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New Agrarian Program: Apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture
- 1. New Agrarian Program Apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture
- 2. New Agrarian Program, 2009 - 2016 Avery Anderson Sponholtz, Virginie Pointeau, Sarah Wentzel-Fisher 2016 Apprenticeships • San Juan Ranch • James Ranch Artisan Cheese • Tooley’s Trees Total apprentices trained - 22 Total program mentors engaged - 8 Total partner mentors - 15
- 4. 2016 NAP
- 6. James Ranch Artisan Cheese Durango, Colorado
- 8. Scaling up in the Southwest and beyond
- 9. Roughly 3,000 acres of prime agricultural land in the U.S. are lost to development every day. Ag 101 EPA 2015
- 10. The world’s cultivated soils have lost between 50 and 70 percent of their original carbon stock, much of which has become atmospheric CO2. Rattan Lal, director of Ohio State University’s Carbon Management and Sequestration Center
- 11. Crops = 408 million acres (1/5 land area) Ag 101 EPA 2015 The U.S. has more arable land than any other country on the planet… Grazing = 613 million acres (1/4 privately owned land)
- 12. 313,000,000 people in the U.S. Ag 101 EPA 2015 Less than 1% claim farming as their occupation Of that 1%: 45% claim farming as their principal occupation. = 1.4 million people, or roughly twice the population of Bernalillo County.
- 13. Average age of US Farmers = 58.3 Among 2.1 million principal farm operators: • 6% are less than 35 yrs. old • 61% are 35-64 yrs. old • 33% are over 65 yrs. old 2012 US Census of Agriculture
- 14. Half of all current farmers in the U.S. are likely to retire in the next decade. USDA
- 16. • Engage the next generation • Support ranchers and farmers • Practice, teach, foster regenerative practices • Build, regenerate, sustain SOIL • Safeguard agricultural lands The “Big NAP” Scaling up in the Southwest and beyond
- 17. In a Nutshell NAP partners with skilled ranchers and farmers to offer annual apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture. Spring Summer Fall Winter Post Applications Phone Interviews In-Person Interviews Orientation Start Selection Hands-On Learning Online Classroom Site Visits Quivira Conference Evaluations Skills Checklist Graduation
- 18. Apprenticeship Working and Learning experience Education • Experiential learning • Online classroom • Site visits • Quivira Conference
- 19. Compensation • Education • Employment • Housing and food • Days off • Personal leave Apprenticeship Working and Learning experience
- 20. Who are NAP mentors? • Full-time ranchers and farmers • 5 years experience • Healthy soil, food, communities • Natural teachers, mentors Mentorship Teaching the next generation
- 21. What do mentors provide? • Work, housing and food • A work agreement • Balanced schedule • Weekly planning meetings • Apprentice evaluations • Annual mentor retreat • Seasonal conference calls • Quivira conference • Education, mentorship, life coaching….! Mentorship Teaching the next generation
- 22. What are the benefits? • NAP outreach • NAP application • HMI classes • Administrative support • Apprentice labor • Mentor network • And………. Mentorship Teaching the next generation
- 23. It’s FUN!!!
- 24. …to summarize: You teach them everything you know NAP helps you find the right person
- 25. Sarah Wentzel Fisher Virginie Pointeau Sarah@quiviracoalition.org Virginie@quiviracoalition.org www.quiviracoalition.org
Editor's Notes
- Since 2008, NAP has partnered with ranches/farms around the SW to design/implement intensive, 8-12 month apprenticeships for new agrarians. Selective, in-residence professional development program. Offers experiential training in all aspects of a resilient agricultural enterprise. Aims to support the next generation of food producers; targets young people with sincere commitment to life/career at intersection of conservation, regenerative agriculture, and artisan food. NAP has come a long way from its start as a modest project in partnership with a single, family operation in southern Colorado (SJR) to where we are today. Since 2009 we have graduated from project to program and accomplished the following: Worked in partnership with 8 mentor operations to implement 22 apprenticeships. All NAP graduates to date are actively pursuing lives and careers in regenerative agriculture; Increased the reach and sustainability of our program by forming collaborative ties with over 15 additional ranches/farms, the majority of which have hired apprentices out of our pool; followed our apprenticeship model to create their own training program; and/or hired a NAP graduate into their operation; Created a monthly, electronic New Agrarian Newsletter to connect new agrarians to opportunities beyond those that we can offer and developed a mailing list of 750 (and growing) aspiring ranchers and farmers; Organized and hosted an annual Career Connection event to facilitate connections between young people seeking mentorship and established agrarians seeking youthful energy; Expanded our agricultural network through our graduated apprentices and past applicants, who have reached out to us from their subsequent work on ranches and farms; Created a network of nonprofits and other organizations across the US with similar values and goals.
- Agriculture drives economies, creates green jobs, and directly affects the health of our nation. With the national average age of US ranchers and farmers approaching sixty, and less than two percent of the population currently dedicated to producing food, NAP offers training opportunities for a new generation of conservation agrarians. These apprenticeships teach regenerative agricultural methods that increase land/soil health, that mitigate effects of climate change, and that temper impacts of drought.