Organic Teachers Academy For educators & land conservation professionals

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Whether you teach in a formal classroom, extension workshops, or one-on-one with farmers, you’ll get the tools you need to teach organic and sustainable agriculture in this in-depth professional development opportunity. Download pre-packaged lectures and other materials that suit your needs and teaching style.

Complete all six courses in three years and earn a micro-credential as a certified Sustainable Agriculture Educator or take individual courses for Professional Development.

2024 – Year 1

  • Organic Soils, Nutrients and Composting
  • Sustainable Agriculture; Practices and Issues

2025 – Year 2

  • Organic Livestock and Managed Grazing
  • Organic Field Crops

2026 – Year 3

About your instructor

Valerie Dantoin
Valerie Dantoin
Organic Agriculture Instructor

Valerie Dantoin has been a working organic farmer since 1990. Her family’s Full Circle Farm was recently named “2024 Organic Farm of the Year” by MarbleSeed, at the Midwest’s premier organic conference. The farm was also honored to received the 2024 Leopold Conservation award. The farm was an organic dairy farm for 20 years before diversifying into grass-fed beef, pastured-pork, and chickens, and a 15-acre CSA vegetable farm. Val has a master’s degree in Agronomy from UW-Madison and has developed and taught over 25 courses at NWTC since 2009.

Course Details

sunrise over a farm

Value-Added Foods and Diversified Farms

Value-Added Foods and Diversified Farms (Class 10090140-1)

Food preservation and value-added processing. Explore the rich variety of food preservation methods. Discover how to turn the bounty from your garden, orchard and land into foods you can sell at a premium because you have added value through minimal, safe processing methods and unique recipes. Discover other farm activities to diversify farm income streams.

June 1 - 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Mandatory hour-long, virtual session, to get an overview of topics the courses cover and to understand the course structure in Canvas (learning platform).
June 1 through August 2
Self-paced work to be completed in Canvas.
Wednesday, July 29
In-person lab. Arrive at 10:00 a.m. to complete hands-on activities. Details and location will be included in the class materials. Session ends at 3:30 p.m. Lunch is included.

Learn More and Enroll
A sign directs wedding guests to dinner in the orchard

Food Systems: Food Quality

Food Systems: Food Quality (Class 10090129-1)

Compare traditional food systems (heirloom breeds, grass-fed beef) with modern production, processing, additives, packaging, transportation, marketing, price, distribution, and fast food. Evaluate how these factors influence individual and societal health.

June 1 - 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Mandatory hour-long, virtual session, to get an overview of topics the courses cover and to understand the course structure in Canvas (learning platform).
June 1 through August 2
Self-paced work to be completed in Canvas.
Tuesday, July 28
In-person lab. Arrive at 10:00 a.m. to complete hands-on activities. Details and location will be included int he class materials. Session ends at 3:30 p.m. Lunch is included. 

Learn More and Enroll

Academy Details

These fully funded college courses are offered to you because of a generous grant from an anonymous donor. You will also receive a stipend of $150 per class upon satisfactory completion of each class.

Capacity: Enrollment is limited to the first 25 people who apply

Questions: For information contact Bonnie Willems at bonnie.willems@nwtc.edu.