The Art of Mentoring Apprentices

- A conference at Hawthorne Valley Farm, Harlemville, New York, February 12 - 14, 2010.
- by Mark Ross

Several farmers from Ontario attended the 2nd annual Mentoring conference, the fees for which were being generously footed by the Agricultural Section of the School of Spiritual Science. The initiative being explored had to do with the newly formed North American Bio-Dynamic Apprenticehip Program (NABDAP) in response to a need to fructify a training program for apprenticing in Biodynamic farming. By adding more structure & continuity to the relationships between farmers (in their capacities as adult educators) and future-farmers/apprentices (in learning a skill set), the larger purposes could be better achieved in the particulars. All present were genuinely invited to join in the co-creation of something new, while adding to a great amount of work that had already been done. A sense of beginning was clearly in the air.

Sherry Wildefeuer, Chair of the Agriculture Section in North America, reset the stage for the presentation by Spring Valley farmer Mac Mead. As if by fireside, his words would soon warm the room. Kim Barnes (Program Co-ordinator) is compliling a full report, and details will be published in the Fall issue of Stir, the periodical published by the Ontario Bio-Dynamic Society. (Website)