Vital Communities’ Valley Food & Farm is partnering with 10 farmers in New Hampshire and Vermont for its third annual Upper Valley Farm Worker Learning Collaborative.
About 25 workers from participating farms have formed a group of learners, meeting twice monthly at each others’ farms for a tour and an instructional talk on a topic chosen by the host farmer. Topics for this season range from land access to winter growing.
Participating farm owners actively encourage and support the participation of their workers and will each host one visit by the group. The project is designed to provide aspiring farmers with exposure to multiple farm operations, education at a level suited to their experience, and a community of peers. We hope an additional benefit will be to add capacity, community, and collaboration to the awesome farms of the Upper Valley.
The first gathering was at Sunrise Farm in White River Junction. Farmer Chuck Wooster hosted the group for an evening that included a tour of Sunrise’s diversified operation, a discussion on the topic of farm finances, and a yummy potluck picnic that included a delicious frittata with asparagus, lovage, and lamb’s quarter provided by Chuck.
We are all looking forward to the fun and enlightening season of tours to follow!