November 1, 2013The California State Grange has embarked on an exciting new project – a farm school. Harkening back to our roots and affirming our 143 year commitment to supporting farming, the California Grange School of Agricultural Arts (CGSAA) will provide a “dirt under the finger nails” experience for aspiring agrarians. The CGSAA campus will be located just south of Willits on the beautiful 5,000 acre Ridgeway Ranch, former home of the famous racehorse Seabiscuit. The CGSAA will offer programs for beginning farmers, home gardeners, youth and established farmers. Workshops will be offered on topics such as keeping backyard chickens, high efficiency drip irrigation and extending the vegetable growing season. The core program will be a 9 month residential farmer training intensive. Instruction will include hands-on agricultural production skills, industrial arts and marketing and business skills essential to a profitable small farm. Ten students will live and work on the farm. Tuition will include room and board. Donations Needed The CSGAA is a program we can all be proud of. It will put a shiny new face on the California Grange. The concept for the CGSAA was first presented at our 2011 convention. This year our delegates committed to fund the program for the next three years. Much of the $130,000 per year budget is covered by in-kind donations but we must raise $85,000 per year in cash or equipment donations to make the school viable. Please share this exciting news at your next meeting and help us raise the funds to make this worthwhile program a reality. Contribution can be made with a credit card at http://www.californiagrange. Please mail checks to the California State Grange, 3830 U Street, Sacramento, CA 95817. Please note in the memo field your check is for “Farm School.” For more information and a list of items the farm needs, please go to http://www.californiagrange. Thank you for your support and generosity.
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