Winter trainings bring shared learning and cooperation

With the days starting to get longer, I am reminded of how soon the HAFA Farm will open. Coordinating the farmer trainings during these winter months has shown me how critical it is for farmers of all ages and backgrounds to pursue community and knowledge with other growers. On top of this, many of the trainings have a “train the trainer” model. This means that HAFA farmer trainings are just as much as a learning experience for the trainer as it is for the farmers.

We’ve had a lot of familiar faces show up to most all our trainings. The consistent attendance of over 12 farm families has been a source of inspiration to me. As a non-Hmong speaker, I have been fascinated by how well the trainings have been translated by Pakou, Janssen, and Yao. One trainer even made her power point presentation in Hmong.

The farmers have been very helpful teaching me basic Hmong words so I can attempt “Hmonglish”, which is always appreciated. Getting to know the farmers on a more personal level helps facilitate trust and better understanding between different cultures. Most of the farmers are actually tri-lingual. The most common languages HAFA farmers understand are Hmong, Thai, Lao, and English.

An exciting development that spurred from the trainings has been the cooperative purchasing efforts. For example, HAFA members have come together to amass an order of potato seed for 11,000 pounds for example. This type of purchasing power will enable HAFA growers further opportunities to get better price points for inputs such as seeds, mulch, compost, field totes, and supplies for market

I’m looking forward to finishing out the trainings for the year, from Understanding Cooperative Farming and Farmers Marketing Tactics and Banner Creation to Perennials for The HAFA Farm and Organic Farming Best Practices.