Apprenticeship Program
Established in 2004, the Growing Growers apprenticeship program provides hands-on experience combined with reading, classes, and training that will give you the basics you need to get started farming.
Apprentices work on local, sustainably-run farms, where they experience the daily operations of a farm. They also take a non-credit online course and attend farm tours, meet new and experienced farmers, receive textbooks and obtain on-the-job formal training from their host farmers. Paid and unpaid positions are available, and they typically run March – October, depending on the host farm’s needs.
Beginning Farmer Wholesale Project
The Beginning Farmer Wholesale Project presents a new opportunity for our region’s farmers to grow their business and the scale of local food production. The target audience for the project is a producer with no more than 10 years in operation, both urban and rural, with aspirations to expand in size and/or explore new market channels for their produce.
Farmer services include wholesale workshops, a Mentor Farmer Program, One-on-One Technical Assistance, Farmer-to-Buyer matching, a Video Series and the Demystifying the Wholesale Market Manual, and soon a Foodshed GIS Map.
New Growth Beginning Farmers Project
New Growth’s Beginning Farmer program is providing mini-scholarship opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers with less than ten years of farm or ranch operation experience. Scholarships are offered in the range of $50 (minimum) up to $300 to assist in funding educational opportunities that will help with the success in farming or ranching. Please contact Bridget Luff with any questions.
GrowersKC LISTSERV
The Growing Growers program hosts a listserv of hundreds of members to provide networking opportunities for growers, buyers, educators, Extension professionals, restaurant owners, Growing Growers apprentices and workshop participants to talk with one another.
This is a place to share ideas, answer questions, share grower information, share educational opportunities, and funding opportunities. This social network is important in keeping the local food system alive and connected.
2024 Graduates and Host Farms
Full-Farm Track
Elizabeth Collier — Urbavore
Avrey Bachmann Fetzer — Dirt Beast
Alexandria G. Davis — Morningside Blooms
Jessica James — Young Family Farm
Spencer Rosenbaum — Adams ORAC
Sandra Manchin — KC Farm School
Stacy Bennewitz — Pendelton’s
Jeff Box — KC Farm School
Micah Quinn — KC Farm School
Explore Farming Track
Madison Pilla — Splitlog Farm
Amy Gordon Ames — KC Farm School
Maxine Baxter — Young Family Farm
Ashley Bath — KC Farm School
James Forsyth — JCCC’s Open Petal Farm
Sookhee Fenimore — Two Birds Farm
Non-KC Apprentices
Felicity Mitchell — Misty Morning Farm (Mulberry, KS)
Rachael Lynch — Misty Morning Farm
Emily Judd — Legacy Garden Works (Wichita, KS)
