EWF’s latest cohort of Native American interns just attended their first day of our fourth internship. The Organic Farming Internship is being held through April and May in Elderberry Wisdom Farm’s classroom on Thursdays and Fridays, plus we are providing morning and afternoon experiential service learning at Good Rain Farm coordinated by the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District in NE Portland.
This project is a part of EWF’s Native Agriculture Biodiversity Accelerator. On the afternoon of April 6, we were invited to attend a round table discussion with U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary for Rural Development Xochitl Torres Small. EWF received USDA’s Value-Added Planning Grant last year for our Blue Elderberry Farm and its plans to develop organic locally sourced blue elderberry syrup. We were asked to share our thoughts about opportunities and needs in value-added agriculture. The Undersecretary also asked to meet each of our interns. She gave them all a copy of her business card and invited them to contact her if they need assistance in their planning.