Education
October 18, 19, 20
TREE NURSERY INTENSIVE
CLASS FULL - email stevegabrielfarmer@gmail.com for waitlist.
This three day workshop, geared towards farmers and land stewards looking to increase their tree nursery capacity, will utilize the living landscapes of Wellspring Forest Farm, Edible Acres, and Twisted Tree Farm to explore a wide range of examples, approaches, and goals for nursery production. Tour these well established sites and learn first hand while enjoying good company, meals, and conversation. Build paradigms for growing trees and the skills to improve your practice of tree growing.
Examples of systems we will explore:
Tree Guilds with annuals and perennials at Edible Acres
Chestnut and Hazelnut production on heavy clay soils at Twisted Tree
Willow fodder block establishment with 3D Deer Fence at Wellspring
Soil building practices at each site as the foundation for success
Collecting seed, cuttings, and other propagation techniques
Approaches to sales, sharing, and distribution of plant material to the community
Note: this class is partially or wholly subsidized by funding through NE-SARE, please indicate on registration if you are actively farming or stewarding land in the region.
9am - 4pm each day
Tiered Cost: $185 / $225 / $265 (based on household income) for non-active farmers
Scholarship available to Northeast farmers makes the cost $50 for the whole class.
Travel support may also be available. SARE NE defines a farmer as selling or intending to sell $1000+ of goods annually - (please see registration for more info)
Includes lunch Saturday & Sunday.
Learn About Our Tiered Pricing/Policies
November 9 & 10
Coppice Agroforestry with Mark Krawczyk
Public talk
Friday November 8, 2023 from 6pm - 8pm @ Schulyer County Cooperative Extension
Sliding scale of $15 - $30 for general public, included in weekend tuition below
Hands on Skills Workshop @ Wellspring Forest Farm in Mecklenburg, NY
Saturday, November 9 from 9 - 4pm
Sunday, November 10 from 9 - 1pm
Tiered Pricing $160 / $180 / $200 includes free admission to friday talk (based on household income)
Join Mark Krawczyk - applied ecologist, grower and author of Coppice Agroforestry - Tending Trees for Product, Profit and Woodland Ecology, for a deep dive into the art and science of coppice agroforestry. Leveraging the working landscape of Wellspring Forest Farm as our living classroom, in this workshop geared to students of all experience levels, we’ll examine the many facets of resprout silviculture practices like coppicing, pollarding, hedgelaying and more, both in the field and in the classroom.
This weekend event kicks off with an introductory slideshow and book signing, examining the fundamentals of these practices, along with their varied histories from around the world. We’ll also explore why coppicing has been so crucial to peoples across the globe for centuries and discuss its potential to further diversity farms, homesteads and other working landscapes here in our bioregion.
On Saturday and Sunday, we’ll spend time in the field, looking at old and creating new coppice stools and pollards, discussing best practices, tools, techniques, and timing and then practice some of the most promising opportunities to transform small diameter rods and poles into value added products for the home economy, farm enterprises, and cottage industry.
Learn About Our Tiered Pricing/Policies
Online Mushroom Class
Growing Mushrooms for Fun and Profit
Online webinar series with Steve Gabriel, Wellspring Forest Farm
LIVE SESSIONS on Mondays: Nov 11, 18, 25 / Dec 2, 9, 16 from 1 - 3pm EST
Join us for an exploration of the fascinating world of mushrooms that is rapidly growing in the United States. Whether you just want to grow for yourself and community, or develop a commercial enterprise, this class provides an overview of the current and ever-changing landscape of mushroom growing.
Consider this a curated workshop of all the essential information to help you start or expand your plan for mushroom growing. Each session centers on content with ample time for questions and discussion. All sessions will be recorded and posted online for viewing, along with additional links and resources in between classes, so you can participate even if you can’t join all the live sessions.
Facilitated by Steve Gabriel of Wellspring Forest Farm, who has been growing mushrooms for 19 years, and developed CornellMushrooms.org while working in mushroom research and education at Cornell University for 12 years.
PART ONE: CULTIVATION BASICS
Week 1 – Introduction to the “shroom boom” in the USA
Learn the basic biology and ecology of mushrooms as a living organism, along with an overview of the current state of the mushroom industry in the US, including the prospects for small farm enterprises, food and medicinal products, and therapeutic uses of psychoactive mushrooms.
Week 2 – Growing Mushrooms Outdoors
Discover the opportunities for growing mushrooms in the woods, field, and garden. We will explore outdoor growing through the lens of ecology and consider the ways we can cultivate on logs, stumps, beds, and in soil.
Week 3 – Indoor Cultivation of Mushrooms
Growing indoors means creating the conditions for mushrooms to thrive - while keeping pests and disease out! It's feasible to grow at a range of scales, from a repurposed fridge to a dedicated mushroom house. Learn about balancing temperature, moisture, air, and light to grow amazing mushrooms, no matter your climate.
PART TWO: SALES AND PROFITS
Week 4 – Finding and Growing your Market
If you want to sell mushrooms, developing sales channels based on interpersonal relationships is key. Luckily, mushrooms have captured the attention of consumers and chefs and have high demand that is often unmet by local growers. Learn about the best markets to pursue and the importance of packaging, labels, and pricing.
Week 5 – Value Added Mushroom Products
A key to capturing value from mushrooms is to have a plan for those you can’t sell fresh! Learn about various products including dried, powders and seasonings, medicinal extracts, and the potential margins, markets, as well as regulatory requirements for selling them.
Week 6 – Budgeting and Key “Pinch Points”
This session will discuss enterprise budgets and share templates for you to develop a projection for your grow operation. We will also discuss record keeping and the critical points of your operation to focus on improving so you can increase the profit potential of a mushroom farm.
PRICING
We’ve divided the course into two sections, since some folks might want to just learn about growing, versus those who also want to consider commercial mushroom farming:
PART 1: CULTIVATION BASICS: Tiered pricing $95/$130/$160 for three classes
PART 2: SALES AND PROFITS: Tiered pricing $95/$130/$160 for three classes
Attend both sessions and SAVE!:
Tiered pricing of $180/$240/$300 for all six classes