Inaugural Farm School class graduates

The University of Arkansas System's Center for Arkansas Farms and Foods just wrapped up its first session of Farm School. Five people completed the first program and will receive a certificate.

Background: The Farm School is a new, entry-level program designed to teach students how to grow and harvest crops and run a farm. The course includes developing a business plan, says Heather Friedrich, assistant director of the Center for Arkansas Farms and Foods.

Why it matters: Farmers are aging, and we don’t have as many generational family-owned farms as we used to, Friedrich says.

• The goal of the farm school is to prepare people to run their own farms or work at local farms, like Apple Seeds, Tri Cycle Farms or Cobblestone Farms, that contribute to the local economy.

Details: The program is 11 months, from January through November.

• Students spend about 60% of their time in the U of A System-owned production field. The rest is classroom instruction.
• The cost to attend the program is $2,200.

Zoom out: The Center for Arkansas Farms and Foods also has more advanced farm apprenticeships intended for people with some farming experience or who have completed the Farm School.

• The apprenticeship program has been up and running for two sessions. Four students completed the program each session, Friedrich says.