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How Do I Gain Farming Experience? Park Hills, Kentucky

Ryan M Miller

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As of August 3, 2023, I've finished a two month farm internship in the Cincinnati area at a local urban farm within the city limits. At the moment, I'm trying to figure out how I can gain future experience so that I can actually gain the credibility needed before attempting to ask for donations to buy land or attempt to apply for a loan. Without any farming experience, I'm considered a "high-risk" borrower or investment opportunity if I attempt to start a business right now so I'm less likely to get money than someone who already has experience farming of more than five years.

I'm currently still living in the general area of Cincinnati, so I'm looking for any place that can offer an educational opportunity for me within a 20 minute drive of my lodging in Park Hills Kentucky.

I'm already a payed member of an organization called OEFFA that offers help to small organic farmers in the area of Ohio and I know about the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute, but I want to know if there are any other resources available.

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of the devil more than other herbs because of its similarity
to a human. Whence, also, a person’s desires, whether good
or evil, are stirred up through it...
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Anne Miller

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Have you thought about a Boot or an Ant at Wheaton Labs?

https://permies.com/wiki/800/59706/permaculture-bootcamp-learn-permaculture-hard

Have you tried reviewing the ads in the Experiences Forum?

https://permies.com/c/experiences

Especially the ones here:

https://permies.com/f/272/wwoof-hosts

https://permies.com/f/271/volunteer-offerings

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Ryan M Miller

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Location: Dayton, Ohio

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Anne Miller wrote:Have you thought about a Boot or an Ant at Wheaton Labs?

https://permies.com/wiki/800/59706/permaculture-bootcamp-learn-permaculture-hard

Have you tried reviewing the ads in the Experiences Forum?

https://permies.com/c/experiences

Especially the ones here:

https://permies.com/f/272/wwoof-hosts

https://permies.com/f/271/volunteer-offerings

If I have to travel to Montana then it wouldn't be convenient for me at the moment since I don't have any contacts in that area of the country in case of emergencies.

Anne Miller

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Sorry, I missed the information about Park Hills, Kentucky.

With that area being close to Cincinnati, Ohio what region is that? Appalachia? Midwest or both?

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Ryan M Miller

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Location: Dayton, Ohio

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Anne Miller wrote:Sorry, I missed the information about Park Hills, Kentucky.

With that area being close to Cincinnati, Ohio what region is that? Appalachia? Midwest or both?

Park Hills is a Suburb of Cincinnati in Kenton County Kentucky. It is a 12 minute drive from the center of Cincinnati.

Anne Miller

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Ryan, I have heard really good things about the Wwoofers experience, have you looked into that?

Then there are the internship and apprentice programs, which I have heard a lot about.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Cole Tyler

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Location: KY

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My reply comes a bit late in the season, but seek out all the farmer's markets in the area and ask the vendors if they need help over winter or starting next spring.

Most of the markets are now closed and/or not very many active vendors as summer time is when they shine, but you might be able to find contact info for the market manager (nearly every KY county has one and certain cities do as well) and they could provide you with a vendor list which you can research out the ideal type of farm you are looking to work at/with.

Any county extension office, and OAK (organic association of KY) are also great resources for starting small farmers!

Good luck, I am working on building a permaculture minded vegetable, herb, bush, and tree growing operation 1 hr or so south of you.

Ryan M Miller

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Location: Dayton, Ohio

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Cole Tyler wrote:My reply comes a bit late in the season, but seek out all the farmer's markets in the area and ask the vendors if they need help over winter or starting next spring.

I have already taken this step during the month of August this year. I will be sending out emails and phonecalls again in the beginning of December.

craig howard

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I've heard that college ag classes can be very cheap.
Now I haven't checked on this: but went to an ag conference that was held at a college.
They were saying that because there are so many seed sellers, fertilizer sellers, farm equipment manufacturers etc. the list goes on.
That there are so many scholarships available that someone could easily go to college for free.

Chris Vee

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What’s your end goal? livestock, apples, etc.? What do you want to do?

I’d say take your main interest & dive-in. Rabbits are a good bit of cash/value once you learn the curve & some states are quite accommodating when it comes to rabbit farming.

The reason I say dive-in is because that’s eventually how you’ll meet the people with the experience to pass on and truly dictates the answer to your question.

FC4E61B0-DBD8-44EE-B299-06E3392FC28B.jpeg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What are you going to do now?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Goin straight Bob. I don’t know, get a job, find myself a gal.. or, I dunno what people do nowadays, build-a, uh, a barn maybe, paint the barn with the gal, put the gal in the barn, you know; American dream."

Ryan M Miller

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Location: Dayton, Ohio

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Chris Vee wrote:What’s your end goal? livestock, apples, etc.? What do you want to do?

I’d say take your main interest & dive-in.

My main interest is selective plant breeding. I've been trying to breed squash for a few years now, but I was not allowed sufficient land or time to do this project during my farm internship earlier this year. Also, my current job after I ended my farm internship is leaving me too drained to write research grants for SARE or the USDA.

Douglas Crouch

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Hey i run a permaculture farm in Petersburg, KY, maybe 25 minutes from where you are off 275. TreeYo Permaculture, lets talk

There were millions of the little blood suckers. But thanks to this tiny ad, I wasn't bitten once.

turnkey permaculture paradise for zero monies

https://permies.com/t/267198/turnkey-permaculture-paradise-monies