Summer Sustainable Agriculture Program

The Summer Sustainable Agriculture Program at Sterling College

Summer 2010

Program Description

The Summer Sustainable Agriculture Program, part of Sterling's Summer Semester at Sterling College, is an intensive, on-farm practicum experience allowing students to learn to “think and make decisions like farmers”.  Supported by our highly diverse farm, students have the opportunity to learn vegetable crop production and management as well as livestock management.  Our draft horse team enables students to learn the principles to “live power” – draft horse management and also hands on experience with driving the team in our fields.  Students spend each day working on our farm and learning how to make daily and weekly management decisions.  The program is a mixture of on-farm practicum experience as well as classroom coursework in organic vegetable production, livestock management systems, agriculture power, farmstead arts, and permaculture.

For a "behind-the-scenes" look at the program visit some of these links: Videos  Photos  Farm Blog  Draft Horse Blog

Outcomes of the program

Students who attend our program can expect to deepen their knowledge and skills around small, diverse, organic farm principles and practices.  Through weekly farm walks, students will evaluate the needs and priorities of the work that needs to be done.  By rotating through various areas of responsibilities, (propagation, kitchen contract, pasture management, power – horse and tractor), students will be in charge of the key aspects of our farm.  This will teach and expose students to the various management skills involved with farming.

At the end of the summer, students will have:
•    Worked a full season with vegetable production, livestock, and draft horses
•    Managed a contract with the dining hall
•    Seeded, planted, weeded, harvested over 40 different types of crops
•    Handled sheep, chickens, turkeys, pigs, goats, cows, horses
•    Farmed and logged with draft horses
•    Operated a tractor cultivating fields
•    Created and executed a Personal Learning Plan (PLP)
•    Baked bread in a traditional wood-fired oven
•    Visited several VT farms learning from those farmers who have been doing it for a long time
•    Managed a Passive Solar Hoophouse to learn season extension and growing food year round in a cold climate
•    Learned the principles of root storage in traditional root cellars
•    Engaged in food preservation – canning, freezing, drying, etc
•    Employed the principles of permaculture through the management of an Edible Forest Garden

Facilities and Resources Available to Students

Sterling’s farm is a model, educational, small, Vermont hillside farm. We have a variety of facilities to support our production and education.  They include:

Fields, Pastures, and Livestock
We have 2 acres of Vegetable Production.  15 acres of pasture and hay fields.  100+ acres of woodlot.
We have both hand-managed, bio-intensive gardens and larger fields managed by tractors and draft horses.  Additionally, we have livestock.  A flock of laying hens for eggs, pigs for pork, a dairy cow, and goats.  
We employ intensive rotational grazing practices to assure healthy pasture and healthy animals.  Our woodlot is sustainably managed and wood is harvested for use on the farm to build structures needed for the farm.  In the winter we tap our maples and boil sap for syrup.  We have our own on-farm composting of all the kitchen scraps.  Our system is close to closed loop with limited off-farm inputs.  

Passive Solar Hoophouse, Glasshouse, Offgrid Barns – to support our vegetable production and livestock managment
We have a 2250 sq ft hoophouse for season extension and growing greens through the winter season.  Heated greenhouse for transplant production.  Solar powered and wind powered barns for our animals.

Draft Horse Team
Team of trained draft horses for students to learn the principles of draft horse management.

Wood-fired Bread Oven
Student designed and built, traditional wood-fired oven.

Campus Facilities Include: Library, Dining Hall, Climbing Wall, Dorms

Who Should Apply?

Students should apply to the Summer Sustainable Agriculture Program if they are inclined to experience a farming system during the height of the summer season.  Students will learn farming skills related to small, diverse vegetable and livestock farm.  Additionally, students will learn draft horse management and tractor skills.  Students will learn to “think like farmers” while living in a small community.  

This program is great for students who are:

What Can I Expect?

Expect to work hard.  Expect to learn a lot.  Expect to fall into the rhythm of farming.  Expect to go to bed early.  Expect to be sore and sun-kissed.  Expect to experience the delight of growing and raising a large percentage of your food and your peers’ food.  Expect to be frustrated.  Expect to be pushed by your peers and teachers.  Expect to push your peers and your teachers.  Expect to laugh, perhaps cry.  Expect to have a lot of fun.  Expect to grow as an individual.  Expect to build your confidence.  Expect a lot!

What is the Daily Life Like in this Program?

Daily schedule includes morning chores with the animals before breakfast.  After breakfast, we move right into the practicum.  Students do weekly farm walks, assessing the needs of the crops and the animals and prioritizing the work that needs to be done.  Then teams break into work groups and begin the farm work.  In the afternoon, students manage various areas of responsibilities, or rotations – the rotations students engage in are: managing the kitchen contract, managing the propagation area, managing the pastures, managing the cultivation needs either with the draft horses or tractors.  Small groups make decisions and get the work done.  They are trained to accomplish the necessary work and to be decision makers.  After afternoon work, students move into evening chores, and then to supper.  Weekend and evening activities will include taste tests, cooking demos, food preservation workshops, fiber arts workshops, and management of their own vegetable plots.  Students will engage in conversations about the state of our food system, movies on food issues, hiking and enjoying Vermont’s natural beauty.  

Midweek, students have classroom courses on various farming topics – organic vegetable production, livestock management systems, homestead arts, ag power, literature and the rural experience, and other topics.  There are also field trips to visit other farms to learn from area farmers.  

All meals will include food produced and raised by the students.  

Overall, students will fall into step with the summer rhythm of a small scale, diverse, Vermont hillside farm.  They will accelerate their learning to build farm skills and also to build management and decision making skills.
The community component of the farm is also a major part of the summer ag program.  Students live together, work together and learn together.  From each other, we learn to communicate and share ideas.  We push and support each other when the work is tough.  We have fun together and get the work done.  Students are able to experience a nearly – closed loop farming system and community.  We aim to train students who will then bring this experience to other communities and help pass along the knowledge learned and shared together at the Sterling Summer Ag Program.

Courses in the Program

*Practicum in Diversified Small Farm Management
*Agriculture Power – Draft Horses
*Agriculture Power – Tractor
*Organic Vegetable Production
*Livestock Systems Management
Farmstead Arts
Permaculture
Literature of the Rural Experience
* Core Required Courses

Applying to the Sterling Summer Sustainable Agriculture Program

For questions about the Sustainable Agriculture program Contact Corie Pierce at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 802-586-7711 ext. 141.

or download the application here  Non-Degree20Admission20Application.pdf