"The Organic Farm School attracted me for two main reasons. First, I wanted the experience of living and working on a farm for an entire season, so that I could experience farming as a lifestyle, participate in all aspects of the farm, and have that continuity that lends to a better understanding of the living being that a farm is. Secondly, I was attracted to the business training aspect. Having the opportunity to stay on a second year and start a small incubator farm was invaluable in both those respects. It allowed me to test the knowledge I learned in my first year, but unlike striking out and finding land on my own, it allowed me the safety net of an inexpensive lease, access to equipment, infrastructure that was already in place, and most importantly, the continued support of the farm manager and the opportunity to go through the farm school curriculum again with a new perspective and sense of investment. As someone who hopes to contribute to the revitalization of small-scale sustainable farming, it was also invaluable to be able to work with the incoming group of first-year students and watch them learn, while also putting my knowledge to the test by practicing the skill of passing it along to others."