Introductions

[rmha...@gmail.com]

Hello,

Please use this topic to say hello and share a bit about what you are up to. You might like to include:

Your name

Where you are doing (or did) your apprenticeship or traineeship 

What you are doing now

Or what you might like to do in the future.

[njmanhir]

Nick Johnson
Troed-y-Rhiw Organics, Llwyndafydd, West Wales, Apprenticeship (2012-13)
I am staying on at the farm for one more season (2014). Looking into setting up for myself and considering my options, have been in contact with the Ecological Land co-op about one of there plots at Greenham and also a possible renting of a plot next to Sheffield organic growers. Would be interested to hear if anyone else has started from scratch and how much of there infrastructure (including machinery, irrigation, harvest boxes etc...) is second hand/donated/borrowed from a neighbor/land owner.  

[wakefordmike]

Hi All,

I completed my apprenticeship at Abbey Home Farm in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, I finished in the Summer of 2011. Since then I have been learning to, and trying to, teach primary school children! After 2 years, I've just stepped down from the classroom role to focus on outdoor education. I'll be doing 3 days a week at school, mostly Forest School teaching. Half a day of this will be a farm school project - I want to get the kids growing, cooking, sharing and selling as much food as possible! I'm searching for funding so I can have 2 days a week on this so if anyone knows of any let me know! The longer term plan is to get this going with such momentum the local community will want to invest in it as a CSA! Kids going home each week with a box full of veg they helped grow is the dream... Every school in the country with a farm... Got to dream right?

Mike

[ellehcimclarke]

Hello!  

I'm working at 'Growing Well' which has a crop share scheme for approx 100 people and works with people who are recovering from mental health issues.  It's based near Kendal in Cumbria.  I started in March and will be there for at least a year.  For the 2nd year of my apprenticeship I will see if I they can keep me there or I will find a placement elsewhere.  I'm not sure what I would like to do in the future as yet but am enjoying my role at the moment.  

I've put some information about myself and my experience on this website - http://growingmichelle.wordpress.com/.  

I am keen to meet other Apprentices and Trainees.

Michelle

Michelle Clarke

ellehci...@yahoo.co.uk

[harryneve101]

Hello.

My name is Harry and I'm working at Barcombe Nurseries near Brighton in East Sussex. I've just started writing a growers blog which you can read on the Barcombe Nurseries website here: http://www.barcombenurseries.co.uk/blog.html

I hope you are all well!! 

Harry x 

[amysiancartwright]

Hello, I'm Amy and I'm working in the veg garden at Le Manoir in Great Milton, Oxfordshire, for 6 months. I'm not sure what I want to do in the future, but right now I love growing food for a restaurant. I too am keeping a blog of my traineeship: www.growingsharingfood.tumblr.com

I'm really looking forward to meeting you all! Amy

[Becky Chenery]

Hello the Future Growers! 

We are Neill, Carl, John, Ahmed, Anna and Becky, a group of trainees based The Community Farm, a CSA site beside Chew Magna Lake in North Somerset.  The Farm grows organic vegetables for a box scheme delivering to Bristol.  You can check out the website to find out more about what we do: http://www.thecommunityfarm.co.uk/

Each of us has come to farming for different reasons but broadly we all wanted work that was outdoors, purposeful and full of hands-on learning.  Each of us wonders where this opportunity in organic growing might lead next.  We are now six weeks into our Traineeship and due to the soggy state of the ground we have done lots of hand planting.  As the ground dries out we are spending more time out on the tractor-drawn planter and getting into the weeding regime.

Our previous land-based experience ranges from very little and some home gardening to community allotment tending, landscaping, woodland conservation.  Becky joins us from Scotland where she tended an organic garden at a residential youth project.

Looking forward to the seminar and meeting you all in just a couple of weeks.  Hope you are all getting some of this great sunshine!

On Wednesday, 12 March 2014 22:23:56 UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[northdevonactiveyouth]

Hello Future Growers!

