** Bake and Win ** -> I love a challenge

I love putting my chef skills to the test. What will I bake to win? Perhaps I'll try something new like a vegan pumpkin pie cookie. Quick recipe off the top of my head: grind up some walnuts and dates, add baked pumpkin to the mix, throw in some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, & ground cloves, a pinch of salt, and what the heck...some chocolate chips. Bake at 350 until golden. Voila!

A better idea...I'm going to enlist the support of the youth farmers. It's always more fun to create and test recipes together. Without cooking with youth, I would never know the joys of scrambled pancakes or minty pickles.

Click here to pick up the Bake and Win mat for yourself. What will you bake?

FREE ONLINE CONFERENCE ON SMALL FARM SUSTAINABILITY

Join us for a free online conference on sustainable small farming. The conference features speakers from all aspects of what it takes to make your farm sustainable, from managing soil fertility, keeping better books, and finding support from other small farmers. 

This conference was put together to help new farmers, people considering farming, and existing farmers whose business needs a little TLC.

SIGN UP to view the conference. If you cant attend all four days, no problem. Listen to what you can while its live, and listen to the talks for up to 48 hours free after. 

If you want to have the talks to listen to at your leisure forever, you can buy the Spring Package. 

CHECK OUT THE AWESOME SCHEDULE!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18TH

Chris Wayne: Stealing Market Savvy - Standing Out at the Farmers Market

Rachel Armstrong & Laura Fisher: Farm Risk Management

Crystal Stewart: Holistic Management Decision Making

Tradd Cotter: Mushroom Cultivation & Production

THURSDAY, MARCH 19TH

Richard Wiswall: Farming Smarter, Not Harder

Mark Smallwood: Can Small Farm Organic Production Feed the World?

Nannett Cepero: Five Uncommon Crops in Cold Urban Areas

Tammy Hinman: Goal Setting for New Farmers

FRIDAY, MARCH 20TH

Lindsey Shute: How You Can Help National Young
Farmers’ Coalition Help You

Zach Wolf: Your Relationship to Soil Fertility Management

Kevin Egolf: Farmland Access Strategies for Aspiring Farmers

Curtis Stone: Small Plot Farming & on Borrowed Land

SATURDAY, MARCH 21ST 

HOST Stacey Murphy: Understanding Your Finances - Tips & Strategies

Dennis Derryck: Growing the Local Movement with Food Hubs

Connor Stedman: Five Research & Development Opportunities for Regenerative Agriculture

Dru Rivers: Production Flower Farming

Joel Salatin: Farm Strategies from Polyface Farms

YOUTH FARM HIRING!

The Youth Farm is Hiring! 

The Youth Farm: Assistant Farm Manager Position

The Youth Farm seeks an Assistant Farm Manager to begin in early April 2015. Ideally this candidate is interested in committing to 2 years or has a desire to invest in Brooklyn’s food justice and food systems sustainability long-term.  

Job Description:

The Youth Farm Assistant Farm Manager (AFM) is responsible for co-leading the UFTP program, and serving as a leader and mentor farmer for all learners who visit and engage with the farm. The AFM will work with the Farm Manager to plan and implement farm management practices that are sustainable, replicable on a small/low-cost scale, and that encourage healthy soil and community life. The Farm Manager is responsible for managing the CSA program, tracking payments and membership communication. The AFM will co-lead the Urban Farm Training Program, a 7 month intensive urban farming certificate program, teaching 20% of UFTP workshops (Mondays) and leading 30% of farm walks (Wednesdays). The AFM will create and lead Wednesday farmer’s market harvests as well as Friday restaurant harvests.  The AFM will support the Head Crew Leader on Tuesdays with restaurant harvests, and will oversee our Internship program. 

Seasonal work flow: The Assistant Farm Manager sends all seed and tool donation requests in Dec/Jan; orders farm supplies Jan-March; participates in annual budget and organizational planning in Jan-March; UFTP Apprentice selection and CSA program prep in February; Supply inventory and Seed Sowing in March; Internship coordination March-December; UFTP Program Facilitation April – November; Fundraising and Event support throughout the year; Final farm closing tasks in December.

