Don't Skip March Just Because The Weather Is!

Community Update March 2017

Pre-register for Spring Classes!

Interested in taking Spring courses with us? Let us know! Sign up to receive registration updates for Propagation, Growing Soils, & Irrigation. Space is limited, so be sure to get updated first:

P r e - r e g i s t e r

Coming Up: Just Food Conference

Community Discount!

Just Food and Farm School are teaming up to bring you the most relevant, engaging conference possible. We're extending a 20% discount to our community with the code FARMSCHOOL20 and tickets can be found here.

Featuring talks from Farm School students, alumni, faculty, and many many other incredible leaders-- like keynote speakers Devita Davison of FoodLab Detroit and Dr. Ricardo Salvador of the Union of Concerned Scientists. Check out the link for the full schedule: Just Food Conference

What's New?

Faculty Retreat

Earlier in February, Farm School faculty gathered for a retreat at the New York Botanical Garden to reflect on past teaching experiences, brainstorm improvements, and focus how we can continue to grow our school through the lens of food justice. Thank you to all of our dedicated faculty who were able to attend, and for those who were there in spirit-- we are continually grateful for nurturing Farm School into the inspiring, supportive community it continues to be today.

Botany

This past weekend, our Botany course lead by Uli Lorimer came to a close. Uli began each class with a strongly-scented plant to help ground students through detailed scientific parts and processes, while students reflected on the intersection of food justice and the Euro-centric origins of botany. Professor and Botanist Kobi Abdul-Salim came to share about the history & relationships between plants and colonization & oppression. To close, Uli led the class through the Native Flora Garden he manages and cares for at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, sharing his knowledge and nuanced experiences with plants .

Carpentry

Our next course, Carpentry, is lead by Sandy Nurse , social & climate activist and Farm School alumna. Sandy currently runs BK ROT, a youth composting jobs project, and is part of the social justice space Mayday and a climate justice direct action crew. The course will focus on building basics: reading and drawing building designs relevant to urban agriculture (raised beds, compost bins, chicken coops, cold frames, greenhouses and hoop houses, rainwater harvest systems). Outdoor building classes at New Roots Community Farm will cover tool safety and maintenance while building raised beds.

Student Reflection

"As someone deeply inspired by the reality of maintaining a healthy relationship with the planet and each other, I'm really inspired by all that we've learned in Botany with our facilitator, Uli. Thanks to him and the cohort, I'm wrapping up this class in awe of the plant world and thankful for the opportunity to approach this work both scientifically and spiritually. Free the land!"

- Frances A. Perez-Rodriguez, one of our City Wide Certificate Students, pictured here with Monstera deliciosa