Growing Growers Apprenticeship Bootcamp supports faculty, staff interested in beginning farmer training

Kansas State University is developing skilled future farmers. Through the Growing Growers apprenticeship program, beginning growers can gain hands-on experience at established farms, equipping them with the skills to start their own farms in the future. Now, faculty and staff have an opportunity to support beginning farmers and explore creating similar programs.

Based in the Kansas City region, with expansion sites in Wichita and central Missouri, the program is led by the Kansas State University Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center. Growing Growers partners with established host farms, connecting them to the beginning growers who apprentice with them throughout the growing season.

The upcoming Apprenticeship Bootcamp on Friday, Dec. 5, is especially geared toward faculty and staff who may be interested in supporting beginning farmers or implementing similar training models in their own work.

During this one-day online training, program staff will share the tools they use to facilitate the apprenticeship program and highlight ways these resources can be adapted for other institutions or communities. Attendees will also hear from program host farms and former apprentices, offering a firsthand look at how the program supports new growers.

Participants will learn about the apprenticeship model, its key components and outcomes, and the structure used to guide apprentices and host farmers. The bootcamp includes apprentice spotlights, a toolkit session featuring program materials, and a panel discussion with host farmers who will share insights, challenges and successes from mentoring beginning growers.

Growing Growers provides 12 months of access to online training modules, hands-on farm work with host farms, and a series of workshops and tours throughout the growing season.

Registration for the Apprenticeship Bootcamp can be completed online.

— Submitted by Claire Barnhart