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Farmers' Apprentices - The Grange Builds Knowledge and Resilience

Food is healthy. Local farms are essential to the sustainability and a regional economy. Simsbury Grange supports farmers and helps them share their knowledge.

Leader

Susan Masino

Location

236 Farms Village Rd. West Simsbury, CT 06092

About the project

Successful local farms and farmers are essential, and the heart of our communities! Now more than ever we need to support them and ensure that they thrive.

Even if a farm is protected from development, farmers may still need help. They have so much to offer, and many farmers are worried about the future of the land they love and of farming itself – Will the land be a working farm? Who will learn to farm it? Will their legacy carry on?

The time is now to facilitate transfering direct knowledge, and help more people grow food and even help run a farm. For several years the Simsbury Grange have been gearing up to support apprentices for established local farmers. During the pandemic this is more important than ever before, and it also provides jobs. Apprentices submit an application and we match an apprentice and a farmer. The farmer has the final approval. This fundraising is of great help in mobilizing this important program. Please direct questions to [email protected]

The Steps

With Spring upon us we are fast-tracking this program.

May 2020

In parallel with fundraising, we will receive applications and start to identify matches between apprentices and local farmers.

If you are interested in an apprenticeship, or if you are an established farmer in Simsbury not already enrolled, please contact us at [email protected].  

June – October 2020

Establish apprentice program. Each apprentice receives a stipend of $2500, paid in 5 installments of $500. The farmer receives an honorarium of $500.

The specific apprenticeship timeframe and part-time schedule is determined between the apprentice and the farmer. 

NOTE: We need to launch and complete fundraising ASAP and will run this campaign for no more than 1 month. 

Why we‘re doing it

Local farms are an essential part of community sustainability and resilience, and good food is a cornerstone of good mental and physical health. Individual apprentices will learn invaluable skills and contribute to their community. A farmer will benefit from the extra help during the stipend-funded training period. We all benefit from a more resilient community, and especially when an experienced and successful farmer is able to share their knowledge.

The National Grange was founded to support agricultural and rural communities and bring communities together after the strife of the civil war. This project reflects the Grange’s strong agricultural history and community-based ethics and strives to meet the new challenges we face today. The Simsbury Grange is an established and respected community organization, we have contacted eligible farms, and we will be overseeing the project.

$0.33 still needed of $7,693.00