an article by Thomas Weaver in the Vermont Quarterly, Winter 2005, a magazine of the University of Vermont. Issue #36   

2 Plus 2 Program 

University of Vermont (UVM) & Vermont Technical College (VTC) 

The mission of 2 Plus 2 is to prepare the next generation of Vermont dairy farm managers using the resources of UVM, VTC, and the Miner Institute in Chazey, New York.  The program seeks to ensure that there are highly motivated, highly trained young people entering agricultural and agribusiness careers in the state.  Full tuition scholarships are available to Vermont students.  Funding is provided for Vermont students through the Vermont legislature.  The student must show an interest in farming and proven aptitude in school.  Funding is available to 10 students a year for a yearly total of twenty students.  The program is not focused on advanced graduate work.  

2 Plus 2 enables students working to be dairy farm managers to make a transition from VTC to a second two years at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the University of Vermont.  

All students first earn an Associate's Degree in Dairy Management or a degree in Agricultural Business Management at VTC.    

Mathew Angell is an eighth-generation Vermont farmer in the 2 Plus 2 program.  His family has farmed the same Randolph fields since Vermont became a state in 1791.  The Vermont program paid his full tuition as long he maintained a 3.0 average.  Mathew studied biology, business, the latest farm technologies, plant and soil science, animal health and disease, and growth hormones and genetic engineering.  

Mathew began 2 Plus 2 as one of 1,200 students at VTC.  He also spent time working at UVM's dairy barn as well as a spring semester at William Miner Agricultural Research Institute in Chazy, New York where he focused on Advanced Farm Management and then returned to UVM to graduate in 2007. 

University of New Hampshire (UNH)

In 2007, UNH created a new organic dairy farm with the hope of addressing the issue of integrated, sustainable organic agriculture in the Northeast. The farm is being developed to serve as a resource for organic dairy farmers, farmers considering the transition to organic, and students of sustainable agriculture and dairying.  The milk from the farm goes to the Organic Valley Milk Cooperative. 

 

Utilizing the combined farms' 130 acres of cropland, research will focus on integrated cropping systems that reduce the loss of nitrogen and phosphorous, reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides and improve soil and crop quality.  Money for the project came from a grant of $450,000 from New Hampshire organic yogurt maker Stonyfield, and additional funding from the private and public sector. 

Hampshire College: Traditional Liberal Arts colleges are also developing programs to train farmers.  A couple of the leaders are Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and the University of California, Davis.  Marada Cook was enthusiastic about her Hampshire College experience.  She was attracted to the college because of its independent approach to learning and the campus farm, greenhouse and practical work assignments, such as with local food organizations.  Marada believes that graduates are prepared to farm when they leave Hampshire.  She now works on a farm in Maine. 

Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, Vermont offers a four-year environmental degrees in Sustainable Agriculture as well as Conservation Ecology, Outdoor Education and Northern Studies. 

The Sustainable Ag Semester immerses students in the daily rhythms of farming by exploring the ecological management of plants, animals and the land.  The farm includes certified organic gardens, a greenhouse and hoophouse, a small orchard, solar and wind-powered barns, and a variety of livestock, including draft horses used in the gardens, pastures, and forests.  

Sterling is a small liberal arts college located about 35 miles south of the Canadian border.  (802) 586-7711 

P.O. Box 72, Craftbury Common, VT 05827  www.sterlingcollegeonline.com

Antioch's Green Education: The newest program I've heard about is the Masters in Business Administration (MBA), six-semester, two-year program from Antioch, which focuses on sustainability and agriculture.  There are courses on group dynamics -- to promote an understanding of how groups work in organizations, workshops on ecological systems to study the principles of sustainability, leadership and diversity skill training and more practical business courses related to farm-ventures.   

Jerediah Beach is the assistant director of the nonprofit Natick Community Farm in Natick, Massachusetts.  He said, I've learned  business skills, economics, groups dynamics, how to run an organic business and how to start a farm at Antioch." Organic initiatives from starting the farm to traveling up the supply chain, have long been a sustainable model for new farming ventures such as CSA's and farm and food initiatives.  

Farming for Credit: At colleges and universities across the country, students are finding opportunities to make sustainable agriculture part of a well-rounded education.  Go to "Farming for Credit" for a list of 42 student farms organized by region.  

One such farm is located at Dartmouth College.  Scott Stokoe, the manager of the organic farm says, "I think of the farm as an agent of change."  Since 1997, the farm has come to fill a small but important role within the Dartmouth College community, supplying fresh produce to one of the campus dining halls and helping students prepare for study-abroad programs in Africa and Latin America.  Today, the farm has  a half-dozen part-time student workers, along with lots of volunteers.  Stokoe and the students also operate a campus farmstand that grosses $4,000 a year.

The Common Ground Student-Run Educational Farm is a 3-acre CSA site and part of the 97 acre Horticultural Research Farm at the University of Vermont. It is unique in that it's a student-run educational farm in South Burlington.  The Common Ground is a non-profit group dedicated to sustainable farming and the workers are students eager to learn about organic gardening practices.  