Responsibilities:

●      Work with fellow staff to help prepare annual Youth Farm budget

●      Ongoing organizational planning and visioning

●      Prepare and mail seed and tool donation requests; order farm tools and supplies

●      Maintain general field work task list and delegate tasks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays

●      Perform outreach, manage registrations, organize deliveries for CSA program; handle communications with CSA members and pick-up site locations

●      Interview UFTP applicants and help to select apprentices in February

●      April-November: Co-lead UFTP Program Wednesdays and Fridays; Teach 20% of UFTP Monday workshops and lead 30% of Wednesday farm walks

●      Upload all lesson plans, curriculum, and program planning tools to farm’s Google drive

●      Assist Head Crew Leader with Tuesday restaurant harvests and intern supervision

●      Lead Friday CSA walk with UFTP CSA rotation

●      Assist FM leading ‘winterns’ Jan - March and assist with weekly watering of hoop house

●      Manage Internship Program; Communicate with and schedule interns

●      Contribute to weekly CSA newsletter by writing ⅓ of “From the Farmer” blurbs

●      Model optimal pace for farm work: combination of good technique and speed

●      Lead 3 Saturday Volunteer Days between April-November

●      Assist with weekend irrigation of the farm in early spring into early summer

●      Update and maintain consistent, legible and detailed record keeping forms

●      Help plan, support and attend project fundraisers

●      Help create and maintain good communication with Farm Manager, Crew Leaders and Farm to School Liaison

●       Attend weekly staff meetings (longer in winter, shorter in growing season)

●      Assist farm with social media by posting on Wednesdays (Twitter/Facebook/Instagram)

Qualifications:

●      Strong motivation to continue in the path of urban agriculture and farm management/education

●      Wide ranging/holistic skill set in sustainable agriculture, including but not limited to: propagation and greenhouse management, irrigation systems management, sustainable soil fertility and pest/pathogen management, harvest and post harvest handling

●      Familiarity with direct marketing of fresh vegetables and flowers, through diverse streams including CSA, Farmers Market and Restaurants

●      At least 2 years prior experience in farm management; crop planning experience on a small to medium scale strongly preferred

●      At least 2 years experience in teaching adults: workshop planning and facilitation, curriculum writing, and assessment creation

●      Passion for teaching learners of all ages

●      Strong desire to expand food and social justice (direct work experience a plus)

●      Responsible, reliable, prompt, detail oriented – and a sense of humor!

Additional/Preferred Skills:

●      Working knowledge of Google Drive and Excel

●      Knowledge or experience with Popular Education theories of learning

●      Training of Trainers certification

●      Experience managing a CSA membership a plus

●      Familiarity with hand tools and light power equipment

Hours/Compensation:

25 hrs. /week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and email/computer work from home; this position is paid, and includes a CSA Share.

How to Apply:

We are committed to creating a workplace that respects and values diversity – we strongly welcome candidates from all backgrounds as we are committed to hiring staff that reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of NYC.

Please send your resume, a cover letter explaining your qualifications, and two references to: jobs@bkfarmyards.com

Meet Your Maker

Dinner & Drinks by 3 of Brooklyn’s Most Notable Chefs

Support farm based education in Brooklyn and Eat Amazing Local Food!

The Youth Farm hosts an intimate evening this Thursday with three incredible chefs using seasonal ingredients from the Farm, paired with local beer and wine sourced by 61 Local. 

Thursday, November 6^th 

61 Local Public House, Cobble Hill BK

Tickets: $55, includes 3 seasonal tastes, a cheese tasting, and 2 glasses of wine/beer

Space is limited - tickets can be purchased HERE.

All proceeds to benefit The Youth Farms educational programming, enabling hundreds of students to learn about everything from food justice to environmental science on the farm!

The Menu:

Zahra Tangorra of Brucie: Maple roasted parsnips with purple carrots, bacon hazelnut "dirt" and black sesame yogurt

Rob Newton of Nightingale 9, Wilma Jean: Rancho Gordo Quinoa cooked in whey, 

youth farm herbs, pickled endive, roasted woodear mushrooms, white mustache yogurt 

Andres Valbuena of Martha Brooklyn: Roasted Pork Tenderloin & Acorn Squash / Salty Coconut Milk, Dry Shrimp, Fries Shallots, Thai Basil

Hope to see you all there!

