Growing Growers Accepting Apprenticeships

What will apprentices with Growing Growers learn and do?

- work on farms in eastern KS or western MO

- attend workshops and farm tours

- receive books and resource material

- are trained by their host farmers in both field labor and farm management skills.

If you or someone you know is considering sustainable farming, this is a great opportunity to gain hands-on experience and technical training.

No experience is necessary, but participants must be willing and able to work on-farm in good weather and bad, to attend 7 workshops/farm tours (one per month, March through September) and to learn "on the go".

Workshop topics cover the basics of market farming and include a tour of an area farm where participants can see concepts in action and ask plenty of questions. Workshop topics for 2011:

- Managing Soil Using Organic Practices
- Production Planning and Basic Plant Propagation
- Post Harvest Handling for Quality and Safety
- Equipment for Vegetable and Fruit Growers
- Pest, Disease and Weed Management
- Introduction to Farm Business Planning
- a TBA "elective" workshop (past topics have been Starting a CSA, Intro to Livestock and Sustainable Fruit Production).

Several area farms are working with Growing Growers to offer apprenticeships in 2011. There are opportunities on farms that focus on farmers markets, wholesale and CSAs. Rural and more urban host farms are available. Host farms are primarily diversified vegetable farms, many of them organic. Opportunities to work with livestock, bees, fruit and dairy also exist.

In 2011 opportunities also exist for apprentices to work with some host farmers on a crop budgeting project.

For more information, go to Growing Growers website or contact Laura Christensen, Program Manager, at growers@ksu.edu or (816) 805-0362.