“Growing food, farmers and community.” This is the motto of Tsawwassen Farm School. We had our second successful year last year and we are gearing up for another awesome year! 2016 was our first year really attending farmers markets in Vancouver, Delta and Richmond; participating in VFM Direct and managing a 50-person CSA. We aim for even higher goals this year! Our students learnt a lot and some will be taking on an incubator plot to start their own farm business, and others have found other pieces of land. We hope to continue cultivating farmers and building our community.
Our program begins in mid-March and we are still taking registrations! No prerequisites, only a passion for farming and commitment to working and learning hard! It is a 10-month program consisting of in-class and on-field practical learning where we teach you everything from crop planning, to seeding, to crop management, to harvesting, to packaging, to marketing. You will also learn about livestock production (pigs, chicken, duck and bees) and farm machinery and tools!
Some of the new elements that we have added or is planning to add to the farm include, but is not limited to:
- A traditional smokehouse
- A native medicinal garden
- Breeding sows
We recently made a new video that captures every aspect of our farm and farm school. The dedicated videographer followed the farm and students throughout the whole season to really show the public what we are all about! Check it out to see what a typical school year could look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JiZ1sTfl2o&feature=youtu.be
The farm is as much ours as it is to the students, so every year, we encourage the cohort to leave their mark. I’m excited to see what the 2017 cohort will contribute and leave behind!
Register
To register, visit the KPU website: kpu.ca/tfnfarm
If you have any questions, contact Caroline Chiu at tfs@kpu.ca.