Undoing Racism & Oppression Workshops

Fundraiser for Undoing Racism Trainings!

We want to offer an intensive Undoing Racism and Oppression workshop to our dedicated group of youth farmers and community activists, apprentices and staff.  

Understanding racism is hard work, and understanding how to work towards personal and institutional change is even harder. Please help us work on these important topics so that we can improve our lives and our community fully through our work as food justice advocates and community change agents. 

DONATE TODAY!

The workshops will focus on understanding what racism is, where it comes from, how it functions, why it persists and how it can be undone. Our workshops will utilize a systemic approach that emphasizes learning from history, developing leadership and maintaining accountability to communities, creating networks, undoing internalized racial oppression and understanding the role of organizational gate keeping as a mechanism for perpetuating racism.

We are so excited to be partnering with 2 amazing experienced NYC based facilitators,

Monica Dennis is a Community Organizer and Anti Oppression Trainer. She is also the Co-Founder of The Spirit of A Woman Leadership Development Institute a community-based organization committed to creating transformative and inspiring educational experiences. S.O.W. believes that focused attention on how we frame educational and societal experiences greatly impacts the cultural, academic, social and personal development of young people and educators, in particular, and the community as a whole. 

For the past 20 years, she served as a consultant and an advisor to various global organizations, and academic and religious institutions, seeking her expertise on implementing her youth leadership model into their programming.

-       Find out more about  Monica HERE

Rachael Ibrahim has spent over nine years as a community organizer and the past five years with a greater focus on youth populations.  Rachael’s work is grounded in leadership development, civic responsibility and social action.  Using her passion for the fine arts and the African Diaspora, Rachael has worked with student groups to create social change locally and globally using an anti-oppression framework.  

Rachael has conducted numerous trainings with adults and young people on topics ranging from team building, community development, conflict resolution, anti-oppression, addressing the isms, and community service learning theories and application. 

-       Find out more about Rachael HERE

We know that to achieve food justice we must address issues of racism and oppression. Please help us by donating today. 

The Youth Farm is an educational production farm in central Brooklyn that offers New Yorkers opportunities to increase their knowledge of the food system and build high level organic growing skills to share with their communities. The Youth Farm grows organic food and flowers on one acre for the community and beyond, and offers advanced farm training and leadership opportunities for youth and adults.

Urban Agriculture in New York City!

The Youth Farm at the High School for Public Service offers so many ways to learn about sustainable agriculture and food justice at one place. 

check it out!

From one time lessons on starting school gardens, to workshops on the science behind compost for elementary school groups, to a technical training program on sustainable horticulture, the Youth Farm functions as a hub for education on Urban Agriculture in New York City. 

Field Trips and Tours for Youth & Adults

Interested in hands-on, environmental education? Trying to find a way to get your group to talk about agricultural and food justice issues? Just want to get your group active in an outdoor setting? Want to bring a group for some awesome farm-based education?

The Youth Farm hosts groups of all types and ages, and can design a tour or workshop on the farm that suits your group’s interests.

Volunteer Days & Free Saturday Workshops
Our FREE community workshops cover everything from common garden techniques to healthy cooking to food justice. Every workshop takes place on a volunteer day - come work on the farm in the morning, then stick around for the free workshop! 

Urban Farm Training Program
Our Urban Farm Training Program is an intensive, 20-hr. per week training program designed to train working/urban participants in the ins and outs of urban agriculture. The program provides participants with the skill and practice to run their own urban farm or garden, or integrate farm-based learning into a variety of programs.

School Garden & Garden-Based Education Training
We work with schools, teachers and organizations to help them start or maintain school gardens and lead garden-based education workshops. We offer workshops on basic gardening in NYC from seeds starting to planting garlic, as well as tailored workshops for groups wanting professional development. To schedule a workshop or trainining please email: Patricia (at) bkfarmyards (dot) com. 

MONDAY MATCH DAY! MONDAY 11/18

If you haven’t yet given to our IOBY campaign, there is still time! 

