CRAFT Farmer Training Initiative
CRAFT stands for Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training. It is a program that originated in the Northeast, and has since been adopted in many other regions throughout the United States and Canada. The Organic Growers School is proud to announce the launch of a CRAFT program for the Western Mountain region of North Carolina.
CRAFT is a coordinated effort to bring established farmers, farm apprentices, and students of agriculture together for a comprehensive training program in sustainable agriculture. The goal of this program is to give established, successful farmers a stake in the training of our next generation of growers, and to give farm apprentices a rich educational experience that truly encompasses the ins and outs of farm operation.
Other benefits from CRAFT include increased camaraderie between farmers and farm interns, and more beneficial farmer-driven educational programming from our organization. We also believe that the CRAFT farmer training initiative will attract serious aspiring farmers to farms in our region, resulting in dependable seasonal labor, and more promise for the future of WNC agriculture.
CRAFT is a membership program, and there is a place for everyone. You may join as a farm with your interns, a farm without interns, an aspiring farm or farm apprentice, or an interested friend or non-commercial grower. Download a membership form today and join this important regional effort to strengthen the future of farming in WNC. Membership is open year-round, so you may join anytime.
Join NOW for the 2010 Season!
Farmers who join by Jan 31, 2010 will have the opportunity to plan curriculum and host tours!
2010 Member Benefits & Application
CRAFT is a grassroots program and the schedule is built by the most current member farms.
2009 CRAFT Member Farms 2010 CRAFT Schedule
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April 23: Field Prep, planting, cover crops & nutrient management at Full Sun Farm |
| May 15: Composting & Biodynamics at Green Toe Ground Farm |
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June 12: Livestock Tour at Crooked Creek Farms |
| July 24: Value added processing of Food at Camp Celo Gardens |
| August 14: Insect. Disease, and Weed Management at Flying Cloud Farm |
| September 11: Value Added Processing of Herbs + Marketing at Green Jade Herbal |
| October 16: Season Extension & Greenhouse Management at Mountain Harvest Organics |
EarthStar
Yellow Belle Farm
Would your farm be interested in hosting a fund-raiser workshop for the CRAFT program? Contact us to learn more. (Membership in CRAFT-WNC is not required.)