Join beginning farmers, homesteaders, educational gardeners and food system change-makers: Learn by growing food, visiting sustainable farms, and writing a business plan that fits your values, goals, land and community needs.

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2025 Program Update!

The MSU Organic Farmer Training Program will have 2 hands-on learning sites for 2025! The OFTP will have a hybrid format with:

  • 5 Monday field trips + 1 weekend for field trip to visit 20+ sustainable farms together with both groups
  • 14 days for interactive online learning together with both groups
  • 5 days for hands-on learning as a full group on farms in Detroit and East Lansing
  • Choose your learning site for the remaining 8 days:
    • Keep Growing Detroit
    • MSU Student Organic Farm in East Lansing 
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You will learn real hands-on farm skills while planning for a farm that fits your values, goals, skills, land and markets. Check out the full schedule to see how the OFTP can help you make your farm dreams a reality. This experience is defined by its learning community of aspiring and beginning farmers, farmworkers, homesteaders, educational gardeners and OFTP instructors who all support each other in learning skills for farming, business planning and creating positive community change. It worked for 2019 graduate Heather Fuson, who says “Before OFTP I had a vision, but when I left I had a plan.”

About

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Field and Online Activities

Farm Field Trips

Guest Speakers

Program Schedule

Learning Community

Graduate Testimonials

Student Organic Farm

Farm and Farmer Development

Food Systems: Planning and Policy

Land and Credit Access

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