Dates: May 2, 2012-October 31, 2012
The Farmer Training Program is a 6-month intensive program for aspiring farmers and food systems advocates that provides a hands-on, skill-based education in sustainable agriculture. This full-time program offers participants the unique opportunity to manage their own growing site, take classes from professors and expert farmers, and rotate as workers and learners on successful, diverse farms in the Burlington area. This program will provide an intense, supportive experience where participants leave with a Certificate in Sustainable Farming, a deeper understanding of agricultural management and small-scale farming, and the entrepreneurial skills to start their own operation.
Farmer Training Program
The program is designed for aspiring farmers and those interested in sustainable, local food systems. Strong applicants:
- Are looking for a career in sustainable farming and food systems
- Want to play an active role in the sustainable food movement
- Value a comprehensive education in all aspects of the business of farming, including marketing and distribution
- Want a hands-on farm education
- Want to learn from Vermont’s vibrant small-scale, diversified farming community
In the News…
From “The Chronicle,” Thursday, February 9, 2012
“University Programs Raise Crop of New Farmers”
On a soggy, raw October morning, in a far corner of the University of Vermont’s Hort Farm, a dozen students gather by a picnic table and survey their three-quarter-acre plot. Since spring, as part of Vermont’s first farmer-training program, they have cultivated crops where weed scientists used to run trials. Today is their last market harvest.
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Hear what CivilEats.com has to say about UVM’s Farmer Apprentice Program
Farmer Apprenticeship Program Seeds Next Generation Small-Scale Farmers
It’s not the first farmer apprenticeship program of its kind, but the University of Vermont’s upcoming curriculum aims to be just as revolutionary as its university counterparts. Farming apprenticeships at Michigan State and UC Santa Cruz, have already proven that college graduates are not only ready for intensive, professional training in sustainable agriculture, but are capable of turning their experiential education into sustainable jobs.
As the demand for small-scale, locally-grown produce steadily increases, the mission of UVM’s apprenticeship is quite clear: provide graduates with an education and support system that encourage them to create and maintain sustainable farms and food businesses.