The Farm & Garden Apprenticeship
Program grows new farmers at the 25-acre teaching farm and 3-acre
garden of the Center for Agroecology & Sustainable Food Systems
(CASFS) on the University
of California, Santa Cruz campus.
To make
a secure online donation, please click the link, and type "Grow
a Farmer" or "CASFS
Apprenticeship" in the box allowing you to designate your gift
(See "Other Area/Pledge Number" but don't worry about
a pledge number).
To mail in a donation or contact
us:
Grow a Farmer
CASFS Farm, UCSC
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Phone: (831) 459-3240
Fax: (831) 459-2799
E-mail: growafarmer@ucsc.edu
Please
make checks to the UCSC Foundation, with “Apprenticeship”
in memo line.
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Photo courtesy of Don Burgett
On April 12th, the 2010 apprentices arrived
to start their six-month residential training course. Here
are their beautiful new cabins at the UCSC Farm! Many thanks to
all our supporters and to Pacific Domes and Big Creek Lumber for
their donations! See more photos on the Housing
Update page.
We met our BIG goal for a $25,000
kitchen renovation. Photos and details to come. Thank you!
NEW LEAF MARKET COMMUNITY DAY: On Thursday,
May 27, all FIVE stores in Santa Cruz county participated in
Community Day. 5% of all profits go directly to the Grow a
Farmer Campaign, and this year, they raised
$6,079.32!
[Read
more about the
cabins' progress and the UCSC Farm & Garden at Tana Butler's "I
Heart Farms" blog: "The
Fruits of Our Labor." Tana is the secretary
on the Board of Directors for the Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden,
which helped raise nearly $400K for last year's "Grow a Farmer"
campaign.]
View a slideshow with narrative on the YouTube Grow
a Farmer channel. Also check out the CASFS
blog. |
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The
"Grow a Farmer" Campaign
Help Cultivate the
Next Generation of Organic Farmers & Gardeners
at the UC Santa Cruz Farm & Garden
Photo courtesy of David Fenton
There’s a revolution underway as people across
the country and around the world reject industrial food and farming in
favor of local, organic, community-scale systems.
This revolution will succeed only if there are enough farmers with
the training and knowledge to produce and market fresh, delicious organic
food while caring for the land and community in which they work.
The "Grow a Farmer" Campaign
is meeting that challenge head on by supporting the Apprenticeship
Program at UC Santa Cruz. This internationally known program has trained
more than 1,300 new organic farmers and gardeners over the last 42
years. Many of them have started their own training and apprenticeship
programs on farms and at urban agriculture projects to share their
knowledge. Demand for the Apprenticeship is at an all-time
high: 187 applicants vying for 39 positions in the 2010 program. Learn
how you can help support the Apprenticeship as we grow the next generation
of farmers.
Read more about the "Grow a Farmer" Campaign.
Wish List for 2010
- New Kubota tractor—$25,000 (with educator
discount through C&N Tractors)
- New mechanical spader—$10,500 (with educator
discount from Ferrari tractor)
- Vegetable packing shed (Veggie Shed) repairs—$3,000
- Fruit tree spray rig (for approved organic sprays)—$1,500
- Chadwick Garden irrigation system repairs—$2,000
- Chadwick Garden deer fence, gate, and retaining
wall repairs—$3,500
- Chadwick Garden greenhouse repairs—$1,500
- Farm Garden hoophouse construction—$1,700
- Tractor/implement storage—$2,000
- Chadwick main irrigation line tie in and repair—$40,000
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 Join Johnny's
Selected Seeds, New
Leaf Community Markets, Chef
Cindy Pawlcyn and other top chefs, farm-to-fork restaurants,
and other businesses in a national campaign to support the
premier organic farmer training program in the country.
If you commit to a donation of
$300 or more, we'll include your business in the list of campaign
partners. Read more if you are a chef/restaurauteur or
if you are a business owner.
    
Campaign Background
We initiated the "Grow a Farmer" Campaign
in 2009 to help fund permanent housing for apprentices taking
part in the full-time organic farm and garden training program
at UC Santa Cruz’s Farm & Garden. With the housing
project near completion at the UCSC Farm, we’re now
turning our fundraising efforts to much-needed program operating
costs and moving ahead on long-deferred facility and farm equipment
upgrades at the Farm & Garden.
Help us grow more farmers by supporting the Apprenticeship Program!
The Apprenticeship self-generates most of its operating income
through produce sales, plant sales, and program tuition and fees,
but we depend on donations and grants to complete our annual budget.
Your donation will
help us meet our operating expenses and ensure that this critical
training program continues to thrive.
READ MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN.
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