If I take this course, ‘What's in it for me’?
The benefits of participating in this course include, but are not limited to:
- Exploring a ‘next economy’ agricultural business design more aligned with creating benefit for all life and care for the earth.
- Learning about tools, tips, and strategies you can apply to your own ag business.
- Increase confidence in your understanding of Regenerative Agriculture.
- Feel more confident about a career that aligns with your deeper purpose.
- Join a supportive peer group to help you achieve your goals and objectives.
- Save time through insights from experts who have worked in this field--without having to research the information all on your own.
What is a brief description of the ReGen AgExplorer Pro-gram?
Is Starting an Agricultural Business Right for You? The ReGen AgExplorer is a seven-week exploratory learning experience that will help you answer that question. The Goal of the program is to help those considering small-scale commercial farming (farming as a business with intent to make profit, rather than hobby or pastime), learning what it takes to start and manage a farm business, and deciding wheth- er a Farm Business is something they would like to pursue. The program exposes participants to the opportunities and realities of farming with hands-on experience and time with active farmers. Recognizing that some "Explorers" will choose not to farm commercially, ReGen AgExplorer also provides insight into other possibilities satisfying one’s agricultural interest.
Why are you offering this course?
Many folks know that they would like to work in an agricultural space, but are unsure which field would better fit their lifestyle. This question, along with our observation that many agricultural entrepreneurs would benefit from foundational grounding in the business fundamentals of vision, strategy, culture, and operations, has led TAC Farm in the creation of the ReGen AgExplorer course. In a vast majority of agricultural school programs, content taught is based on outdated principles developed during the industrial revolu- tion and oriented toward an outcome focused on producing functional mid-level managers of large conventional corporations. Additionally, many training programs require significant investment, oftentimes many thousands of dollars with minimal return. This course helps aims to provide value through further discussion in topics like Regenerative Ag design, making the TAC Farm Lab ReGen AgExplorer one of the few in the world focused on this subject matter.
Who is teaching the course?
The team at TAC Teaching and Innovation Farm Lab will be leading the discussions. Guest speakers will also be invited to help add value to the course.
What are the course dates and times?
ReGen AgExplorer (Starting Fall 2023) Aug 12, Aug 26, Sept 9, Sept 16, Sept 23, Sept 30 and Oct 7(No Class Sept 2nd—Labor
Day)
Regular Class Sessions: All sessions will be on Saturdays from 11:00am-12:30pm Pacific Time (the first two sessions and the last
session will be from 11:00am-1:00pm Pacific).
Who should take the course? How many people will be participating?
This course is designed for farmworkers, entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, students / recent graduates, and folks who want to learn more about starting a farm from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective. We aim for an average class size of 10-15 people to keep discussions focused and ensure we can serve individual needs.
How much time do participants dedicate to the training?
TThe training is completed over seven (7) sessions that take place over the course of 8 weeks (no class on Sept. 2nd, Labor Day weekend).
- At 1.5 hours each over 7 sessions, plus an additional 30 minutes for overage, totals 11 hours of Didactic time
- There are also Weekly Office hours following each session (Optional), 1 Hour per Session totaling 18 hours
- There is a Farm Tour scheduled for Sept. 16th.
- Each Session includes (optional) exercises and homework as well supplementary reading and multimedia resources. Some of these are directly referenced in the session and some are presented for additional learning. Review of these materi- als is optional.
- On average most participants dedicate ~2-2.5 hours a week over the course. Much of that time is optional commitment.
What is TAC Teaching & Innovation Farm Lab’s Teaching Process?
- We do not “teach” anyone anything per se but create the conditions for learning to occur.
- As a Participant, your learning opportunity is to ask questions and be curious.
- We collectively:
- Steward an atmosphere that nurtures a sense of psychological safety.
- Make it safe to ask yourself questions.
- Transcend limiting beliefs, cynicism, and focus on expanding our beliefs about what’s possible.
- We will survey all course participants about interest in topics and can/may adjust course content accordingly.
What about “Homework” (aka “Extra Fun”)?
Throughout the duration of the program, we will be giving assignments to move these projects forward. We’ll either have you (optionally) submit these assignments to our shared folder on Google Drive or through an online survey form.
Who do I contact if I have more questions?
Please feel free to reach out to us anytime with any questions or comments. info@tacfarmlab.com