Q: I don't have any experience with farming, can I still apply?
Absolutely, we literally start from the ground up! Whether you have had many years of experience or none at all, we want to make sure everyone understands the fundamental principles of growing food in a more traditional regenerative way. Someone that has had experience will learn best practices to grow more efficiently with higher production and healthier crops, honing in their skills even more.
 
Q: Who can apply to farm school?
We encourage anyone interested in farming, gardening, sustainability, plant ecology, the soil food web, or those who want to learn how food is grown to apply. We have had students who simply wanted to spend more time outdoors, make new friends with likeminded people, to get their fingers in the soil, or even those who don't have space to grow but want to prepare for when they start growing their own food.
 
We recommend you be at least 16 years of age. We can also cater to people of varying abilities. Please let us know in your application, if there may be some limitations or special needs. We preach the importance of crop diversity in a food production space and this principle extends to the acceptance of diversity with the people who want to be on our farm.
 
Q: What skills will I gain from farm school?
Each week will focus on a specific topic that includes reading assignments, a Wednesday lecture, followed by a Saturday lab day on the farm to practice what you have been learning. The topics include building life back into the soil, bed preparation, propagation, irrigation, IPM (integrated pest management), and building overall resiliency in crop production.

You will learn best practices on cultivating the healthiest food possible, while minimizing challenges. For more details, check out our syllabus.
 
Q: What is the commitment for the course?
Our class times and days works with most schedules. We meet twice a week:

1.  Lectures: 2 hours weekly online lectures

2.  Farm labs: 7 hours on Saturdays 9am-4pm located at Wild Willow Farm.

Q: What is the application process?

1. Application: First, you must submit an application for acceptance into the program.

2. Acceptance: Once accepted, you will receive an email with payment instruction to secure your spot in the farm school session you requested. Each session is limited to keep the class at an optimal size for your learning experience. If we don't receive your $100 deposit, your spot will be given to the next applicant who pays the deposit.

3. Confirmation: When we receive payment, you will get a welcome packet with detailed instruction of the class structure, the course syllabus, and a liability waiver before the start of the course.

Q: Do you have a pay plan?
Yes. The $100 deposit used to secure your spot in your selected course is used towards your tuition! At orientation, the first half of your tuition is due, and the remainder of the balance is due 3 weeks after.

At any point before the course start date, you may make payments towards your tuition starting months in advance, creating your own self-regulated payment plan.

Each class is so fundamentally important, it is crucial you don't miss any classes to gain the full amount of knowledge necessary since everything we teach is interconnected. We do understand that things come up and it might not be possible to make every class, but if you do miss a class, you will have a lifetime membership to join any and all future Farming 101 classes for free as part of your tuition cost!