Spring Practice of Organic Farming

Are you interested in learning how to produce food using organic and ecologically sound methods? In this Spring-Quarter program, the Practice of Organic Farming will provide students an opportunity to garner real-world knowledge and skills in the science, practice, and movement of sustainable agriculture. During the quarter, we will explore best-management practices related to organic food production in the Pacific Northwest, with an emphasis on understanding the scientific and ecological rationales behind sustainable agriculture methods. Students will participate in the development of perennial pasture and soil conservation, developing and maintaining farm infrastructure and equipment, planning, and managing organic crops from seed to harvest, and participating in direct marketing and distribution at our farm stand.

In Financial Management for Farming, students will learn fundamental quantitative skills, which will be applied to analyzing production and market sales data, setting sales goals, and nurturing customer relationships through development and analysis of surveys.  Weekly collaborations with the program Student Originated Studies: Systems of Data, Modeling and the Organic Farm will aid in the ongoing development of a new data management system to track harvest and labor data.

In Applied Systems Theory, students will learn concepts in complexity theory such as self-organization, fractal geometry, iterative processes, etc. and apply this learning in projects on the farm. Project groups will periodically share their work to the program at large and offer feedback to other project teams.

This program is rooted in experiential learning and is physically rigorous and academically demanding. It requires dedication and teamwork outside in adverse weather conditions. Students will be able to apply the theories covered during lecture and seminar to the hands-on practice at the Evergreen Organic Farm.

Anticipated credit equivalencies:

4 - Financial management for farming

4 - Applied Systems theory

4 - Foundations in Regenerative Agriculture

4 - Organic Vegetable Farming Practicum