All Aboard the Farm Train

I've completed my first week of the Farmer Training Program (affectionately nicknamed the "Farm Train," although I still tend to call it farm school) and I think I can safely say that I'm in love. Everything about the past week has made me so happy: farming and digging around in the fields, the bucolic Vermont countryside, my amazing fellow future farmers...it was a jam-packed week of learning and growing (literally and figuratively) and a wonderful taste of what's to come.

We spent the week getting to know each other and our home farm, the University of Vermont Horticulture Farm. I felt like a sponge all week: as someone who hasn't grown more than a few backyard tomatoes, peppers, and herbs, nearly everything is new to me, and I'm soaking it all in. Our first morning we planted a field of potatoes right of the bat (and got to take some home for dinner--yum!) and went through orientation. Throughout the week, some of our tasks included working in the greenhouse, planting in the fields, prepping our garden beds, and transplanting baby brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and three varieties of kale) to the fields. Wednesdays are class days, and this week we had class with a UVM botanist, who gave us an overview of botany for farmers, and a soil specialist who led us in taking soil samples from the fields to analyze the kinds of soil we're working with. I really enjoyed both classes, and it was fun to be in a more academic setting for the day. After five years of being out of school, I kind of forgot how much I enjoy being a student!

Farm life is a total transformation for this urban girl, and I'm loving it so far. I know the work will get more challenging as we move into the summer and start doing more physical labor on the farm, but I've been enjoying these days of crawling around in the fields and getting dirt under my nails. And Vermont is BEAUTIFUL. Indescribably beautiful. Even on our little farm, which is located smack-dab in the middle of suburban South Burlington, right off the interstate, we're surrounded by flowering crab apple trees, huge blue skies, and the rolling mountains in the distance.

Flowering crab apples at the UVM Hort Farm

One of the highlights this week was volunteering at a "chicken wrangling." Maple Wind Farm, one of the farms we'll visit later in the year on a field trip, needed some help gathering more than a thousand pasture-raised laying hens to transfer them from their winter field to their summer field several miles away. About a dozen of us signed up to volunteer. After an evening of enjoying chili and cornbread, touring the farm, meeting some baby pigs and cows, and watching the sun set over the mountains, the chicken wrangling began. Once it was completely dark, maybe 40 or so farm staff, volunteers, and kids crept into the coop where the chickens were sleeping, and the wrangling began. I was pretty nervous about catching chickens, since the only ones I've ever held were fluffy little chicks, but it was actually pretty easy! Granted, I was grabbing chickens one at a time, while others were collecting four to six in each go...eventually I took on the duty of cage monitor instead, helping get the chickens in their cages while others ran around the coop. We were done in about 30 minutes, and it was amazing to feel the sense of community in that dark barn and see so many people come together to get the job done. I was also really impressed with the care that the farm owners showed their chickens. They were very conscientious of making sure we didn't stress the hens too much or overcrowd them in their cages. After the truck was loaded up, they drove them to their new roost so they could settle in for the night.

Chickens enjoying their pasture (pre-wrangling)

On Friday we had our first lesson in tractor driving, which was lots of fun. There's nothing like driving a tractor to make you really feel like a farmer! At the end of the day, we all shared our highlights from the previous week, and one of the common threads was the people. I'm so thrilled to have a great group of supportive, interesting, like-minded classmates who already feel like friends. (In fact, my roommates--who are also in the program--and I hosted a little gathering last night, which I'm sure is just the first of many!) In a program so small, the people can really make or break the experience, so I'm excited to have such a great group to work with. And to top it all off, our teachers sent us home with freshly harvested lettuce and bok choy for the weekend. Yay vegetables!

Tractor time!

So that was week one! I know there's a lot more learning and fun in store, and I feel so happy and grateful to be here. If you're interested in supporting organic agriculture and food advocacy education, or just want to support this little adventure of mine, click over to my Indiegogo campaign. The Farmer Training Program is a full-time, tuition-based program, so I'm raising funds to help offset the costs of tuition and living expenses. Your support is greatly appreciated!

City Mouse, Country Mouse

Years ago, I decided that one day I wanted to work on a farm. Not a big farm--with silos and huge machinery and amber waves of pesticide-ridden, monoculture grain--but a small farm. A farm where I could eat tomatoes right off the vine, and learn what Brussels sprouts look like growing out of the ground. A farm where I could feel in touch with nature, and learn where my food comes from, and maybe even help feed my community.

For a long time, my farming life was just a dream. It was something I would do someday in the future, maybe some summer before starting grad school. I imagined it being just a short-term adventure, a little detour in the path of my "real life."

But the more I thought about it, the more farm life appealed to me. I've had a passion for food issues ever since childhood, when the ingredient lists and nutrition information on food labels fascinated me. I try to be mindful of the environmental impact of my food choices and am deeply concerned about the consequences of America's packaged, processed, sanitized, fossil fuel-based food culture (if food so far removed from its source can count as a food culture). I decided that if I really wanted to help shift this tide, and be a part of the growing movement for more local, seasonal, fresh-from-the-farm food, then I actually needed to make my farm dream a reality.

And so I moved to Vermont.

A few days ago, I packed up my life in Washington, DC, loaded up a rented minivan with my bike and far too many suitcases, and made the 10-hour drive to Burlington, Vermont. On Monday, I'll begin the Farmer Training Program, a certificate program at the University of Vermont. The six-month program will give me and my 24 fellow students a hands-on experience in organic farming, a deep understanding of small-scale farm management, and opportunities to explore regional food systems. This program really appealed to me because--unlike work exchange programs where I might just help with planting, weeding, and harvesting--I'll be learning not only how to grow food but also how to manage and market a farm successfully. It might be an a bit of an understatement to say that I can't wait to get my hands dirty. :)

At this point, my dream would be to return to DC after completing the program to work on food policy and advocacy, and get involved in the local urban agriculture scene. Although, my DC friends keep referring to my return home as an "if," rather than a "when"...because if anyplace could turn this city girl into a full-time country girl, it's definitely Vermont. I'm already in love with Burlington: with beautiful Lake Champlain, the mountains surrounding the city, the delicious local food scene, and the hip, youthful, artsy vibe of a college town. And happily, I'm missing Vermont's infamous winter and DC's equally infamous summer!

If you'd like to follow along on my little adventure, I'll be posting updates and photos here on what I learn on the farm, Vermont living, and my occasional musings on food and agriculture issues. And if you're interested in supporting me, please check out my Indiegogo campaign.

Time to get planting!

The first of many Lake Champlain sunsets