Dear ecolog-l community,
I write to share information about a summer Sustainable Agriculture Training Program, and I ask that you share this with your networks of any folks who may be interested. Our training program is at Frostburg Grows (FG) in Western Maryland USA. FG is a "grow it local greenhouse project" in Frostburg, MD that is a partnership between Frostburg State University (FSU), Western Maryland Resource Conservation and Development Council, University of Maryland Extension and many more groups. We have a full production facility with 6 high tunnel greenhouses where we grow vegetables, fruits and herbs. We also demonstrate many sustainable practices including collecting rainwater for irrigation, solar energy to power irrigation pumps, solar thermal for season extension, composting, materials re-use and more. We do this on a former coal mine making our methods similar to urban agriculture. For two years we've been offering weekend training workshops on high tunnel greenhouse construction and operation. This year we are offering a much more intensive learning experience. We have (4) 2-week long sessions starting May 31 and ending August 15. The experience is best suited to those interested to learn about sustainable and innovative agriculture, new / beginner farmers, food advocates, educators, 2nd career farmers, and natural resource entrepreneurs. The training includes lots of hands-on work on our site like planting / harvesting produce, building raised beds, trellising plants for vertical growth, designing and running irrigation, efficient fertilizing, composting, plus much more. It also includes a section on farm and business planning. We also have speakers on FSU campus including Ag. educators from Allegany and Garrett counties, and we will be visiting many farms and food businesses in Western Maryland so we can learn (and work at) the many models and examples of farming, specialty products, CSA's, and value added enterprises, including Savage River Farms, Cedar Rocks Farm, Evergreen Heritage Center, SHiFT Restaurant, DeBerry's Farm, Lavender Farms, Backbone Food Farm, and more. For more information and to register for the training: http://www.frostburggrows.com<http://www.frostburggrows.com/> The training flyer is here: http://www.frostburggrows.com/?media_dl=570 I'd be happy to discuss the program, tuition cost, room and board and any details with anyone interested. If you or anyone you know is interested in sustainable agriculture and helping to transform the food system, please check out and share this great, 2-week long summer training opportunity in Mountain Maryland! Please help spread the word - much appreciated! Thanks and best wishes, Dan Fiscus Dan Fiscus, PhD FSU and Frostburg Grows 106 Compton Frostburg State University Frostburg, MD 21532 301-687-3136 (office) 240-522-4243 (cell) http://www.frostburggrows.com http://www.frostburg.edu/aces/frostburg-grows/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frostburg-Grows/472105046167989?fref=ts
