New Brunswick Organic Farm Apprenticeship Program

Have you ever wanted to live the life of an organic farmer, but didn’t know where to start? Are you an organic farmer with lots to work and experience to share, but no one to teach? Do you have questions about how to improve areas of organic farming, and ideas for on-farm experiments? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, the Organic Farm Apprenticeship is for you!

Falls Brook Centre (FBC), the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC), New Brunswick Department of Agriculture (NBDAFA), the Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN) and New Brunswick organic farms have collaborated to design a program to build the Atlantic Canadian organic sector.

Through daily work, monthly field days, structured workshops and on-farm research projects, farmers and apprentices will expand their knowledge and experience in organics. Course work will be co-delivered by the OACC, Falls Brook Centre and guest speakers. Workshops will cover a wide range of essential organic farming topics from philosophy to cover crops, pest management, soil health, composting, animal husbandry and more. On-farm research projects focus on developing farmer and apprentice knowledge about a specific area of interest to the farm (e.g. pest control, variety trials, marketing, etc.) and are supported by research advisors from both OACC and NBDAFA.

The Organic Farm Apprenticeship is open for applications. Both organic farmers and apprentices are encouraged to apply, with priority given to those in New Brunswick. For application forms, farm descriptions and more information about the program, visit Falls Brook Centre’s website www.fallsbrookcentre.ca or contact Shannon Herbert, Organic Agriculture Program Coordinator at shannon@fallsbrookcentre.ca or (506) 375-4310.

Posted January 2008