Our Practices
Our mission and work are guided by the acknowledgment of our responsibility to care for Earth, its resources, and its life. We work with, rather than simply for, our shared communities. We pull from the wisdom of our ancestors, we tune in to the soil, we observe the messages of plants, and we listen to the call of the animals on the farm. We walk among life and share our energy. These philosophies guide the practices we use to fulfill the mission and vision of KC Farm School.
Inclusive & Welcoming Environment
Our mission statement includes the words: “to empower individuals of all ages, ancestries and abilities.” We are ever striving to be inclusive in our actions, programming and representation. Our staff is provided opportunity to learn best practices in cultural competency, food justice and trauma-informed practices. We actively recruit team members who are reflective of our community and underrepresented in the agriculture field.
The first of our farm agreements is that we say hello to everyone we meet. We practice radical hospitality and welcome our shared communities on-farm, hands-on for a meal, learning, a simple walkabout, regular community events and opportunities to guide the work happening here. We are not doing this work ‘for’ you, we must do it ‘with’ you.
Regenerative & Organic Agriculture
We are committed to caring for the land we steward and the resources the earth provides so we rely upon Indigenous wisdom and practices to build soil, increase biodiversity and protect the water and energy flows on our farm. We are ever learning and growing and are open to community expertise and guidance as to ever better practices. Our practices include: no-till; chemical-free; soil building through cover cropping, perennial integration and rotational planting; carbon sequestration; rainwater harvesting; and animal integration.
Equitable, Circular Economic System
Pay What You’re Able (PWYA)
All of our food and programs are offered using a Pay What You’re Able model because we know that when we all share what we have, we can all have what we need. We will never ask you to provide evidence of financial need.
Food Assistance Programs
We accept SNAP, match with Double Up Food Bucks, and honor Kansas and Missouri Senior Farmers Market Nutrition vouchers. We are pursuing the opportunity to accept WIC and would love to hear about other programs we may not know of yet.
Barter and Trade
Our shared communities are vibrant and abundant with talent, skill, and energy. We are always interested in discussing opportunities to trade abundance. If you have an idea for barter or trade, please reach out.
Closed Loop System
There is no such thing as ‘away.’
Compost
Composting organic matter diverts waste from the landfill, improves soil quality and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We invite the community to share our compost systems including a 3-bin system, vermicompost, Hugelkultur, Johnson-Su bioreactor and windrow to divert organic material away from the landfill and into fertile soil. We are exploring larger community composting options on Common Ground.
Reuse
We invite the community to return plant plastics, donate T-shirt blanks and cardboard for reuse on-farm. Our awesome screen printed shirts are all hand-printed on second-hand shirts diverted from the landfill. Every event we host includes reusable plateware, washable linens and a washing station.
Rainwater Harvesting
2024 will see the addition of rainwater harvesting systems on our farmhouse and high tunnel at Common Ground. As time and resources are available, we will be capturing the water from our greenhouse.