Monday, March 5, 2012

Announcement: Calling all farmers! Join the Finger Lakes CRAFT

NEWS RELEASE

Calling all farmers- Join the Finger Lakes CRAFT!
Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training welcomes new farmer members and trainees



Ithaca, NY –  Are you an experienced farmer dedicated to cultivating the next generation of sustainable farmers in our region? Are you a farming intern or a beginning farmer looking to broaden your farming experience and connect with other interns and farmers? Or are you an urban gardener interested in connecting with farmers and exploring the possibility of farming as a career?



If so, the Finger Lakes CRAFT wants you! CRAFT is a community of farmers, farm interns, and community members who get together monthly throughout the growing season at each of Groundswell's Mentor Farms to learn about that farm operation, ask lots of questions, share knowledge and network with each other.

Membership in the CRAFT is open to all community members and farmers (including conventional, organic, biodynamic or other) interested in learning about sustainable and organic farming practices and/or enabling your interns or employees to learn about these practices.



For Farms

CRAFT Farm Membership dues are only $25 per year plus $10 for each of your Trainee Members. Membership provides you and your designated trainees with:
  • Admission to all monthly CRAFT training sessions during the season, and to our potluck celebration/evaluation at the end of the season
  • Participation in a supportive network of experienced and beginning farmers
  • Outreach and promotion for your farm through the Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming
  • Educational benefits for your interns and employees that can help you attract more qualified workers to your farm    
  • Access to selected Sustainable Farming Certificate Program workshops and Farmer Educator workshops. These opportunities will help build a more skilled farm workforce and increase the success rate of beginning farmers in our area.
For Community Members

Membership in the Finger Lakes CRAFT is also open to other trainees who are not affiliated with a Member Farm. The membership fee for unaffiliated trainees is $50 per year. Trainee membership provides:
  • Admission to all CRAFT training sessions and social events during the season    
  • Participation in a supportive network of experienced and aspiring farmers
  • Access to selected workshops offered by Groundswell's Sustainable Farming Certificate Program.
Join today!

The 2012 CRAFT application can be filled out and submitted online. To sign up, visit www.groundswellcenter.org.

The Groundswell Center for Local Food & Farming is an initiative of the EcoVillage Center for Sustainability Education/Center for Transformative Action.  Support for Groundswell comes from individuals and businesses who believe in the importance of strong local food systems, and from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture-USDA, Grant #2010-49400-21799. For more information, visit www.groundswellcenter.org.

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Groundswell is an initiative of the not-for-profit Center for Transformative Action, Tax ID: 16‐0990318

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