Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education

Happenings

Horn Farm Happenings – January 23, 2026

Grow Food, Restore Land, Build Resilience

For students in the Horn Farm Center’s Regenerative Grower Training Program, learning how to grow food is just the beginning. This part-time field experience, spanning 33 weeks from February to October, teaches you how to produce abundance while restoring the health of the land.

Enrollment is nearly full, and applications are closing soon. If you feel called to work with the land and grow your own food, don’t wait—this is the final window to apply.

Together, we will rekindle the skills our communities need to ensure resilience through uncertain times. Learn how to feed your family and neighbors resourcefully and responsibly while regenerating the ecosystems we depend on.

Please join us for the 2026 Regenerative Grower Training program as we embark on a year of transformative education rooted in the land.
Applications close January 25th. 

2026 Regenerative Grower Training program

Connecting to the land is what put fire back into me, so I am inclined to believe that it could do the same for anyone who thinks it might do them some good.”
– Jess, Regenerative Grower Training Program graduate

Gardening for Pollinators & Wildlife

Ready to move beyond traditional gardening? This is your final chance to join the 2026 Ecological Gardener Training Program and learn how to create living garden habitats that support pollinators, wildlife, and healthy ecosystems.

Through hands-on learning and expert guidance, you’ll explore native plants, thoughtful ecological design, and earth-friendly, seasonal care practices. Whether you’re nurturing a backyard garden or stepping into a new professional path, this program equips you to grow beautiful spaces that sustain bees, butterflies, birds, and the interconnected web of life.

The 2026 Ecological Gardener Training Program meets weekly on Tuesdays from February 3 through May 19.

Applications close January 25th!  Apply now to secure your spot this spring.

2026 Ecological Gardener Training Program

“The Ecological Gardener Training Program was the asset I was seeking to gain employment in the landscaping/gardening industry. In less than one year’s time I went from having a goal, to being educated, to interviewing with confidence, ending with becoming happily employed.” – Deanna, 2025 graduate

Share Your Knowledge at the Horn Farm

From ecological literacy to natural crafts, the Horn Farm offers a space for growing the skills we need to live locally, act simply, and build relationship with the land.

We’re always on the lookout for new educators to help us bring this mission to life! Interested in teaching your craft while enriching the Horn Farm Center’s educational ecosystem?  

In 2025, people of all ages participated in 84 programs ranging from foraging and gardening to plant dyes and carpentry. If you’ve got a topic in mind and a passion for teaching it, reach out!

Based on last year’s community input, we also have a “wish list” of new offerings to explore! Help us spread the word so we can add things like:

  • Scratch Kitchen Skills: cheese-making, brewing, vinegar-making, fermentation, canning, unique cuisines…
  • Cottage Crafts: weaving with willows, hand-sewing and mending, candle- and soap-making, carving, hide tanning, metalwork …
  • Outdoor Awareness and Preparedness: natural cordage, tracking and trailing, knot-tying, navigation, stargazing …

Share Your Ideas & Teach with Us

Community Crew Training Days

Craving connection, fresh air, movement, and meaningful work this time of year?

The Horn Farm Center’s Community Crew volunteer program might be just what you’re looking for. Join us for an upcoming orientation on Sunday, March 8 or Saturday, April 11.

As a Community Crew member, you’ll help care for wild and agricultural landscapes, build ecological skills, and connect with others who share a passion for the land. Opportunities range from hands-on fieldwork to supporting classes, outreach, and media projects.

Ready to learn, connect, and get your hands dirty? Join us for an upcoming training.

Join the Community Crew

Horn Farm Happenings – January 09, 2026

A Call to the Wild Ones

To those who love to get their hands dirty, who come alive in wild spaces, who know there is more to learn and want to make a difference… we are saving a place for you at the Horn Farm.

A new year is opening, and with it an invitation to grow your skills, deepen your connection to the land, and become part of something larger than yourself. Horn Farm Center’s immersive training programs offer a path toward purpose, connection, and meaningful change.Through hands-on learning, you will gain practical skills and the confidence to care for land in ways that heal and sustain. You will learn alongside others who share a desire to give back and become thoughtful stewards of the places they love.

Ecological Restoration Certificate
Jan 17th, Jan 31st, & Feb 14th | Last Chance to Apply, Starts Saturday
Beekeeper Training Program
January -October, Once a Month | Only a Few Spots Left! Apply by January 20th
Regenerative Grower Training Program
February 19th-October 16th, Tuesdays & Fridays | Apply by January 25th
Ecological Gardener Training Program
February-May, Once a Week | Apply by January 25th

Uncover your true power to become an agent of positive change. If you’re ready to grow and make a lasting impact on the land and people around you, this is your moment. We are saving a space for you in our 2026 Training Program cohorts!

