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Eat Cultural Center outlines farm-apprenticeship growth, asks council for market support
Summary
Patrick Mitchell updated council on the Eat Cultural Center's training programs and incubator farm: the small-farm apprenticeship graduated 23 trainees last year, more than 100 enrolled this April with about 33 expected to complete this year, and the incubator farm occupies 2.38 acres; Mitchell requested city help promoting the Norco Farmers Market.
Patrick Mitchell gave a five-minute overview of the Eat Cultural Center's mission and activities, emphasizing a small-farm apprenticeship program, an incubator/demonstration farm and the Norco Farmers Market.
Mitchell said the apprenticeship covers nine core agricultural areas; "Last year, our program graduated 23 apprentices," he said, and noted the program lasted 10 months. He told council that more than 100 people enrolled in April and about 33 are currently expected to complete the program within a year. Mitchell described the incubator farm (2.38 acres) that offers graduates six-thousand-square-foot to quarter-acre plots to start micro-farms, and said the program manages demonstration research plots, a Mercantile farm-stand funded by a University of California sustainable-agriculture grant, and partnerships with regional organizations including American Farmland Trust and the Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District.
He also described the Norco Farmers Market (in its fifth year, about 24 vendors) and said attendance fluctuates with weather and lighting; he asked council to help promote the market and explore next steps to sustain vendor and customer participation.
Mitchell closed by identifying staff members who run specific programs and noting the organization is pursuing an additional grant to hire another part-time staff member.
