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Milwaukee’s best-known urban farm, Growing Power (5500 W. Silver Spring Drive), will offer a course in Commercial Urban Agriculture (CUA) running from February through June of next year. This is the perfect class for all aspiring urban farmers interested in learning the ins and outs of running their own profitable, sustainable farming business in the city.
Urban farming has risen in popularity over the past decade. Growing food in an urban environment poses a fair number of challenges, but the rewards are great. Not only do the new green spaces add beauty back into the cityscape, but urban farms also create new jobs, improve the health of local residents by increasing ease of access to freshly grown foods and strengthen community ties as people work the land together.
Over the course of five, once-a-month three-day weekend seminars, participants will learn everything from creating a business plan to how to find land suitable for farming, as well as how to navigate city regulations, zoning and licensing. A hands-on segment to the course will include instruction on topics like composting, farming without chemicals and aquaculture; a one-on-one advising portion of the program will help everyone in the class develop their farming plan to their ability and needs.
For more information about the class, application and fees, visit growingpower.org.
