MSU Student Organic Farm
Like us! 
Follow us!
Contact us!
  • Health and Safety
  • Farmer Training
    • Organic Farmer Training Program
    • >>OFTP - A Day in the Life
    • >>Program Goals and Outcomes
    • >>FAQs
    • >>Graduate Testimonials
    • Farmer Field School
    • >>Past Workshops
    • Farm Business Plan Accelerator
  • Eat Our Produce
    • CSA >
      • CSA Member FAQs
      • CSA Terms and Conditions
    • Online Store
    • Campus Dining
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • Wholesale
    • Farm Tours
    • Farm Crew
  • About Us
    • Annual Reports
    • History
    • Staff
    • Crew
    • OFTP 2021 Cohort
    • OFTP Graduates
  • Contact

OFTP - A Day in the Life

Picture
Tranplanting onions - using biometrics (hand measurements) to space plants
Picture
Farm Stand Setup Demonstration
Direct Marketing - May 13, 2019
9 - 9:45: Full group discussion - Brainstorming Market Channels (CSA, Farmers' Markets, etc)
9:45 - 9:50: Workbook: Market Channel Selection
9:50 - 10:15: Back of the Envelope Business Plan
10:30 - Noon: Hands-on Farm Activities (30 minutes then rotate)
  • Transplanting Onions using the Water Wheel Transplanter
  • Pruning & Trellising Tomatoes
  • Planting Ginger
Noon - 1pm: Lunch
1 - 1:30: Farmstand setup Demonstration
1:30 - 2: CSA setup Demonstration
2 - 2:45: Farmwalk
3 - 3:15 Announcements (vote on farms to visit for TC trip)
3:15 - 3:45: Make an Elevator Pitch
3:45 - 4:45: Guest Speaker Colleen Matts discussing Farm to Institution and Farm to School sales
4:45 - 5pm Daily Class Evaluations

Assignment: Write a CSA newsletter, online form or other marketing material
Video Lectures: Watch 2 video lectures, one about CSA and another about Farmers' Markets
Readings: Continue reading The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman

Field & Classroom Activities

Picture

Hands-on Activities

Often, we split the OFTP group into 3 groups of 5 or 6 for hands-on activities, so each participant gets an opportunity to try out a new tool or skill. Some hands-on activities or farm demonstrations work well as a full group.

Picture
Trip to Ten Hens Farm in Bath, MI

Study-A-Farm Trips

Although most class days are spent at the MSU Student Organic Farm, expect field trips to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Southwest Michigan where we visit four farms in each region. We also spend a weekend in Traverse City to visit many farms there. OFTP participants often list these field trips as a highlight of the program, giving them insight into 20 different ways to approach infrastructure, growing methods and other farm techniques.

Video Lectures

Lectures by the OFTP instructor are available online to save class time for hands-on activities, farm walks,  group discussions and guest speakers.

Picture
Market Channel Discussion

Classroom Activities

Group discussions, vision sharing presentations and Farm Business Plan Presentations allow the cohort to learn from each other. We also split into small groups to brainstorm ideas for a participant's farm, for hands-on activities, etc. The OFTP workbook allows a space to think through your farm plan and class topics.
Picture

Farm Walks

Seeing the progress of crops on our 7 acres of outdoor production and in the 9 hoophouses can lead to lots of discussions. Here, Denae is discussing covering the rollup sides, vents and doors of our cucumber hoophouse with Proteknet to keep out pests and grow a seedless cucumber variety that doesn't need pollination.

Picture
Preparing SOF beehives for winter with guest speaker Meghan Milbrath

Guest Speakers

We are lucky to have over a dozen guest speakers, including
  • Farmers discussing crop planning, loan options, finances, livestock, running a seed business and the nitty gritty of their farms
  • OFTP graduates sharing their Farm Business Plans and discussing their farms
  • MSU professors and staff leading hands-on activities like pruning & beekeeping
  • Extension educators discussing food safety or leading a crop disease farm walk
© 2020 Michigan State University Board of Trustees. East Lansing, MI 48824 MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.