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 half-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
You can find the application on the Bernalillo County Open Space Grow the Growers web page. Applications for 2025 will open toward the end of 2024.
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.
Reuben Preut, Lead Trainer
Reuben is a graduate of the Grow the Growers program and has been farming for eight years. He owns and operates Zone Zero Farms in addition to his work with Grow the Growers.
Holden Nunn, Assistant Trainer
Holden is a Grow the Growers program graduate and current Grow the Growers incubator at the Gutierrez-Hubbell site.
Cathy Day, Director of Climate Solutions
Dr. Day has been involved with organic and sustainable agriculture for 25 years. From her time as a farm intern at Arctic Organics through work with farmers in Niger, New Mexico, and Florida, she has focused most on how farming can ensure food access and sovereignty while treading kindly on Mother Earth. For Grow the Growers, she develops curriculum, teaches in the program, manages the farm trainers, and collaborates with ACN’s program partners to continuously improve the program.
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 and participates in continued program management. 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.