The Farm School at Ridgewood Ranch
We are now accepting applications for our 2026 Farm School.
The SAA 13-Week Farm School is a wide-ranging introduction to methods developed and adapted for ecologically informed production of vegetables, fruits and grains, herbs and livestock. The program immerses you in the everyday work and life of farms and farmers, through a work-learn program. Students are paid for their work on the farms. Farm tours, focused on what makes small-scale farming productive and resilient, enlarge your experience of actual farming. Two days of coursework complement and fill out this experience with discussion and classes led by local experts.
Coursework, farm tours and hands-on farm experience are meant to help you address practical questions about how to meet the challenges of the 21st century on the land and in our local communities — how to build soil and conserve water, make way for wildlife and reap the benefits of ecological diversity, offer nutritious food to our communities while providing for ourselves as well — in short, learning the arts and occasional science of small-scale production.
We also put special emphasis on creating a healthy work environment, building leadership, and practicing communications skills.
The educational focus is hands-on, with lab work, experimentation, fieldwork, and demonstrations to “show” rather than “tell.” There will be plenty of opportunity for reading and discussion about what you’re learning and the challenges we face as a society. And we will do all we can to provide resources for you to pursue your special interests. Students may choose to stay on for a fall “capstone” project, working with a mentor to explore a particular topic or project.
Our aim is to give you the fullest possible introduction to living on the land and in harmony with the land and provide you with the skills you need to realize your dreams.
This year’s session starts June 1st and runs thru August 28th.
Costs and financial aid
The Program costs us approximately $4,500 per student to run, including room and board. We want to guarantee entry to any qualified candidate and will work with you to meet expenses through help with fund raising, our scholarship fund, or other arrangements. For example, stipends earned on farms during the program can contribute to a good part of your tuition and fees. If you anticipate you will need financial aid, please attach a letter to your application below outlining your needs.
The capstone option will cost an additional $500 a month for lodging and learning fees. Scholarships are available only for the main program.
Dates to Remember
This year’s session starts June 1st, runs to August 28th, 2026
- Early Admission Application Deadline: 1/20/2025
- Early Admission Decisions: 2/6/2025
- Regular Application Deadline: 4/1/2025
- Admission Decisions: 4/10/2025
- Scholarship Decisions: 4/17/2025
- