Courses

Join 'the world's most innovative farmer' (TIME Magazine) Joel Salatin for a unique one-day workshop looking at how to make your small farm more ethical, profitable, and deeply integrated with your local community.

Joel Salatin is a third generation 'beyond organic' farmer and author whose family owns and operates Polyface Farm in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

He is known and respected world-wide for his family's innovative and effective farming techniques that allow them to produce 'beyond organic' produce effectively, in a way which regenerates their farmland while making them a profitable right-livelihood.

Joel's passion for regenerative agriculture is apparent in every aspect of PolyFace Farms systems.

In the time his family has stewarded their farmland, they have actively regenerated its pastures, creeks and forests using forethought and intelligent design, with a heavy focus on animal systems' ability to build topsoil and boost nutrients and diversity when used correctly.

The farm produces salad bar beef, pigaerator pork, pastured poultry, forage-based rabbits and direct markets everything to 4,000 families, 40 restaurants, and 10 retail outlets. Processing many of these products on-farm in their open-air production unit, they sell from their on-farm shop and through their innovative 'buying club' system.

Following on from his wildly successful 2010 RegenAG tour, this workshop is an opportunity for anyone thinking about farming, or already on the land, to learn how to create themselves a livelihood through a profitable, regenerative farming enterprise which benefits their family, their soils and their community.

This one day workshop will cover PolyFace Farms animal systems, including pastured poultry, salad bar beef, forested pigerator pork and the main-frame design of the farm.

Also covered will be PolyFace's 'relationship marketing' techniques where the farm interfaces directly with consumers, cutting out the middle men and keeping things clean, honest and real.

Joel will also cover how his farm approaches their internship program, providing young people with a chance to learn PolyFace's techniques, while providing the Salatin family with an enthusiastic labor force which further benefits the farm.