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FARM TEAM

Patrick Mitchell is the Five Keys Schools and Programs Sustainable Agriculture Instructor at Wayside Farm School, and represents the fifth generation of his family to work in American Agriculture. He is the author of two books and more than a dozen peer-reviewed and popular articles.

 

Patrick has 20-plus years’ experience in ecological horticulture and land-based education and has managed public parks and natural areas, resort landscapes, historic sites and horse ranches.

 

For the past decade, Patrick has taken a hands-on role in various market scale farm operations including growing and marketing culinary herbs, citrus, diversified vegetables and specialty crops.  Mr. Mitchell is a scholar of the relationship between nature and culture, and believes deeply in the transformative power of putting one’s hands in the soil.

Miss Owens brings her experiences as a Biodynamic Compost Assistant and Duck Coordinator at Apricot Lane Farms to the Wayside Farm School Program.

 

Her farming background includes:

 

  • Facilitating a large range of composting operations including a large-scale flow through vermicompost bin, static aerated bins, 500 gallon compost tea makers, injection unit and spray equipment

 

  • Manure collection from pastures, record keeping, vermicompost monitoring, turning of compost piles, watering, compost tea quality control and injection, and intensive cleaning of all equipment

 

  • Management of a duck program whose main mission was pest control of orchards, and included orchard rotation, the raising/care and processing of ducks, and egg production for restaurants and organic shops

 

  • Training and management of compost and duck program volunteers and apprentices

Mr. Gutierrez brings over 10 years of agricultural experience at Glen Ivy Farms to the Wayside Farm School Program.

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His background includes:

 

  • Orchard management including the care and pruning of stone fruit, apple and pear trees

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  • Row crop planting and harvesting, garden management, seed purchasing, and irrigation installation

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  • Pest Management, Composting, and Grounds Maintenance

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  • Marketing, sales and relationship building within the Southern California Organic Farming Community

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