FFA/4H programs for adults?

[FowlWitch]

I only got to do FFA in 9th grade and then was transferred to a different school without the program the next year after district rezoning. I would like to start a farm one day but I don't know where to learn. Are there farming programs available for adults? Is that something I'd have to go to college for? Because we do have agricultural degrees in my area, but it's more along the lines of research rather than growing plants or raising animals. I also don't really have time to dedicate to an entire college course, nor can I really pay for it right now lol

 

[SunHwaKwon]

Check with your county ag extension office. They usually do classes and events.

 

[ShannonR]

I only got to do FFA in 9th grade and then was transferred to a different school without the program the next year after district rezoning. I would like to start a farm one day but I don't know where to learn. Are there farming programs available for adults? Is that something I'd have to go to college for? Because we do have agricultural degrees in my area, but it's more along the lines of research rather than growing plants or raising animals. I also don't really have time to dedicate to an entire college course, nor can I really pay for it right now lol

I dunno. My community college offers courses and degrees in those things. Not so much the research aspect of it either, it's actually DOING stuff. For example, as a midterm assignment you may have to sort cattle and give vaccinations or put in ear tags. Believe this, 4-H these days would be MUCH more expensive than a comminity college course or two. Parents are soooooo competetive these days.

 

[FowlWitch]

I dunno. My community college offers courses and degrees in those things. Not so much the research aspect of it either, it's actually DOING stuff. For example, as a midterm assignment you may have to sort cattle and give vaccinations or put in ear tags. Believe this, 4-H these days would be MUCH more expensive than a comminity college course or two. Parents are soooooo competetive these days.

I don't really live in a rural area, unfortunately. I can look into some colleges a little further away and see if they have better course selections. UCR has a good agriculture program that I think mainly focusses on GMO research and water use efficiency iirc

 

[ShannonR]

Where in California are you, if I may ask? I'm probably a lot further north. Chico, Davis both have great animal and plant science programs, so do the smaller community colleges. Just a course or two will teach you a ton of what you need to know.

 

[gtaus]

Are there farming programs available for adults? Is that something I'd have to go to college for? … I also don't really have time to dedicate to an entire college course, nor can I really pay for it right now lol

There are a number of YouTubers who upload their homesteading experiences for free. That's probably better than a college course anyway. I enjoy watching YouTube videos from Justin Rhodes and his family. He covers everything from chickens, pigs, cows, geese and maybe some other things I have not seen. You can learn a lot just by watching his free videos on YouTube. If you are more serious in starting a small farm or homestead, I believe he offers a paid course of instruction on how to be successful on a small farm. He might even give you individual advice in his paid program. I just watch the free YouTube videos, mostly on raising chickens which is the only thing I am doing right now.

There are other homesteading YouTubers out there that have quality videos. Many times they will mention a good book or two that is geared for the small, start-up farmer. So that might be another option to consider.

 

[ShannonR]

There are a number of YouTubers who upload their homesteading experiences for free. That's probably better than a college course anyway. I enjoy watching YouTube videos from Justin Rhodes and his family. He covers everything from chickens, pigs, cows, geese and maybe some other things I have not seen. You can learn a lot just by watching his free videos on YouTube. If you are more serious in starting a small farm or homestead, I believe he offers a paid course of instruction on how to be successful on a small farm. He might even give you individual advice in his paid program. I just watch the free YouTube videos, mostly on raising chickens which is the only thing I am doing right now.

There are other homesteading YouTubers out there that have quality videos. Many times they will mention a good book or two that is geared for the small, start-up farmer. So that might be another option to consider.

While YouTube University is very helpful for a lot of things, I don't see how it could possibly be better than a college course. A college with their own farm, that offers hands on experience in addition to other needed information provides a much more rounded learning experience. That, and just like everything else on the internet, misinformation and poor practices abound. College offers an up to date, science based learning experience to keep the learner informed and current on best practices. Any person can make a YouTube video and say or do whatever they please, and that isn't necessarily the greatest source of information out there.

 

[gtaus]

While YouTube University is very helpful for a lot of things, I don't see how it could possibly be better than a college course. A college with their own farm, that offers hands on experience in addition to other needed information provides a much more rounded learning experience. That, and just like everything else on the internet, misinformation and poor practices abound. College offers an up to date, science based learning experience to keep the learner informed and current on best practices. Any person can make a YouTube video and say or do whatever they please, and that isn't necessarily the greatest source of information out there.

I have a number of college degrees, so I don't want to come off as anti-college. Having said that, I went to University in the 1980's and came out with good degrees and very little debt. Today, I see kids graduating with degrees and a lifetime worth of debt. Something went wrong somewhere in our system.

Also, when I went to University in the early 1980's, there were not many options for learning at home or online. The last time I went back to school, about 10 years ago, half my classes were online and I could have taken even more online had I not opted to take them in the classroom. I prefer the classroom, but many students do not, especially if they are older students with families and other responsibilities.

So, if you plan on being a small, diversified farmer, I am not sure that your best option is to go to a college and come out with more debt than a small farm income can support. If you can find someone on YouTube that has chosen to run a small farm homestead business and they have a plan to help you succeed, then maybe that's an option to consider. If you have a good program at a local college that is geared towards the small farmer, than that is also an viable option. We don't have such programs where I live. The colleges are geared towards large agribusiness and the trade schools are more into plumbing, electricity, and welding. But other areas may have more options.

 

[FowlWitch]

Where in California are you, if I may ask? I'm probably a lot further north. Chico, Davis both have great animal and plant science programs, so do the smaller community colleges. Just a course or two will teach you a ton of what you need to know.

I live close to Lake Arrowhead, so I have Cal State San Bernardino and UCR pretty close by. I also have Riverside Community College (which is a horrible school) and San Bernardino Valley College, which is a decent community college

 

[FowlWitch]

I have a number of college degrees, so I don't want to come off as anti-college. Having said that, I went to University in the 1980's and came out with good degrees and very little debt. Today, I see kids graduating with degrees and a lifetime worth of debt. Something went wrong somewhere in our system.

Also, when I went to University in the early 1980's, there were not many options for learning at home or online. The last time I went back to school, about 10 years ago, half my classes were online and I could have taken even more online had I not opted to take them in the classroom. I prefer the classroom, but many students do not, especially if they are older students with families and other responsibilities.

So, if you plan on being a small, diversified farmer, I am not sure that your best option is to go to a college and come out with more debt than a small farm income can support. If you can find someone on YouTube that has chosen to run a small farm homestead business and they have a plan to help you succeed, then maybe that's an option to consider. If you have a good program at a local college that is geared towards the small farmer, than that is also an viable option. We don't have such programs where I live. The colleges are geared towards large agribusiness and the trade schools are more into plumbing, electricity, and welding. But other areas may have more options.

I don't think I can do much with a BA in Farming anyways. I mostly just wanted to join a club lol I don't mind taking a community college course if it's affordable enough, but these days I've even priced out of those due to how expensive textbooks are. You can't even get used books like I did in 2010 when I first started going to school because now everything has a forced online component that comes with exorbitant fees. All the college suggestions I'm getting aren't hitting the mark for me tbh