Farm at the Arb Apprenticeship Program

Are you looking to pursue a career in sustainable food production for sale and community health?

The USDA defines a beginning farmer as someone who has ten years of experience or less — the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum helps individuals begin or continue their careers as food system leaders! This hands-on, technical training in vegetable growing is designed for beginning growers, skilled workers and those looking for a career change.

Over the course of 9 months, apprentices will receive a combination of classroom, lab and field experience, including a 14-week paid work experience at the Arboretum and partnering farms. Apprentices will leave the program with applicable skills to use in the industry.

The certification program is offered each year from February to October in collaboration with the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Sciences and Extension.

Learn more about the application process

Core Curriculum

Participants learn vegetable production techniques by using hands-on training, and a team-focused approach. Coursework includes greenhouse and raised-bed production, soil science, plant health, food safety and more. Instructors are University of Minnesota educators and professional guest speakers who have established careers and experience in particular aspects of sustainable growing and food system marketing.

Curriculum components are included from U of M Extension, Master Gardener and crop production resources, as well as industry trade publications, and coursework from the U of M Horticultural Sciences Department.

Sustainable Horticulture Community of Practice

Horticulture skills promote community access to nature, local food, plant and pollinator diversity, healthy soil, and clean water. They enable us to create resilient landscapes that are adapted to our climate. We encourage participants to join a regional community of practice, whose mission is to advance diverse food system leaders while growing high-quality food for defined markets.

Summer

Paid Work Experience

May-September; 14 weeks at partnering farm sites - hours vary by placement

During the summer paid work experience, trainees will work a minimum of 30 hours per week (average 30-37.5 hours) on a commercial vegetable farm or garden. This intensive work experience applies concepts learned in the spring with on-the-job training. The trainee also completes an independent pest and disease management project, S.M.A.R.T goals and a detailed notebook about farm management.

Fall

Fall Schedule

September-October

9 a.m.-12 p.m. Monday and Thursday

8-12 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday

After the summer, the participant creates a crop plan for the following year. The participant develops this plan in collaboration with a partner, and presents the plan in a public forum. Participants continue field work at farm sites, completing their skill sets for the program. Finally, students create an up-to-date resume, horticulture cover letter and participate in a mock horticulture job interview.

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Weekly Schedule

Schedule subject to change with notification.

Spring

Week 1: Intro to Farm at the Arb Program; Intro to Sustainable Farming
Week 2: General Botany: Plant Parts and Processes; Fundamentals of Environmental Literacy and Water
Week 3: Greenhouse Production: Concepts, Seeding; Fundamentals: Health, Food and Agriculture
Week 4: General Botany: Plant Reproduction and Seeds; Fundamentals: Social Entrepreneurship and Community Organizing
Week 5: Greenhouse Production; Water in Agriculture; Perennials Overview; Food Safety, Harvest and Market Training
Weeks 6-8: Outdoor Production: Site Planning, Cropping Systems, Crop Specific Resources, Tilling, Transplanting, Building and Other Techniques
Week 9: Soil Physical Properties; Soil in marginal areas: Practicalities, Land Access, and site maintenance
Week 10: Compost & Soil Ecology
Week 11: Soil Chemical Properties; Reading Soil and Compost Reports; Identifying Plant Deficiencies
Week 12: Plant Health Care: Integrated Pest Management; Insect Pests and Beneficial Insects
Week 13: Plant Health Care: Managing Plant Pathogens
Week 14: Ecological Weed Management; GAPS Training; Small Farm Food Safety
Week 15: Harvest Efficiency and Post-Harvest Handling Revisited; Intro to Beekeeping
Week 16: Farm and Market Garden Reports

Summer and Fall

Weeks 17-30: Full time, paid work experience at Landscape Arboretum or partner farm site. IPM assignment: Complete weekly IPM assessment and logging of a particular field/crop/pest.
Weeks 31-36: Crop Planning and internship presentations, Employability workshops, and Field Days

Farm at the Arb Apprenticeship Program

Are you looking to pursue a career in sustainable food production for sale and community health?

Weekly Schedule

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum serves as a research center and extension of the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS).

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Farm at the Arb Apprenticeship Program

Are you looking to pursue a career in sustainable food production for sale and community health?

+ Weekly Schedule

VISIT

SUPPORT

ABOUT

Weekly Schedule