TODAY every $25 donated to our online fundraising campaign will be matched!

Show your commitment to organic sustainable food and to food justice based education programs. Help Wingate campus students of today become the urban farmers of tomorrow. 

We want to provide farm-based education opportunities to the 5 schools at Wingate Campus, over 1200 students!

That is where you come in!
We have provided a welcoming space for hands-on and interdisciplinary education to The High School for Public Service since 2009. Stepping outside of the traditional classroom environment and onto the farm engages students minds and bodies in completely new and stimulating ways than is possible in an indoor setting. The farm landscape fosters curiosity and allows flexibility for a wide array of students who excel at learning in non-traditional ways. 

Amounts small and large are welcome. It all adds up! 

DONATE TODAY NOVEMBER 18th.

Here is an example of some the ways the Youth Farm is used as an outdoor classroom: 

·         Science lessons come to life through plant and ecological observation  Nutrition lessons start at soil nutrient quality: students pick, prepare and eat delicious food. They can taste test for themselves and discuss what nutrition means to them.

·         Art classes beautify the neighborhood with outdoor signs and mural paintings. Sketching classes can inspire the next great artists of the 21st century.

·         Gym classes work all muscles (including the brain!) while cultivating soil and turning compost

For every donation of $25 or above, another $25 will be added by theJohson Ohana Charitable Foundation. 

Please give and let your friends and families know by sharing this on your favorite social networks via email, Facebook, Twitter or by any other means you can.

Remember when we first started.....

All About The Youth Farm- FIRST YEAR!

 

We are still going strong at The Youth Farm! 

You can help TODAY by donating to our fundraising campaign to expand farm-based education to all 5 schools at Wingate Campus.

BK Farmyards Annual Fall Benefit

Good Enough to Eat! 

BK Farmyards celebrates The Youth Farm at the High School for Public Service. 

Light dinner, music and drinks
November 7th 2013
7:30-10pm
Delicious drinks and food from the best local and sustainable restaurants, breweries and vineyards, raffles of substantial delights, live acoustic music, glorious hobnobbing and real farmers in clean clothes! 

The chandeliers will be flickering kindly, the last of the fall flowers adorning, the warmth of history held by the old Mansion's walls as the air grows crisp...  It will be a Brooklyn night to remember. 

at the beautiful 375 Stuyvesant Mansion home of the Freebrook Academy  in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn

Food & Desserts from:
Blue Marble, Seersucker, SCRATCH bread, Bread Love, Nightengale 9, Communal Table...

Drinks from:
Jimmys No. 43. 61 Local, Kombucha Brooklyn, Industry City....

All funds will support the Youth Farm at the High School for Public Service. 

BUY TICKETS HERE

Thanks to the many restaurants and businesses partnering to make this event amazing, more to come!

URBAN FARM TRAINING PROGRAM 2014

Join us for an Info Session w/ Farm Manager Molly Culver Wednesday Dec 4th at 61 Local 6:30-8:30 pm 

Or email molly(at) bkfarmyards(dot) com for more information.

                                 

Whether you are a teacher looking to increase your gardening skills or an urbanite looking to enter the field of agriculture and food justice, this training will bring your skills to the next level and connect you to further opportunities.

Find out more about the program HERE

Applications will be due February 1st, 2014! Applications coming soon.


ABOUT THE PROGRAM:  

Our program offers adults the chance to experience what it takes to farm and explore a career in organic agriculture through hands-on training on a 1 acre diversified farm. As an apprentice at the Youth Farm you will gain many valuable growing skills necessary for cultivating a wide variety of vegetables and flowers appropriate to our region. Through this intensive 20-hr per week commitment, you will gain the invaluable experience of nurturing crops and soil day to day and gain a sense for the physical and mental energy required to run a small farming operation that produces high quality vegetables, beautiful flowers, and a rich and harmonious community space. As in a rural farm apprenticeship, we view time spent doing hands-on farm work as the most important component of becoming skilled in organic agriculture. In order to farm, you have to farm! 

Support The YOUTH FARM! DONATE TODAY!

We are raising money to expand our educational programs at all 5 schools at Wingate Campus. 

