Farmer Training in Alaska

Posted on November 26, 2018 by Taylor in Beginning Farmers, Sustainable Agriculture, Training Programs // 0 Comments

Farmer Training in Alaska – Calypso Farm and Ecology Center Farmer Training Program in Fairbanks, Alaska – Accepting 2019 Applications!

Start a Farm. Run a Homestead. Build Community. Get the skills and hands-on experience you need to make it happen.

Calypso Farm and Ecology Center’s 5 month, residential Farmer Training in Alaska immerses participants in all aspects of farming: production, creativity and business planning.

2019 Farmer Training in Alaska Program Dates: May 4th – September 29th

Gain the farm production skills necessary for farming success: building healthy soil, greenhouse growing, irrigation, composting, animal husbandry, field planning, cultivation, harvest, CSA operations, farm infrastructure, farm equipment use, and using your working body safely.

Weekly Whole Farm Planning sessions lead you through the process of building a comprehensive business plan for a future farm, from choosing land and areas of production to marketing and creating a budget.

Build creativity and homesteading skills through exposure to green wood carving, birch bark, food preservation, blacksmithing, wool processing, construction, printmaking, and more.

Have your own special interests? Calypso’s staff will work with you to gear the program to your specific learning goals. Participants will have the opportunity to be involved in Calypso’s farm-based education programs, explore value-added product production, and work with Calypso’s food justice initiatives.

Calypso’s Farmer Training in Alaska is an intensive experiential education program focused on providing the skills,
inspiration and experience necessary for participants to embark on starting their own small farm with confidence. A
small group (3-8 people) of aspiring farmers participate in the program each year — allowing for a high level of
personalized attention.

Farmer Training in Alaska participants learn how to become self-reliant farmers through immersion in all farm operations: caring for greenhouse transplants, preparing the field for planting, planting, seeding, harvesting, caring for farm animals, operating a CSA, running a farm stand, selling to local restaurants, working in natural alignment to prevent injury and more. Additionally, participants are introduced to a variety of topics related to becoming a self-sufficient farmer, including: mechanics, construction, graphic design, carving, wool processing, hand and machine sewing, and whole-farm planning. We are proud to include creative arts in our Farmer Training Program and believe that exploring creativity can be a key to growing confident and resilient farmers!

College credit for the Farmer Training in Alaska program is available through the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

For full Farmer Training in Alaska program information and application guidelines please visit: https://www.calypsofarm.org/farmertrainingprogram

Calypso Farm and Ecology Center

PO BOX 106, Ester, AK 99725
(907)451-0691 www.calypsofarm.org