(Below is a testimonial from Annie Jesperson, a 2011 student) "I looked at a number of programs before I chose the Greenbank Farm Training Center. I decided to do the Greenbank Farm program, because I didn’t want to spend 3-5 years bouncing from farm to farm to hopefully get seeding and weeding skills in one place, tractor operating skills  in another, irrigation and business skills at yet another farm, etc., etc…. I knew I wanted to obtain all the skills I would need to run my own farm in as little time as possible. After just three months into the program at the Greenbank Farm Agriculture Training program, my boyfriend and I felt empowered with the knowledge and skills we were getting to start our own agricultural enterprise. So in May, we asked the program director and farm manager if we could run our own winter CSA on the farm’s property – and they said yes! The Greenbank Farm Ag Training Center was the first place we had ever farmed, yet it took us just a few months of living and working on the farm to feel like we could really become successful farmers. Now, just 2 months after the program’s end in mid-October, we are running a successful winter CSA business! This program is more practical, tangible, and empowering than college or the years it could take apprenticing on private farms (according to many friends who are doing just that). If someone doesn’t have the money to cover the costs, scholarships are available, or they can use earned Americorps Education Grants (if they previously volunteered with that program). I know some people are thrown off by an agricultural training program that costs something, when there are many opportunities to apprentice on private farms for free.  However, paying for this training is money well spent as it brought us an incredible diversity of praactical and essential skills as well as the confidence we needed to start farming on our own." Annie Jesperson

Below is an excerpt from an article Alison Spaude-Filipczak wrote for Grit magazine, May/June 2011. Alison was a 2010 student who now lives and farms in Wisconsin. My husband, Alan, and I wanted to become farmers. We wanted to make our livelihood growing food for a community and spend our future working a vegetable garden and tending animals. Overwhelmed and unsatisfied with the current industrial agriculture system, we were looking for a way to do something positive, to become a part of a sustainable future. That future was going to involve growing food. Inspired and passionate, we had only one problem --:our skills were limited. We knew enough to know that we liked farming, but if there was any way our dream was going to become a reality, a farm-based education would be of paramount importance.  Making the connection The Greenbank Farm Agriculture Training Center’s description fit our situation to a T. “Our program is designed for participants who, through experience, are committed to pursuing a career in sustainable agriculture and desire a formal and thorough academic and experiential education in the business and production aspects of small-scale sustainable farming.” Alan and I were looking for exactly that. Cooperative efforts The eight of us in the program hailed from all over the country and had different farming backgrounds and worldviews, brought together by the desire for the same skill – the skill to grow food in a way that benefits the earth, our communities and ourselves. Sebastian Aguilar, Farm Mnager, and a successful farmer who raised his family by working the earth and growing produce, was prepared to lead us down the path under his superior tutelage. The classroom topics matched the projects in the field. After a lesson on compost, we built our composting system out of reused wood pallets, and we drove the tractor after our talk on tillage. Studies focused on different methods of irrigation right when the heat of summer hit. We covered cover crops while broadcasting a variety of grass and legume mixes onto the bare portions of the field. In addition to farming and classroom curriculum, each participant reported once a month on a book of his or her own choosing. Each student also completed three research projects. Topics covered everything from starting a goat dairy to growing barley and hops for beer brewing to pastured poultry options. I researched shiitake mushroom production and beekeeping, agricultural ventures that interested me but weren’t covered in our curriculum. So, what now? On the program’s website, the Greenbank Farm Agriculture Training Center’s staff states, “Our goal is to have participants acquire the skills and knowledge to confidently enter the growing field of sustainable agricultural producers.” Alan and I got what we wanted: the knowledge to start a farm business and the farming skills to succeed. Certain realities are required to operate a small-farm business, and we have stopped fantasizing about what our life could be like out on the farm. Instead, we are taking action and working toward our goal. Alison

From growing food for a CSA and markets, to getting to know the Greenbank and Whidbey Island communities, the Greenbank Farm exeperience is incredible. I was in the program during 2011, and it was pertinent in helping me develop the skillset necessary to be an asset to other farms, and eventually my own. This season I will be at Shakefork Community Farm in Carlotta, CA, and it was from this program that I learned how to slaughter, how to maintain a vegetable CSA, and how to pay attention to the soil and the whole farm organism. Sebastian is easy going, helpful and inspiring. There is a lot of energy and devotion in the staff at Greenbank, and Whidbey Island is a wonderful place to find yourself for a season.  If you're thinking about starting your own farm, Greenbank is an incredible place to help you get your roots in deep.

After completing this program I was offered 1 farm production assistant position at a non-profit farm in Olympia, and a second position that involves co-managaing 132-acre Chinook Farms in Snohomish, WA!  My partner and I have chosen to manage Chinook Farms together, and could not be happier to be organic growers, while also being close to the roots where it all began for us. I can only thank the training programs for being the springboard for my new passion. Thank you Maryon Atwood, and Sebastian Aguilar....Forever grateful!

After completing this program I was offered 1 farm production assistant position at a non-profit farm in Olympia, and a second position that involves co-managaing 132-acre Chinook Farms in Snohomish, WA!  My partner and I have chosen to manage Chinook Farms together, and could not be happier to be organic growers, while also being close to the roots where it all began for us. I can only thank the training programs for being the springboard for my new passion. Thank you Maryon Atwood, and Sebastian Aguilar....Forever grateful!

The Greenbank Farm Agricultural Training center through a combination ofexperiential and classroom based learning shaped me into a confident future small farm vegetable grower. The program exceeded all expectations I had. This an unique program, in which the apprentices have the opportunity to be involved in the local food movement on a special Island in Washington (Whidbey Island). The CSA model and management of this style of agricutural brings a rewarding feeling and a sense of positivity of the surrounding islanders. The breadth of knowledge and skills learned within the 7 -month program under an amazing mentor/farm director sets you in the right path for success in any field involving sustainable food systems. Hands-on farming, biological aspects, marketing, and a business course leaves the student with every attribute to be successful. It offered me the confidence and tools to be able to start and run a small scale certified organic vegetable farm. My passion for conservation shifted to sustainable food systems, and the program at Greenbank Farm solidified my passion within this field. I could not have chosen to learn in a better environment or under a more qualified teacher (Sebastian Aguilar). I have walked away from this past season with an attainable dream of becoming a vital player within sustainable agriculture. This past season has also brought great joys of providing quality nutritional food to those in need, and also amazing new friendships. If you are looking for an affordable and great farming training program look no further.

Amazing program! I recently finished a year at Greenbank Farm and feel well on my way to starting my own farm business. The blend of experiential and classroom-based learning proved extremely effective, and allowed us to step back and relate our of own farming experiences into a broader context of organic farming practices and business models. In the program we learning how to operate tractors; build basic infrastructure such as greenhouses, chicken tractors and deer fences; improve soil health through compost, cover cropping, and conservation tillage; grow, manage and market over 40 difference types of vegetable and fruit crops; manage various markets such as CSA, farmers market and wholesale accounts; and much more. One of the most rewarding components of the program was learning about various small farm business models and creating our own business plan. Sebastian, the farm director, is an incredible teacher, equipped both with an encyclopedic mind full of farming wisdom as well as the patience and people skills necessary to impart this knowledge on to others. I couldn't recommend this program more highly. The cost of the program is well worth the value of the education!