Note from the Founder: YEAH! on the Farm

Work Experience Program students

We’ve had a busy start to our spring these last few weeks, from preparing for and welcoming our 6th class of Freshman & Sophomore Farmies at the Apprenticeship Orientation & Kick-off Potluck, held at the Kerr Foundation headquarters on March 30th, to grafting dozens of pear trees and starting thousands of seedlings to plant on the farm this season, to kicking off our brand new YEAH! program and partnership with the Ferguson Florissant School District!

The YEAH! (Youth Exploring Agriculture & Health!) Program is an exciting new endeavor made possible by the Dana Brown and MYSUN Foundations. You may recall me mentioning excitement about “my new job” in the Cultivator a few months ago; as of March 31st, my weekdays now begin with welcoming six students and two teachers from the Ferguson Florissant School District onto the farm for two and a half hours each morning as part of the McCluer Work Experience Program. Monica & Matt also teach and add to the program with their daily farm to-do’s. The variety of tasks that happen at the farm has been a welcome change for “Mr. H” and Miss Maher, as their students are challenged to learn new skills on a daily basis. So far, this has entailed: spreading woodchips, planting potatoes, weeding lettuce beds, grading sweet potatoes and butternuts, cleaning coolers, removing Bermuda grass, and more! The five young men -Grant, Nick, Anthony, Allen, and Kevin- and the young woman Ashley are 17 to 20 years old. When asked what they are most excited about doing at the farm this spring, they all echoed each other with eagerness to “learn farming.” Check out some photos of the students in action here. I am filled with joy and gratitude to get to work with these incredible individuals every day – our Junior Farm Crew!

For local FARMS,
Molly Rockamann
Founding Director