FARMS Leadership Program
The FARMS Leadership Program is an educational program geared towards high school students with an interest in science, agriculture, and/or the environment, and the communities in which they live. The program provides a great opportunity for students who would like to get out of the classroom and participate in a hands-on learning experience, develop leadership skills, and learn about possible career opportunities in science, agriculture, and environmental studies. The students participate in one field day each month from October through May and are required to complete a “community action project” that applies the skills and knowledge attained through the program to addressing problems or concerns in the students’ own community.
FARMS Leadership is a program of the Center For Land Based Learning, based in Winters, CA, and delivered locally by SSCRCD. The CLBL mission is to "inspire and motivate people of all ages, especially youth, to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature and society through their own actions and as leaders in their communities.”
The FARMS philosophy is to create a partnership of organizations that support and implement the FARMS Leadership program, so that participants are exposed to sustainable agriculture practices, the farming industry, the environment and resource conservation, a post-secondary education institution, and professionals in the agricultural and environmental sciences.
A few examples of field days from previous FARMS program years include team building at Westminster Woods Ropes Course, creek restoration in the Sonoma Creek and Petaluma River watersheds, tabling at Sonoma County Agriculture Days, and visits to Benziger Winery, Spring Hill Cheese, Green String Farm, Twin Hill Ranch, Drakes Bay Oysters, SRJC’s Shone Farm, and the Bodega Bay Marine Lab.
There are 7 FARMS Leadership Programs statewide that are funded by numerous foundations, private companies, and state and federal programs. Student recruitment begins in September once school is underway. We are also looking for individuals interested in becoming mentors to students. For more information, please visit the Center for Land Based Learning website at www.landbasedlearning.org or contact Jason Sweeney via email or phone (707-794-1242, x5).
Check out our schedule for the 2011-2012 academic year as well as some field day highlights from the 2010-2011 Program year below! (requires Adobe Acrobat). You can also visit the Sonoma program page on the CLBL website, which I will be updating soon with reports and photos from this year's field days! You can also check out archived field day reports from past years here. We are grateful for our rich agricultural community and all of our hosts - past and present - without whom this program would not be possible!
- FARMS Leadership Program 2011-2012 Academic Year Schedule
- January 2011 Flocchini Vineyard Field Day Highlights
- February 2011 Cresta Ranch Field Day Highlights
- February 2011 Triple C Dairy Field Day Highlights
Last year, because of the support of Sotoyome RCD, the Friends of the Mark West Watershed, and the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, we were able to offer an additional field trip to the Eco Action Class at Analy HS. This was a great opportunity to harness the momentum of these groups and this project and offer an additional field trip to an additional 30 motivated students!
Check out a recent Press Democrat article on the program and our visit to Martorana Winery!