Practice of Sustainable Agriculture

The Practice of Sustainable Agriculture (PSA) program integrates theoretical and practical aspects of small-scale organic farming in the Pacific Northwest. Each week of the program there are eight hours of classroom instruction and twenty hours of hands-on work at Evergreen's Organic Farm.

The program’s academic portion covers a variety of topics related to practical farm management, including annual and perennial plant propagation, entomology and pest management, plant pathology and disease management, weed biology and management, soil science, crop botany, small-scale grain raising, animal husbandry, and orchard management. Students received introductory training in writing management and business plans.

The practicum on Evergreen's organic farm includes hands-on instruction on a range of farm-related topics including greenhouse management and season extension techniques, farm-scale composting and vermiculture, farm equipment operation and maintenance, irrigation systems, farm recordkeeping, and techniques for adding value to farm and garden products. Students also explore personal agricultural interests through research projects.

Each quarter the class visits farms that represent the ecological, social and economic diversity of agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. Field trips are taken in the Olympia region, the North Cascades, and Puget Sound islands. Farm visits illustrate diverse enterprises including small-scale diversified vegetable operations, berry, mixed crop-livestock, oyster, and grassfed beef farms, urban Ag initiatives, small-scale creameries, and non-profit educational farms. Students attend and participate in The Small Farmers’ Journal Auction and Swap Meet in the spring.

After completing the Practice of Sustainable Agriculture, students have broad exposure to sustainable agriculture topics and practice. They have applied and theoretical understandings of a holistic approach to managing a small-scale sustainable farm.