Saturday, August 18
Meet at 9:30am at CAGJ office, travel to Skagit Valley for Teach-Out
Return at 4pm, optional Happy Hour at Agua Verde Cafe!
RSVP (required) and get more details at [email protected]. Full schedule below.
Viva Farms is a project of GrowFood.org, an international non-profit dedicated to recruiting, training and capitalizing the next generation of sustainable farmers. We operate in strong partnership with WSU Extension. The Viva Farms Incubator Program was launched in June 2009 to provide new farmers affordable access to education, training and technical assistance; capital and credit; land and markets. Grateful Food Farm is a participant in the incubator program.
Thirty students, approximately half of whom are Latino, completed Skagit County’s first bilingual “Sustainable Small Farming and Ranching” course and 36 students completed the first bilingual “Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Farm Business Planning” course. The Port of Skagit has leased Viva Farms 33 acres for an incubator farm where course graduates may sublease plots on which to launch and grow their farm businesses. Access to shared infrastructure, equipment and low-interest “educational loans” minimizes participants’ start-up costs, while agricultural and entrepreneurial support from peers, WSU Extension personnel and Viva Farms staff increases the likelihood of early-stage success. Core areas of support include organic production practices, marketing, sales, distribution, record keeping and liability management.
Teach-Out Schedule:
9:30am Meet at CAGJ
11am-12pm Grateful Food Farm at Viva Farms Tour
12pm Lunch (make sure to bring your lunch!)
12:30 – 2:30 Help with a project on the farm (Harvesting, planting, etc)
2:30 – 3 Reflection
3 – 4 Head back to Seattle
4 – 6 Optional visit to Agua Verde for Happy Hour snacks & drinks. Located in Seattle’s University District, Agua Verde has a unique relationship with Viva Farms, purchasing their produce for the cafe.
CAGJ’s Food Justice Project invites our members and others to learn about and build connections with key players in the local food region through regular visits & work parties with farms, community kitchens, and community gardens! **Please note, space is limited, so RSVP’s are required. To sign up email Chris at [email protected]. We will send you directions and details upon receiving your RSVP, as well as information about what to wear and bring. We will be carpooling. All activities will be appropriate for children and we can work out disability accommodations if needed.
