The Farm School, Athol, MA

“Being kind to one another is the only real rule here “said Ben Holmes, founder of the Farm School. The Farm School is a non-academic apprentice program similar to the one I visited in September at UC Santa Cruz, located near the town of Athol in Northern Massachusetts about 1.5 hours from Boston. Initially the goal was to develop a program for school kids. The program for visiting schools is still the core enterprise of the farm school. Every year 2000 kids stay for 2-3 days and experience the rich texture of farming. About 8 years ago, the farm school started the Learn to Farm apprenticeship program for adults. In their own words they “are still figuring things out” but it seemed to me a very well put together program.

Thirteen apprentices stay a full year (11.5 months) starting every year on October 1^st. Half of this year’s cohort was from New England, while the others were from all across the United States. I didn’t notice international students and ages varied between 20 and 40. I learned that students from 18-70 have participated in the program over the years. The apprentices live in the main farm building in small single rooms, they eat meals together in a community room, and share custodial and kitchen chores. The tuition is $ 12.000 for the entire year which includes room and board.

Any day at the farm school starts with circle time at 7 AM and then again at 1:30 PM. During this time, the apprentices learn about the task at hand and they can share anything that is important to them. The afternoon I visited, the apprentices were split into a group that learned tractor skills and another practicing wood working. It appears that starting the apprenticeship in October, allowing the students to learn various skills in the fall and winter and be part of the crop and animal production planning, is a great way for building confidence and ownership in the farm success before the hectic growing season starts in the spring.

The program started as a homesteading program and those roots are still evident in the curriculum (draft horse training, basic carpentry, etc.). With the national success of small scale farming and better opportunities of direct marketing in the last 10 years the program evolved into one that teaches students to become commercial growers. The students run a 160 share CSA selling produce to CSA members in the Boston area. The sales from the CSA, other farm sales and tuition cover 60% of the total cost of the program. The remaining 40% of funds are raised with an annual campaign and an annual fundraising event. Almost all donations come from individuals and many of those that are contributing have as kids gone through the program for visiting schools.

Apprentices learn farming on Maggie’s farm, a 200 ac farm with 12 acres of cultivated ground and the remainder under woodlot management. Vegetables are grown on beds and do not receive irrigation. The deep clayey soil hold moisture throughout the year. On the farm are various barns and buildings, used as repair shop, packing shed, hay storage, community building, a middle school and animal shelter. Animals on the farm include a herd of beef cattle, sheep, pigs, layers and meat chicken, and draft horses.

One of the things I really liked about this program is the fact that they developed an extensive skills list which defines the educational experience of the apprentices. Mechanical field management is one of the skills and this is the first program I visited where students were instructed in tractor and tractor drawn equipment handling. In my mind it is also very valuable that students go through an entire year to really experience the real world of farming. Another plus is the opportunity for apprentices to delve deeper into a particular subject. One afternoon per week each apprentice can work on an individually defined area of interest such as cheese making, advanced draft horse training, etc. Apprentices interested in agricultural education can rotate into the kids programs at the school.

The staff at the Farm School estimate that 80% or more of the apprentices go into agriculture related jobs and at least 50% of participants so far are involved in agricultural production. Those are impressive numbers; they speak to the quality of the program.

Thank you to Patrick and Ben for showing me around and their kind support of my exploration of farmer training programs.