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The Growers School

herbiejuan

By herbiejuan,
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herbiejuan Newbie

herbiejuan

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I got a call this morning from Bill the USDA extension agent and the school is officially funded, we have cash in hand. We have three more grants pending, they would substantially strengthen this effort.

The curriculum is finished, instructors picked and the local U is providing us with a small piece of land to lay out the demonstration plots and develop a community garden. Landscaping will grade us a parking area and level out the growing area. We've got great topsoil and a 100 x 100 x 5' deep pile of well decomposed sawdust they will add into the beds. Students have been tending to this area on a volunteer basis and there is interest in developing a student community garden on site (which means I won't have to work it all by myself).

I'm planning on having stuff in the ground by the end of next month and with our high tunnel hothouses and row covers hope to keep a portion of the area in production by the time the first class begins in Jan or Feb. I found a few tomato varieites that will set fruit in 38 degree weather and while they may taste terrible we can grow stuff like carrots cabbage onions garlic and field greens that do taste good..

Apparantly we will be holding an official groundbreaking ceremony and mini sustainable ag conference to kick this off (or so I've been told). If this is true (remember I'm just the benevolant dictator not the boss) I think we'll hold a pole barn seminar that weekend too. We could use a sturdy structure out there and them Home Depot sheds are pretty light duty compared to what I'm used to and a handful of paying volunteers can build in a day.

Overall I am relieved because now I know the most important unknown, the base funding and that allows me to go ahead and design the program and site the way we want it rather playing a guessing game over how much money do I get to spend, can I afford a freestanding greenhouse or not, can I hire labor or do it myself, how much outside help will I get to pull this off and just how many years can we keep this going off of the initial funding?

All things that have been on my mind fer the past few months

Ok years :)

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dmiller Newbie

dmiller

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Great news!! Congrats. :B)

Refresh us (me) about this school, if you would please.

I remember you talking about it before, but the details escape me. :(

(Love to hear it when someone sees their dream within their grasp!)

(Ps -- if you're gonna grow all that good stuff ---

Make sure there's no electrical outlet nearby.

SafariVista will be lurking in the parking lot with her *juicer*,

and all your hard work will turn into *liquid assets* of a different nature.)

:spy:

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herbiejuan Newbie

herbiejuan

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The Growers School began along time ago and has involved alot of inputs but essentially its a way to train folks wanting to grow organic and sustainable foods for local and regional markets. We cover vegi production, composting, soil managment, marketing and farm managment and planning, it's a pretty comprehensive course and is designed to give the novice grower a somewhat detailed overview of sustainable production techniques (including visits to real farms) and further resources to rely on for guidance including practicing farmers.

It is a key step in the process of developing a regional network of growers that relies less on a west to east shift of produce to a more even north south network that relies more on shifts of weather rather than convienient shipping to produce local grown foods.

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dmiller Newbie

dmiller

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The Growers School began along time ago and has involved alot of inputs but essentially its a way to train folks wanting to grow organic and sustainable foods for local and regional markets. We cover vegi production, composting, soil managment, marketing and farm managment and planning, it's a pretty comprehensive course and is designed to give the novice grower a somewhat detailed overview of sustainable production techniques (including visits to real farms) and further resources to rely on for guidance including practicing farmers.

It is a key step in the process of developing a regional network of growers that relies less on a west to east shift of produce to a more even north south network that relies more on shifts of weather rather than convienient shipping to produce local grown foods.

Herbie -- thanks. So -- (more questions!) Is this in conjunction with a school there?

Or is this like a *community ed* type of thing?

When you said *comprehensive course*, I was wondering if it might be a part of a

technical college curriculumn, where trades are taught.

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herbiejuan Newbie

herbiejuan

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D it is a self standing educational entity with copywrited material, as of today it is unincorperated and uninsured but those details will be sorted out next month.

We are running the program thru UWG's Continuing Ed Dept. and using ground that UWG is providing for the project. ttwo years ago we were offered 300 acres, a meandering river and 1 million $'s to start this off but we couldn't stand the politics involved and have since built other alliances.

The local U began its existance in the town I live in. Several prominent B'town folks hold prominent postions at the school and realise the old south's ideas are just that, old.

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herbiejuan Newbie

herbiejuan

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Today I cried.

My first post on waydale started with that statement. My daughter has just flipped the family car over without wearing a seatbelt. We were lucky, many are not. She is still dealing with the conseqences of that event.

Since then alot of things have gone one,some not pleasant nor sociable and occasional criminal.

but life goes on...

I cried today because I was ok with me, not perfect but learning and improving.

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