Practical Farm Training Program
at Maggie's Farm
Farming is best learned by doing. With our rich heritage in small family farming and a growing demand for local produce, there is no better time than the present and no better place than New England to begin to learn to farm. In the past farming was an art passed from one generation to the next in the context of working the family farm. Our Practical Farm Training Program recreates this model by bringing together a diverse group of adults who share a common interest in engaging in the rhythms of agriculture to develop a professional skill set or establish a farming lifestyle. Our program is modeled on the tradition of carefully mentored hands-on experience with the addition of more formal instruction and career support.
Student farmers gain practical skills and direct farming experience that enables them to take a next step toward establishing their own farming enterprise, join a working farm as a manager or assistant, teach at a farm education program, manage conservation lands, run a community garden, work in a farm advocacy organization or supplement a professional career
Our Practical Farm Training Program is designed for beginning farmers. Hands-on skills are learned within the context of a working farm, building confidence, expertise and a deeper understanding of farming practices. Your classroom is our 160-acre farm with organic market gardens, farm animals, forest, pasture, barns and field equipment. Learning is grounded in the practical realities of meticulous planning, rigorous work and direct marketing to restaurants, through a vibrant Boston farmer's market and managing our CSA program.
We welcome you to our fertile learning ground for those individuals willing to work hard in all ways with enthusiasm and a vital interest in what it takes to be a successful farmer.
Curriculum
Daily farm work is the mainstay of the program. In addition you can expect:
Small group instruction sessions and mentoring in the field
Whole group demonstrations, workshops, lectures, discussions
Investigations and independent projects
Visits to other New England farms operations
Guest lecturers and practioners
Organic Farm Crop Production
Soils and Compost
Crop Planning
Soil Tillage and Cultivation
Growing Methods
Harvest and Post-Harvest Handling of Vegetable Crops
Marketing
Physical and Mental Endurance in the Field
Natural Resource Management
Tree and Flora Identification
Field Mapping and Forest Survey
Forest Woodlot Skills
Practical Skills
Operation and Maintenance of farm tractors and trucks
Basic Farm Carpentry
Post and Beam Timberframing
Basic Plumbing
Metal Welding and Cutting
Chainsaw Operation, Maintenance
Food Preservation
Animal Husbandry
Basic Care of Farm Animals
Pastures and Hay
Rotational Grazing
Farm-raised Eggs, Beef, Lamb and Pork
Student initiated Independent Skill Building
Winter Farm Trip to a Tuscan Farm in Italy.
Full farm immersion at Spannocchia Farm (www.spannocchia.org), a beautiful farm villa in the heart of the Tuscan landscape. Students work on the farm, participate in educational activities centered on farming life in Tuscany, local foods, wine and Italian culture.
Farm Life
Student farmers can expect to work hard in all ways Monday through Friday. Daily starting and ending times vary with the seasons as do the farm tasks at hand. Often workdays end with a family style meal and time enough in the evening for relaxation and study.
In our hand-hewn post and beam farmhouse each student farmer has his or her own simple room and share common living, kitchen and bath areas (participants can arrange off-farm housing). Cooking responsibilities along with daily house, barn and other farm chores are shared. Learning, living and working together as a diverse group requires careful communication, kindness and cooperation. It is our expectation that household members will respect each other and collectively established boundaries.
Student home life is centered in the colonial-era, hand-hewn post and beam farmhouse. Each student farmer has his or her own comfortable room, shares common living areas with kitchen and bath facilities. (Off-farm rentals are possible). Cooking responsibilities and meals are shared by student farmers during the farm work week, along with daily house and barn chores. Weekend farm chores are also rotated. Students can expect to be an active participant in a supportive educational community based on kindness and cooperation.
Farm Instructors
Responsibility for the curriculum, the farm and the school community is carefully held by a core staff:
Carlen Adams Rigrod, Farmer-Teacher - After spending eight years creating and cultivating the beautiful, biodynamic vegetable and fruit gardens with the visiting children at The Farm School, Carlen brings a formal academic background and longstanding field experience to the educational and farming mission of the Practical Farm Training Program.
Jennifer Core, Farmer-Teacher - Having completed her graduate studies in International Sustainable Development, Jennifer brings her own farming experience, broad international vision, community mindfulness and a dynamic approach to Student-Farmers in our Practical Farm Training Program. She is known for her effervescent love of goats.
Patrick Connors, Farmer-Teacher - Having participated in the early years of The Practical Farm Training Program as a Student-Farmer, Patrick has returned to The Farm School after farming at a small educational farm in California. Patrick brings an excitement for growing at a scale that is accessible for home gardeners and homesteaders alike.
Nate Frigard,Farmer-Teacher- With a palpable passion for farming Nate holds the important field crop production piece of our farm operation and curriculum. Nate brings experience from farms in Virginia and Massachusetts and completed two seasons at The Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems in Santa Cruz. He demonstrates steady and subtle leadership in sharing his commitment to growing food and growing farmers.
Olivier Flagollet, Farmer-Teacher - Olivier is a natural teacher who brings a wide range of talents empowering students to learn everything from carpentry to careful animal husbandry and tractor skills. Having grown up on a pig farm in France and worked on various farms he brings a practicality and love for the work that sustains us. Here he provides students with the opportunity to acquire the skills and confidence that they need to farm on their own.
In addition to the above staff, selected specialists lead regular seminars and workshops in their area of farming expertise.
Costs and Financial Aid Program Year
In contrast to informal apprentices on individual farms, The Farm School Practical Farm Training Program is an agricultural educational program established for the specific benefit of the participants. Tuition is an important aspect of the economic viability of the program.
Student Farmer Tuition
October - September
$12,000 includes full instructional program, off-farm workshops and seminars and some conference fees as well as full room and board.
College Credit is possible with partnering institutions, please inquire if interested.
Limited financial aid is available. If this is a necessity for you, please be sure to specify your specific interest on your application.
Participants are responsible for their own personal health insurance.
Application & Selection Process
* Applicants must be college age or older.
* In building our community each year we will be looking for a diverse
group of people who are eager to live and work with others in order to
learn how to farm. Maturity, an ability to encompass other points of
view, and a sense of humor are critical.
* It is important that applicants understand the structure and aims of the program before they apply. We welcome the opportunity to answer questions via email: jennifer@farmschool.org. If email is not a part of your life, feel free to call: 978.248.9427. Once in touch, we would be happy to discuss a farm visit on pre-arranged visiting days.
* Once you've determined that The Farm School Practical Farm Training
Program is for you, please complete the application form and email it
to jennifer@farmschool.org or mail to:
The Farm School
488 Moore Hill Road
Athol, MA 01331
Download the application form in pdf format
or
Download the application form in word format