ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Organic Growers School will be hosting two Farm Dreams Workshops this winter. Are you dreaming of starting your own farm? Farm Dreams is an entry level, exploratory one-day workshop designed to help people who are seeking practical, common sense information on whether sustainable farming is the next step for them, and how to move forward. This is a great workshop to attend if you are in the exploratory stages of getting started farming.
“Farm Dreams provides a real outlook for what it’s like to run a farm. It brought things to my attention that I never considered before and connected me with people who were already doing the real work,” says a participant of one of last year’s Farm Dreams Workshops.
The workshops will be held in two different locations in North Carolina:
- Saturday, January 18, 2020: In partnership with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association at the Lomax Incubator Farm in Concord, NC.
- Saturday, February 8, 2020: Arthur R. Edington Center in Asheville, NC.
During Farm Dreams you will discover and assess your resources, skills and farming intentions, begin to develop an educational plan toward farming, prioritize your next steps and connect with regional resources and support services. Participants will hear about sustainable farming careers in Western North Carolina from local farmers in a farmer panel unique to that area, who will share about their real-world experiences. “It’s always interesting to hear the participant plans for new agricultural enterprises as they are just beginning to take shape,” says Tom Elmore, a long-time grower panelist at the workshops. “I hope to leave the group with the impression ‘I can do that.’ In my view, the future is brighter than ever for organic farm products in NC. I like to do what I can to pass that view on prospective growers in a way that encourages them to take the next step.”
The workshop is open to aspiring farmers in Western NC and surrounding Southern Appalachian states – Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina. Register for Farm Dreams at www.organicgrowersschool.org/farmers/farm-dreams and see the Facebook pages here (January 18, Concord NC), and here (December 8, Asheville, NC). The cost is $55/person or $35 for WNC CRAFT Members.
Farm Dreams is hosted annually by the Organic Growers School, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Organic Growers School is the premier provider of practical organic education in the Southern Appalachians. We are building a mutually supportive network of prosperous farmers, productive gardeners and informed consumers engaged in creating healthy communities. Organic Growers School is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization providing organic education since 1993.
—Cameron Farlow, Organic Growers School