The Farmer Cultivation Center at Shepherd Valley Farm is entering its second year. 2012 will be the first year where apprentices participate in the 2-year curriculum.
Our partnership with the Shepherd Valley Waldorf School in Niwot provides us with a beautiful farm site and a nurturing community, as well as infrastructure to conduct our farm internship education.
The Farmer Cultivation Center (FCC) is committed to growing a new generation of farmers by helping them obtain farming and business planning skills to start or manage a farm operation.
Our philosophy is to collaborate with existing local growers and experts to integrate their knowledge into one program that guides and mentors the next generation of farmers every step of the way.
By intentionally engaging socially and economically disadvantaged members of our community in our program, we will create two important opportunities: we provide career paths towards local farming otherwise unavailable to them, and we create mentors within disadvantaged communities that will help attract young farmers from within those same communities. By developing farming capacity within disadvantaged communities, we can begin to close the affordability gap between processed foods and fresh local produce.
All of our programs are based on the following principles:
Community Centric and Inclusive
Place Highest Priority on Feeding Our Community
Create Access to Local Food for All Community Members
Utilize the Best Organic and Permaculture Practices
