The Organic Farm School (OFS) offers a full-time, 8-month, expe­ri­en­tial training pro­gram designed for aspir­ing farm­ers to learn and prac­tice the skills they need to run a small-scale organic farm. Through attend­ing weekly lec­tures, dis­cus­sions, and demon­stra­tions on top­ics includ­ing organic crop and livestock pro­duc­tion, soil sci­ence, busi­ness plan­ning, and direct mar­ket­ing, as well as coop­er­a­tively man­ag­ing the ten-acre student farm, par­tic­i­pants receive a thor­ough edu­ca­tion in organic small farm man­age­ment. Par­tic­i­pants also learn to conduct on-farm research through variety trials and group projects, while frequent field trips to regional farms allow par­tic­i­pants to see a vari­ety of farm­ing styles and talk to expe­ri­enced pro­duc­ers.

Participants are also assisted in cre­ating a per­sonal farm busi­ness plan where their farm goals are explored and built upon. Through man­age­ment of the OFS student farm, par­tic­i­pants develop their prac­ti­cal farm skills includ­ing plan­ning, tillage, green­house prop­a­ga­tion, weed­ing, har­vest­ing, mar­ket­ing, and record keep­ing. Stu­dents also learn how to oper­ate trac­tors, make com­post, man­age the farm’s livestock, and much more. With the skills and knowl­edge gained and a busi­ness plan in hand, pro­gram grad­u­ates know what it will take to start or man­age their own small organic farm.