This course prepares students to tackle the challenges of sustainable farming in a world changed by a pandemic. Students will engage for 12 weeks, rooted by a weekly Whole Farm Thinking seminar that engages participants in a discussion of current events both on the Sterling Farm and in the regional and global food systems. Students begin their focused studies by choosing between a selection of short courses focused on grazing, horse care, perennial agriculture, or food preservation OR by studying independently through a farm internship. Students move into an intensive summer prep school that dives deep into readings by prominent thinkers and practitioners, while also building skills and knowledge to prepare for the Sterling Farm Residency. The semester concludes with students returning to Sterling for four weeks of intensive skill building, group dynamics, and farm management experience. Completion of this course fulfills the requirements of the Integrated Farming Practicum on the Sustainable Agriculture checklist.
Course Faculty
Gwyneth Harris
Gwyneth has been gardening for as long as she can remember, and got her first livestock (a goat named “Creamy”) at the age of 5. Thirty-five years later, she still finds…
Jeff Richardson
Jeff grew up in Southwest Michigan where he developed a deep appreciation for hard work, a keen interest in science and the natural world, and an insatiable curiosity. His path…
Tony VanWinkle
Whether digging in the soil or digging in the archives, whether listening to local birdsong or local folk songs, whether exploring a watershed by canoe or regional food traditions in…
Elsa Acerbo
Passion and dedication for real food and food justice, preserving and expanding the draft animal tradition in the US and abroad, and the hands-on education of students led Elsa inexorably…