Ive finally got in the group. My name is Henry and Im the apprentice at Daylesford Organic. I started April 2013 so just under a year left, how time flies! After my apprenticeship I would like to continue growing, maybe around Bristol, so i can get that country/town balance. In the long term, i aim to set up my own growing business back home in Devon....Could I be your future employer?  

[elysia.bartel]

Hi Future Growers,

I have been in the group a while but forgot to introduce myself. I am Elysia, I am in my first year as an apprentice at Sarah Green's Organics in Essex.
I became interested in agriculture at uni and then determined to become a farmer after completing an internship on a goat farm in Spain but this is my first vegetable related endeavor.
In the future I think I would like to learn more about the organic cosmetics industry, grow vegetables on a co-owned site or become an agricultural researcher (I'm keeping my options open).

Elysia

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 10:23:56 PM UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[lauritanorman]

Hi All,

Laura, doing a traineeship (extended to a year) at Gold Hill Organic Farm in Dorset. Before that 6 months growing for a tiny farm in Glos, wwoofing around the UK, admin for the police, genetic research in a white lab coat and a year and a bit in overseas NGO management. 

Keen to take on my own veg growing site, ideally as part of a larger community. I see bakers, woodsmen, arable farmers and a dairy herd living together in some kind of off-grid Eden. Finishing in April '15 but currently feeling like I'll need another season at least before I try and go it alone. Looking forward to seeing what opportunities pop up on this group next Feb. 

[emma_heseltine]

Emma Heseltine

I’ve been meaning to post on here for ages but farming keeps distracting me.

I finished my apprenticeship last year with Hadrian Organics in Carlisle, I was one of the rare and endangered agricultural apprentices.

At the farm we had beef cattle, sheep and some geese and chickens. In my second year my boss allowed me to start keeping pigs, which was a great challenge!

What I’m doing now;

My pig business has come on enormously and from the three weaners I bought to fatten two years ago. I now have a sow who has reared her first litter and am keeping one of her daughters as a breeder. We have 12 pigs on the farm currently and supply pork to private customers, Fair Food Carlisle (a buying group that connect producers with local people) The Crown and Thistle pub in Rockcliffe and have just started supplying the Eden Rural Foyer café in Penrith. I met my partner through the farm and now work with him on his family farm, contracting, making small bale hay for several local farms, combining and other tractor related activities

I think pigs might be my favourite animal, they are endlessly entertaining and scarily intelligent.

I have just saved enough pig money to buy my first heifer…

[gregoryharrison13]

Hello Everybody, how are you all?

I am very excited to have been added to this group and to be starting my apprenticeship at Cherry Gardens Farm in East Sussex in the new year.

Up until a year ago I was working on sailing yachts traveling all over the place, living the high life and having lots of great experiences. Then I reached a point when it was time to come home and start doing something with more purpose. Naturally this thought led me straight towards farming. So, my first job and introduction to farming was a small family run Dairy farm in Kent. This involved very long hours and lots of poo...and not very much horticulture which is my main interest. The most important thing I learnt whilst working there was just how unsustainable and bad for the environment modern farming has become, and just how blind my boss and his friends are to this fact. They would often laugh with each at organic methods, whilst lorry loads of synthetic fertilisers and other chemicals were being sprayed on the fields almost daily. To me, a new face to the industry their methods are obviously flawed, and with my boss being in his sixties his mind will not change and nor does he care enough to try. However, lesson learned on how not to farm for the future. 

So that lesson has brought me here, to the soil association and Cherry Gardens Farm. I have lots of big ideas for the future, a vision of how I would run a farm for the future. But first I need to learn some basics...how to grow! 

I have really enjoyed reading through your introductions, feels good to know there are more like minded people out there! Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you if not all of you in the not to distant future!

Regards,

Gregory Harrison

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 10:23:56 PM UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[Rachel Harries]

Hello all - especially our new Future Growers!

This google group is set up for your to communicate with other Future Growers, past and present, but the first thing to do (especially new trainees and apprentices) is to introduce yourselves.

The easiest way to do this is to just reply to this email, telling us a little bit about yourself and where you are.

Do include your farm name (and website if you want to!) and where it is, maybe what you're were doing before and anything else you'd like to share!

