Announcing A New Intensive Weekend Course
in Urban Agriculture (offered in March, May and September)
Register soon; Classes Fill Quickly
Prince George’s Community College and ECO City Farms are proud partners in the Certificate in Commercial Urban Agriculture program. The program is the first of its kind in the region and will give you a comprehensive introduction to starting your own urban farm or farm-related business.
AG 302: An Intensive Introduction to Urban Commercial Agriculture [Offered by ECO City Farms and Prince George’s County Community College, taught at ECO City Farms, 4913 Crittenden Street, Edmonston, MD 20781]
A maximum of 20 people can be accommodated, so please register early to assure your place. This 22 hour, very intensive weekend hands-on course will provide you with sustainable strategies you require to plan and design an intensive food production system, based on your needs, goals, and resources, and suited to your own individual urban space. It includes five (5) core modules. Starting Your Farm: Beginning with the foundational principles of sustainable farming, this module includes issues of soil fertility, nutrient and water management, crop plant families and crop rotation, and farm design to maximize the use of urban resources and infrastructure. Composting 101: Hands-on and detailed, this module includes all aspects of composting in order to produce healthy soil from waste products. Exploring a range of recipes for effective composting and comparing different approaches and strategies, this module will include vermiculture, biochar, bokashi composting and passively aerated windrows. Hoophouse Design & Construction: This module is a hands-on introduction to building a hoophouse and other structures that extend the growing season and enable year-round growing. It will cover construction techniques, such as solar orientation, materials, ventilation and irrigation, as well as strategies related to the effective use of the hoophouse. Intro to Urban Livestock: This module is an introduction to raising small farm animals in urban/suburban neighborhoods, focusing on chickens, ducks, bees, fish and worms. It addresses the requirements for caring for animals, determining which livestock are appropriate for your space and an overview of ordinances related to livestock. Harvest, Processing and Marketing: This module will cover what you need to know to select, harvest, process, prepare and present your produce for sale. Strategies for selling to restaurants, retailers and food co-ops, as well as direct-market strategies such as farmers markets, pick-your-own and community-supported agriculture will be discussed.
A continuing education certificate will be awarded upon completion. Lunch is included.
Two courses this Spring: March 23, 24, 25 and May 18, 19, 20, 2012
One course this Fall: September 7, 8, 9, 2012
Fridays and Saturdays 9:30-6:00 and Sundays 12:00-6:00. Each at $525, all inclusive
Directions for registering for our new urban agriculture class:
- Go to www.pgcc.edu
- On the right hand side, near the bottom, click on Owl Link
- Click the yellow bar that says “Workforce Development & Cont. Ed. Students”
- Click “Register Cont. Ed. Courses” on the left side
- In the box labeled “Course Code Number,” type AGR to see a list of all the agriculture courses, and select AGR-302). You must use the hyphen if you’re typing in a specific course code. Don’t use the keyword search, as it usually doesn’t return useful or complete results.
- Check the box(es) next to the class(es) you wish to register for, and click “Submit” at the bottom of the page
- Fill out the requested information, and be prepared to pay at the end.