2026 Training Programs

Beavers, Baskets & Branches

What do these three things have in common? Each winter, we gather in community to coppice hundreds of willow branches for basketry and local uses. This renewable supply of woody material is made possible by willow’s evolution as a wetland species, adapted to frequent disturbance from forces like floods, ice floes, and feeding beavers.

Watch the short video linked above to discover how willows weave together agriculture, ecology, and ancient craft at the Horn Farm Center.

And, you can be part it! Start the new year with some fresh air, hands-on learning, and winter fun. Join us for our annual willow harvest on January 18, 19, & 20 from 1-4pm at the Horn Farm Center.

Sign Up to Volunteer

“This was such an impactful program. I came into it with some knowledge of how to co-exist with the ecological world and came out with a robust and straightforward way of making that a daily reality.”

– Rain, Ecological Gardener Training Program Graduate

Are you interesting in growing beyond traditional gardening? Discover how to cultivate garden habitats that support local pollinators and wildlife this spring!

Learn about native plants, thoughtful design, and earth-friendly, seasonal care with the Ecological Gardener Training program. Whether you are tending a backyard or starting a new profession, this program empowers you to create beautiful gardens that nourish bees, butterflies, birds, and the web of life that depends on them.

The 2026 Ecological Gardener Training program runs once a week on Tuesdays from February 3rd through May 19th. Space limited; Apply by January 25th! 

2026 Ecological Gardener Training Program

A Few Spots Left: Beekeeper Training

Step into the hum of the hive to become a beekeeper this year. The Horn Farm Center’s Beekeeper Training Program offers a chance to learn the language of bees and care for one of our most essential allies.

Through classroom sessions, hands on learning, and seasonal guidance, you’ll build the skills and confidence to tend healthy hives that you will take home at the end of the program. No prior experience needed! 

Don’t wait to register! The 2026 Beekeeper Training program starts on Wednesday, January 21st and runs once a month through October 10th. 

2026 Beekeeper Training Program

Winter & Spring Foraging Walks

Foraging is a practice rooted in our human story that fosters reconnection with the land, ourselves, and one another. Horn Farm Center’s monthly foraging programs offer something for everyone, from beginners to seasoned practitioners.

Sunday, February 1 | 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Sunday, March 1 | 1:30PM – 3:30PM

Sunday, April 12 | 10AM – 12PM

Sunday, May 3 | 10AM – 12PM

Sunday, June 7 | 10AM – 12PM

Enrich your connection with the land through foraging. Explore plant identification, ecology, safety, respectful harvest, and ways to give back to the land. Join us to celebrate and enjoy nature’s bounty together.

Horn Farm Happenings – December 23, 2025

Reflecting in Gratitude & Celebrating Community Abundance

As we bid farewell to 2025, we invite you to celebrate a year shaped by shared learning and a deep commitment to caring for the land.

Thank you for standing with us in this work. Together, we’re growing food, nurturing community, and igniting the collective spark to build a more resilient future. Your participation and support makes all the difference, and we can’t wait to see what next year brings.

Cheers to health, abundance, and a continued love for the land in 2026. We hope to see you soon at the Horn Farm Center!

“The Ecological Restoration Certificate was designed with the underdog in mind. Supporting courageous land stewards whose hearts beat for compassionate care, knowing intuitively (and scientifically) that toxic chemicals are not the path forward in restoration.

This learning container provides a place to explore language, tools, and techniques that will further empower you to take action with professional confidence.

It is encouraging to witness the community that naturally develops in this space, giving you the added benefit of allies that will help bolster your work in your neighborhood, community preserve, or place of work.” – Elyse Jurgen, Waxwing EcoWorks

Learning to Heal the Places We Love

The land is asking for our care. Are you ready to answer the call? The Ecological Restoration Certificate training program is a three-day, hands-on learning experience rooted in compassionate care for the land. Together, we’ll learn regenerative, human-powered techniques that support ecological healing while honoring the wisdom of natural systems.

Whether you are just beginning or have years of experience, this program offers space to slow down, listen, and build confidence in skills that truly matter. What you learn can be carried into your home landscape, your work, and your community—where small, thoughtful actions can create lasting change.

Join us for the 2026 Ecological Restoration Certificate training program, held on January 10th, January 24th and February 7th at the Horn Farm Center.

Register for Ecological Restoration Certificate program

Tis the Season for Red Osier 

Next time you’re near a wetland, or strolling through a holiday-lit town square, keep an eye out for the bold red stems of red osier dogwood. Winter is when this native plant truly shines.

Watch the video linked above to learn more about this attractive local plant! Horn Farm Center staff educator Andrew Leahy shares how red osier can support local ecosystems and add beauty to our landscapes.

There’s so much to learn even in winter, which is why we’re welcoming the new year with our Winter Webinar Series. From forest gardens to live stakes, join us online to explore regenerative land practices that help us create positive change.

Winter Webinar Series

Thank You 2025 Sponsors!