The Farm and Food Project at Green Mountain College: 

This small school in southern Vermont is taking sustainability to a new and old level. The college aims to supply 5 percent of its dining hall food from its farm. What's unique it that they are doing it with draft animals.  

The farm is right on the edge of the 820-student campus. If you stop off at the college, you'll notice the free-range chickens milling around the back door of the library. The biggest challenge is to learn about draft animals and equipment. They have found the best way to get information is to go to the farmer down the road.

Phillip Ackerman-Leist, the director of the Farm and Food Project said, "We've found a way to show that farming and the liberal arts education are soul mates -- the liberal arts approach is key to recrafting our food system." Dozens of classes use the farm as part of their coursework and students in the Environmental Studies Program can major in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Production.  

A Directory of Vermont Student Gardens and Farms:  

Bennington College Community Farm

Green Mountain College Organic Farm 

Middlebury College Organic Garden 

Sterling College Farm 

University of Vermont Common Ground Student-Run Educational Farm 

For other information on colleges and university training sites, go to USDA's Educational and Training Opportunities in Sustainable Agriculture on the web.  

 

The Price is Right: Some two-year community colleges offer a hands-on Associate of Arts degree in Sustainable Agriculture.  These are much more affordable than a program at a university and in some cases, more practical. 

 

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OTHER TRAINING AND MENTORING ALTERNATIVES 

With the increasing high cost in many four-year schools and universities, many young people are prohibited from attending college and studying agriculture. Shorter and less expensive paths, including internships, volunteer positions, apprenticeships, and paying farm jobs may be enough to learn the fundamentals of farming. 

One can research apprenticeship opportunities in the various farm magazines.  What's even harder is to find is a farmer who has the professional training to teach farming to apprentices, young and old. Sadly, in today's modern world, it is considered unworthy of educated people to become farmers even though many of Vermont's farmers in the last 35 years have college degrees, including myself. I became a commercial grower while teaching high school. 

The Hands-On Approach

Here are some training opportunities without the college diploma: 

The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service or ATTRA is a good place to find internship opportunities. ATTRA maintains a list of internships in the U.S. and Canada at www.attrainterships.ncat.org.  

Another place to look for on-the-job training is World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF}, an organization where volunteers learn first-hand about organic growing by helping farmers. Marada Cook, mentioned above, worked on a mixed vegetable farm for five months during her senior year in high school.  She says the experience was less formal than an internship and while it didn't pay a wage, housing and food were provided. 

For a combination of the academic and apprenticeship experiences, there's a full time, six-month Apprenticeship in Ecological Agriculture at the Center for Agro-Ecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz, which includes a 25-acre farm and the three-acre Allan Chadwick Garden.  Tuition in 2006 was $3,750. 

Other Training Opportunities in the Northeast 

The Maine Organic Farming and Gardening Association (MOFCA) has trained an estimated thousand or more apprentices in its 35 year history. The apprenticeships provide a check on the reality of farming. Some thrive and some don't and most do not go onto farming.  

An apprenticeship is definitely a good thing to do before a four-year college program instead of the other way around. Many young people do a number of apprenticeships, sometimes taking a year off from college or working on farms in the summer.  For more information on the apprenticeship programs in Maine, go to: www.mofca.org

Source: 

On Training and Educating New Farmers came from Mother Earth News, February/March 2007 Cultivating New Farmers   

 

NOFA Vermont provides a directory of placements for people interested in apprenticing on farms.  The numbers are steadily going up every year.  In 2005, 60 placements were made and in 2006, there were 65. NOFA VT does not have the resources to track the results of the internships.   

The New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI) in Belchertown, Massachusetts also provides a list of internships throughout New England. Call (413) 323-4531 or go to their website at NESFI. 

Many farm magazines list farm apprenticeship programs including the Bio-Dynamic Quarterly, Acres USA and the Natural Farmer -- a NOFA publication for the Northeast.  

Growing New Farmers (GNF) is an online site that connects programs, services and resources for new farmers throughout the 12 Northeast states.  This regional initiative provides future generations of Northeast farms with the support and expertise they need to succeed. GNF began as a four-year project funded by a grant from the USDA. The project focuses on providing a professional network and service delivery system focused on new farmers.  

Women's Agricultural Network (WagN)

WagN is a collaborative effort of the University of Vermont Extension Service and the USDA.  It works to increase the number of women operating profitable farms and ag-related businesses. 

Other states have similar programs. * See more on WagN on page   . 

 

According to Judy Gillen of the New England Small Farm Institute (NESFI), mentioned above, this is one of the real challenges today.  Too many apprentices end up being used as laborers on farms rather than learning the real art of farming.  This is not a knock on farmers as many of them have not been trained as teachers and they don't have the time for mentoring apprentices.  Gillen has found that the European apprentice model makes a lot of sense as farmers are trained more as teachers and the work is serious in nature.  

NEFI has set a teacher-training mentoring program for farmers as part of a Northeast apprenticeship network.  The goal is to foster professional development on the farm and create a real learning environment.  Check it out through the New England Small Farm Institute. The mentoring handbooks are comprehensive and lay out the training process step-by-step.  I was very impressed with the amount of work and detail that went into the farm curriculum mentoring handbooks. Go to NESFI on the Web for more information.