Department of Horticulture Student Organic Farm

The Organic Farmer Training Program is committed to preparing students to start and operate their own farms, manage existing farm businesses or non-profit farms, or work for other organizations promoting farm and food education and /or food production.

Topics that will be covered will include:

• Soil & Fertility Management
• Vegetable Production
  • Solanaceae (Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, Potatoes)
  • Cucurbits (cucumbers, summer squash, winter squash, melons)
  • Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, Asian Greens, etc)
  • Roots (beets, carrots, radishes, rutabaga, turnips)
  • Salad Crops (head lettuces, mixes, arugula, salanova)
  • Sweet Corn and Green Beans
  • Herbs
• Tree Fruit & Small Fruits
• Flower Production
• Crop Planning & Scheduling
• Organic Certification
• Harvest & Post Harvest Handling and Food Safety
• Transplant Production
• Passive Solar Greenhouse Management and Production
• Direct and Wholesale Marketing
• Business & Farm Planning
  • Values and Goals
  • Marketing Plans
  • SWOT Analysis
  • Production Planning & Crop Rotation
  • Financial Planning
  • Capital Access
  • Land Access
  • Risk Management
  • Business Structures and Management
  • Enterprise Budgeting
• Equipment Usage and Maintenance
• Plant Biology for Farmers
• Organic Weed Management
• Organic Pest Management
• Organic Disease Management
• Agroecology
• Irrigation
• Cover Cropping

These topics will be taught through a mix of:

• Hands-on activities
• Farm walks
• Classroom activities & discussions
• Video lectures
• Readings
• Guest speakers
• Visits to 20+ Michigan farms
• Practical assignments, like writing a Farm Business Plan

Program Outcomes for participants completing the program:

• Create a Farm Business Plan that fits your skills, interests, farmsite and markets.
• Use information from the course and from other sources to make farm management and business decisions.
• Build and improve hands-on farm skills on class days and through farm externships/farmwork outside of class time.
• Be prepared to start and/or manage an organic farm, educational garden project or to work in farm and food advocacy issues. It is also a success to realize that you don’t want to farm.
• Speak clearly about farm topics and your goals and growing methods for your current or future farm.
• Establish connections to local, regional and national sustainable agriculture networks, job opportunities, conferences, and organizations
• Receive a certificate of completion of the Organic Farmer Training Program from MSU’s Student Organic Farm, the Department of Horticulture and the Center for Regional Food Systems