Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture

June 2nd to August 4th, 2025

Class will be held weekly on Monday evenings. Participants will engage in hands-on skill building blocks twice a week.

All instruction will take place at the Moraine Farm in Beverly, MA.

New Entry’s Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture is a hands-on course designed to help participants build farm skills, expand their knowledge of vegetable production, and prepare them to pursue a career in sustainable agriculture. The Practicum is designed for those new to farming and can prepare someone to work on a farm or start their own farm on the New Entry Incubator Farm Training Program.

The Practicum will support you to:

  • Delve into sustainable agriculture: Enhancing soil health, efficient field preparation, and plant care.  We are a USDA Certified Organic farm and teach sustainable farming practices and students will learn about regenerative agriculture and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
  • Explore greenhouse management, maintaining crop health, and climate control.
  • Learn and implement strategic pest and disease management, alongside nutrient management and composting.
  • Uncover best practices for harvest and post-harvest management to ensure crop quality.
  • Develop an entrepreneurial mindset, reflecting on how to optimize farm production, build resilience, and use time efficiently.

The course will cover topics such as:

  • Soil health and nutrient management
  • Direct seeding and transplanting
  • BCS (hand-scale tractor) operations
  • Crop health and development
  • Weeding
  • Pest and disease management
  • Irrigation systems
  • Harvest and post-harvest management

To learn more about the detailed content of the practicum please read the syllabus here.

Cost:  $800, scholarships are available

Application will open in the spring 2025 

Application Deadline: June 1st, 2025.

For more information, please contact New Entry’s Farm Training Manager, Julien Barrere, at julien.barrere@tufts.edu.