We'll be arranging get-togethers later in the year where we can bring more past Future Growers along with the current ones, so hopefully you'll then get a chance to put a face to a name.

Until then, I hope to see you soon,

Rachel x

[fwiseman29]

Hello, Frances here! I'm a new trainee at the Daylesford organic market garden in the Cotswolds. 20 acres - 6 polytunnels, soft fruit, top fruit, and usual vegetable varieties being grown and sold to restaurants and shops on the farm/surrounding area and London.

Have been learning plenty so far and really enjoying my placement. Looking forward to meeting everyone in June! :) 

[Rachel Harries]

Welcome Frances!

Looking forward to meeting you too and our seminar at Daylesford.

Who else is new on farm and would like to say hello?

Rachel

[Kate]

Howdy all new Future Growers! Hopefully this email works...
I'm Kate, ex-apprentice from 2008-2010, and now a market gardener at my own business Grown Green @ Hartley Farm, near Bath. This year I'm also helping out with the Future Growers scheme, and I'll be meeting up with you at Abbey Home Farm this weekend - looks like we're in for a warm one! Should be a great few days, look forward to meeting you there :)
Kate x

---

Date: Fri, 29 May 2015 01:46:48 -0700
From: rhar...@soilassociation.org
To: future-...@googlegroups.com; fwise...@gmail.com
CC: rhar...@soilassociation.org; rmha...@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Introductions

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[philipholtam]

Hi there!

I'm Phil and have been working at Kensons in Wiltshire for the past 6 weeks and plan to do at least 6 months. It's a mixed vegetable farm of around 23 acres, with about 3 acres of asparagus which has been keeping us busy of late. The farm supplies 3 markets a week (two in Salisbury and one in Shaftsbury) and occasional provide wholesale to the community farm in north somerset. 

I'm enjoying life on the land so far and pleased to be gaining more knowledge and experience.

Looking forward to seeing you all on the upcoming farm visits.

Cheers

Phil

[chloe.blackmore]

Hi, 

I'm Chloe, a new trainee based at Shillingford Organics (https://www.shillingfordorganics.co.uk/) just outside of Exeter in Devon. The farm is 350 acres including 40 acres and eleven polytunnels of fruit and vegetable production for a box scheme, local wholesale and farmers markets. We're harvesting kale, peas, beans, carrots, salad, turnips and kohl rabi at the moment and currently planting lots and lots of leeks (among other things!)! I grew up on an organic farm but have most recently been working in research and policy so it it great to be back outdoors and growing vegetables. 

Looking forward to meeting everyone at the seminars! 

Chloe :)

 

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 10:23:56 PM UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[contact]

Hi Everyone,

I'm Amelia Lake and I'm one of the trainees at Daylesford, Oxfordshire. Prior to the traineeship I've done lots of different things related to finding a way to live sustainably on this planet. Now I'm finally committing to my lifelong dream to produce good food for regular people whilst nurturing the earth.

Currently at Daylesford we are planting lots of plug plants, drilling salad brassicas and carrots, sideshooting 43 different varieties of tomatoes (and plenty of weeding of course) and harvesting cucumbers, salad, spring onions, radish, peas, micro, rocket, kale and herbs.

I have done some work on designing agroforestry systems and am excited about how we move towards increasing proportions of perennials in our offering as growers so any thoughts I look forward to hearing them!

See you all soon,

Amelia

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 10:23:56 PM UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[lottieotoole]

Hi everyone,

I'm a trainee at Le Manoir in Great Milton, Oxfordshire for six months. It's quite different to what I've done before, as although I have some experience of small scale growing/horticulture, this involves growing veg/herbs/salads to the specifications of a restaurant. I am really enjoying it so far and it is great having contact with the chefs on a daily basis. We have recently been working hard preparing the garden for crops, sowing, planting out, weeding, watering, harvesting every morning for the kitchen and generally making sure the gardens look good for the guests as well as being productive. In the future I would like to continue to gain more experience in growing and horticulture.

Looking forward to meeting you all on Saturday.

