The Grow the Growers program is a A South Valley-based farmer training program, managed in partnership by Agri-Cultura Network and Bernalillo County Open Space. GTG is a comprehensive farm training and business acceleration initiative designed to attract new and emerging farmers into professional food production.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Grow the Growers program is based at the historic Gutierrez-Hubbell Open Space in Bernalillo County’s South Valley. In order to learn diverse farm production and business operation methods, Grow the Growers participants also work with partner farms to enhance their educational experiences.
Internship Phase
One year of practical in-field/on-farm experience
Educational workshops
Paid stipends for full-time interns
Business Incubation Phase
Continued access to affordable land and water on County Open Space
Ongoing mentoring for small business development
Continuing education opportunities
Independent Business Phase
Assistance in attaining long term access to land and water
YEARLY SCHEDULE
Applications are typically accepted Nov-Dec. Training program begins in March and runs until November.
PROGRAM PARTNERS
Cultivating Bernalillo County/ BernCo Open Space
Agri-Cultura Network
Ciudad SWCD
NMSU Bernalillo County Extension
TO APPLY
The application deadline for 2022 is now open. The deadline to apply is January 20, 2022.
Click here to view the application form.
MEET THE TRAINERS & PROGRAM COORDINATORS:
Read about the work of farmworkers, interns, delivery drivers, farmers market managers, and food hub staff in Albuquerque during COVID-19 in this article written by Anita Adalja and published in Edible New Mexico’s September 2020 issue.
Find Grow the Growers Incubators’ produce at the Downtown Growers Market in 2021!
Shannon Concho, Lead Farmer Trainer
Concho is 42 years old and from Zuni Pueblo. Concho began with Grow the Growers as a trainee, went on to become and incubator and is now lead farmer trainer. He owns and operates Concho Loco Farm.
Jack West, Program Coordinator
Jack is from Albuquerque where he owns and operates Peas and Hominy Farm. His background and training is in resource management, sustainable development, and automotive repair, and has been working in small-scale diversified vegetable production for over 14 years.
Helga Garza
As Executive Director of Agri-Cultura Network, Helga has been with the Grow the Growers Program since it’s inception in 2017. Helga oversees program operations, continued curriculum development and manages the farm trainers. Helga has more than two decades of experience with cooperative organic farming and her long history as a community organizer and environmental justice advocate all inform her work with Agri-Cultura and Grow the Growers. As a Native woman in agriculture, she is guided by her ancestral calendar and shares this knowledge through an intergenerational process as she continues to help cultivate future generations of farmers.