Learning how to farm is overwhelming. Although there are degree programs in everything from crop science to agronomy to animal health, there isn’t a one-stop destination for putting together all the different facets that farming involves.

Considering that the number of farms is on the decline, according to USDA data, this creates some cause for concern especially when it comes to encouraging new people to enter agriculture.

“According to the USDA, most farmers receive off-farm income, and small and mid-scale farmers absolutely depend on it. In spite of gains made in the 1930s to establish parity pricing and to protect farmers from marketplace fluctuations, by and large, farmers are now price takers, not price makers,” Sterling College’s Christina Goodwin, Dean of Advancement and Alumni Relations, and Leah Bayens, Dean of the Wendell Berry Farming Program, told Sacred Cow. 

“This situation is not an accident. These outcomes have not been inevitable. This is a crisis by design. The bulk of higher education institutions are steeped in programs that promise upward mobility, which might be had in the various segments of the agribusiness sector but which isn’t likely in farming.”

To address this situation, Sterling College launched the Wendell Berry Farming Program, which is now accepting applications for its Fall 2021 program. The tuition-free two-year residential program is based in Henry County, Kentucky, and is geared towards students in their third and fourth years of college. Graduates finish the program with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems.

The program is inspired by the work of the farmer and writer Wendell Berry, with the curriculum aiming to take some of his teachings from the page to the pasture. Courses cover a variety of aspects like agroecology, holistic livestock husbandry, US farm and food policy, and small business management. Students work side by side with a variety of farmers involved in the program as well as foresters and rural leaders.

Kentucky boasts a rich agricultural history of diversified farms, the duo adds. It works with The Berry Center in New Castle, Kentucky, which was established by Mary Berry, a farmer, and daughter of Wendell and Tanya Berry, in 2011 to improve the culture of agriculture.

“Kentucky has a rich agricultural history of diversified, family-sized farms. Although tobacco was ultimately an indefensible crop, the parity-driven Burley cooperative system supported stable rural economies throughout the state. Since the end of that program, farm communities across the eight-state tobacco belt have seen economic and social infrastructures fall apart. The Berry Center is applying the tenets of the Burley Tobacco Growers Cooperative Association to other products. It is also bolstering the legacy of neighborliness and interdependence that remains in this place. The Wendell Berry Farming Program is a key component of that work as students contribute to cooperative development, learn how to steward land together, and practice rural leadership. We are using Henry County, Kentucky, as our classroom.”

Unsurprisingly, admission into the unique program is highly competitive. Applicants have to show a desire to farm and a commitment to working to strengthen rural communities. While applicants must demonstrate a commitment to sustainable agriculture, they are not required to have studied agriculture in their first two years of college. Interested students don’t need to have previously attended Sterling to be considered and can transfer into the program.

Goodwin and Bayens give us a few hints about what makes applicants stand out from the pack. A strong work ethic, strong liberal arts, and sciences background, and experience in work and community service are a few key attributes. Although a commitment to sustainable agriculture will score you points, it is not necessary for you to have studied agriculture in your first two years of college.

And thanks to a grant from the NoVo Foundation, tuition for the program is free. Students must cover their room and board as well as some program fees. The Endeavor Foundation, Lydia B. Stokes Foundation, and The Norton Foundation, as well as private individuals, have also made contributions.

“Sterling College and the Wendell Berry Farming Program present an alternative--not only to upward mobility but also to the mindset of acquisition underlying it. We propose that education ought to be geared toward ‘homecoming,’ as our friend Wes Jackson at The Land Institute put it. Education ought to be geared toward teaching people how to go someplace and to dig in--to be careful stewards of the land. In agricultural and forestry practices, we focus on how farmers can make a living, not a killing.”

Only twelve students will be invited to enroll in the next cohort with application review beginning on March 15th, 2021, and first offers of admission shared with applicants on April 1st, 2021. Enrollment commitments will be expected by April 15th, 2021.

As for the career trajectory of the program’s graduates, Goodwin and Bayens hopes are clear.

“We hope they are farming! Many of our enrolled students already are. Farmers who want to explore additional options for their operations through hands-on, science, and humanities-based study especially benefit from this program. So do folks who have some farming experience and are ready to take the next steps toward farm operation. Students’ farm planning capstone projects can set them up to begin farming or to alter aspects of their current agricultural production and marketing.”

Learning to farm

Here is a list of other programs that offer support in learning more about agriculture. If you’d like to add a program to the list, contact Sacred Cow here.

• The University of Massachusetts Amherst offers an online certificate and degrees in sustainable food and farming. Learn more here.

• Cornell’s Beginning Farmer Resource Center offers a 5- to 7- week course to help jumpstart your farming career ambitions. Learn more here.

• Rogue Farm Corps offers hands-on experience on a diverse network of commercial family farms in Oregon. It also focuses on addressing social injustice in food production. Learn more here.

• The Organic Farm School is tailored towards aspiring farmers who want to focus on organic food production through a full-time six-month experiential program. Learn more here.

• BegginingFarmers.org has compiled a list of beginning farmer training programs housed at universities or offered on the farm that you can view here.

• The University of California Urban Agriculture program has compiled an extensive list of farmer training opportunities throughout California. Learn more here.

• The Farm School offers a year-long training program. Learn more here.

• The Organic Growers School Farm Beginnings course is a year-long farmer-led training program that is still running in a virtual format during the pandemic. Learn more here.

• The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project offers a variety of programs including farmer training and a food hub. Learn more here.

• The Savory Institute offers courses on holistic farm management. Learn more here.

• The Ranching for Profit school places an emphasis on business planning and having aspiring or current farmers ask practical questions about their farming operations. Learn more here.

• Holistic Management International takes a unique approach to help aspiring or current farmers create a plan for achieving their farm goals. Learn more here.

• WWOOF connects farm apprentices with people who need farm help throughout the world. Learn more here.

• Eager Farmer is an online connection for experienced farmers, educated farm managers, established landowners, and eager aspiring farmers. Learn more here.