Charlotte or Lottie (don't mind which) 

[Rachel Harries]

Looking forward to meeting you all on Saturday.

Looks like we might have sunshine Sat and Sunday but rain again on Monday and Tues. So bring your waterproofs!

Rachel

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[adamreid.green]

Hi All

I'm Adam and I currently work as a warden at a conservation farm called Earth Trust in Oxfordshire. Although my job doesn't involve horticulture, I don't want to quit just yet! So I'm wwoofing at Westmill Organics during my holidays and perhaps some weekends this year. Looking forward to boost my growing skills this year and meeting everyone soon.

Adam Reid

[ragged.staff23]

Hi,

I'm Garethe Hughes. I'm a trainee grower working at North Aston Organics, in North Oxfordshire. Really excited to meet everyone soon.

Cheers,

Garethe

On Wednesday, 12 March 2014 22:23:56 UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[m.ogihara0316]

Hello everyone, 

My name is Momoko, I am going to be staying with Magdelan farm from mid-May working on the farm maintenance and educational sessions. 

I will be working from October to set up a farm business in Cambodia so would like to gain as much as knowledge of economically viable organic farming from UK and bring the knowledge there. I have little experience in farming but I am really excited to learn as much as I can! 

Looking forward to meet you all :) 

Momo

On Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at 10:23:56 PM UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

[lenasckr]

Hi everyone,

my name is Lena and since last July I am the assistant grower at Canalside Community Food which is a CSA in Warwickshire. I grew up on an organic smallholding which we run self-sustainable, and we had a bit of a small cottage industry running with our neighbours. After doing something completely different for a while, I am now back into organic growing and looking to learn a lot more about processes involved in commercial organic growing. 

Looking forward to learning loads and meeting everyone :)

Cheers, Lena 

[j.d.landon90]

On Wednesday, 12 March 2014 22:23:56 UTC, Rachel Harries wrote:

Hello,

Please use this topic to say hello and share a bit about what you are up to. You might like to include:

Hi everyone, my name is Jonny Landon,

I am an apprentice grower at Heeley city farm, mainly working at wortley hall walled gardens producing commercial produce and running volunteer sessions for a variety of community groups. I've been involved in horticultural therapy for around 5 years and have worked as a support worker for the same time. I am now looking at improving my knowledge about organic farming, soil science and increasing my experience growing a variety of local crops to improve my ability to deliver great sessions to volunteers and also improve my ability to run horticultural therapy sessions. There's still so much for me to learn and I'm really looking forward to sharing insights and learning more.. I imagine the future will involve either community or therapy based horticulture for vulnerable adults in the community or potentially something on a more commercial basis.

Really looking forward to meeting everyone :)

See you soon,

Jonny

[dan_ol_key]

Hey everybody,

My name is Daniel Key, I'm starting a new job as a Seasonal Field Worker at the Community Farm near Bristol next week. I've done loads of different jobs in London in the community/charity sector over the past 6 years, but have now moved away from London and am looking to pursue my interests in a career in organic agriculture and general land-based livelihoods. 

Looking forward to meeting you all!

Daniel

[willawarin]

Hello everyone. My name is Will Warin and I also work at The Community Farm, near Bristol. The farm is a CSA project where grow on about 10 acres, have a veg box scheme and a strong volunteer programme which brings  a wide variety of people onto the land. I used to be a GP until last year. I am really enjoying the change in direction although I dont yet know where this path is leading. Looking forward to meeting everyone very soon (starting with Dan on Tuesday morning!)

[Hannah Norman]

Hey guys

I'm Hannah and I've been working as the Assistant Grower Trainee at Five Acre Farm in Coventry for the past two weeks and will be here until mid October. I worked in the music industry for many years but gave that up to get more involved in the organic farming world. Aside from quite a bit of volunteering, and working as the venue coordinator for a city farm in Bristol, last year I was awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship and spent three months in the US researching urban farming and the benefits of localising food systems in urban areas. My practical knowledge of farming is slim so between my traineeship and Future Growers I'm hoping to absorb as much information as possible! My aim is to start an urban farm in the near future.

Looking forward to meeting you all soon :)