The Youth Farm serves as an outdoor classroom for students at the High School for Public Service. We want to provide this opportunity to all 5 schools at Wingate Campus.  

DONATE TODAY!

The Farm provides a welcoming space for hands on and interdisciplinary education. Classes on the farm engage students who struggle with the methods and structure of classroom education, and specifically serves to help those students who most need extra support to be engaged and interested in school. On the Youth Farm students engage their brains and bodies in completely different ways then indoor lessons.

With such a diverse range of topics and styles of engagement possible, the sky is the limit. Here are some examples of classes:

• Gym classes that engage the mind as well as the body through soil preparation, compost turning and incorporation
• Science lessons that are hands on and bring science to life through plant and ecological observation
• Nutrition lessons involving picking, preparing and eating where students can taste, see and discuss the value of nutritious food choices 
• Art classes that beautify the neighborhood through outdoor sign and mural painting

The Youth Farm’s School Liaison will meet with teachers from all Wingate schools and help them to alter their current curriculum to incorporate hands on, farm-based learning to meet academic goals.

As a result of your support,  hundreds of new students from 6th to 12th grade will have classes on the farm. Our goal is for these lessons to make the learning process joyful and eye-opening for students, showing them meaningful learning can happen outside the classroom through direct experience.

We believe hands on learning helps students to have fun while learning and retaining information.  

Hiring: Part Time Youth Farm Director

The Youth Farm is a unique partnership between the High School for Public Service and Green Guerillas. It is a one acre diversified production farm engaging the school community and surrounding neighborhood in farm-based experiential learning. Farm products are sold at a weekly farmers market increasing community access to fresh affordable food.

We are seeking applicants with experience in non-profit development, fundraising, leadership and familiarity with urban agriculture and the NYC and/or national food justice movement. 

The Youth Farm operates as a collective, with all staff working together to make important decisions. The Director is responsible for meeting with Youth Farm staff and community to set goals and program plans for the Youth Farm, and most importantly, fundraising for these programs. This person is responsible for staff and farm sale invoicing, tracking accomplishments, staff reviews and organizing strategic planning sessions.

The applicant should be an enthusiastic self-starter with experience in collective work environments. The ideal candidate should be equally comfortable taking initiative and working collaboratively in a close-knit team environment. Experience with grant writing and grassroots fundraising is a must for this position, as is knowledge of the current funding environment. Gardening and horticulture knowledge and familiarity with the food justice movement a plus.  

We are committed to creating a workplace that respects and values diversity – we strongly welcome candidates from all backgrounds as we are committed to hiring staff that reflect the cultural and ethnic diversity of our community.

Roles and responsibilities include:

• Fundraise to support Youth Farm programs through grant writing, crowd sourcing, special events and other dynamic methods
• Build and sustain relationships with foundations, cultivate private donors, manage grassroots fundraising campaigns
• Maintain partnerships with the Wingate Schools that support the goal of enhancing youth engagement and learning on the Farm
• Facilitate staff meetings and strategic planning sessions
• Track staff hours and accomplishment for accountability and reporting purposes
• Responsible for bookkeeping and accounting, including staff invoicing, spending, and accounting for farm sales
• Work with Green Guerillas on fundraising, events and organizational development
• Work with and hire interns to help with special events, outreach and office work
• Work with Wingate administration to evaluate how the school’s objectives are being met

Qualifications:

• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Grassroots fundraising and non-profit development experience required
• Detail-oriented and highly organized
• Commitment to expanding food justice and knowledge about urban farming
• Experience in leadership, meeting facilitation and collective decision making processes
• Farm/gardening experience or horticultural training a plus
• Manage work hours and duties efficiently
• Excellent computer and communication skills, including Microsoft Office (Excel and Word); knowledge and experience using accounting software such as Quickbooks a plus

Please send a cover letter and resume to Bee Ayer at Bee(at)bkfarmyards (dot)com. The letter should include details of your availability, as well as details about your relevant experience and training.

Applicants must be available on weekdays during the day, and occasional evenings and weekends. This position is a paid part-time position and also includes fresh harvested vegetables, flower and herbs. Applications due September 26^th, position starts November 11^th.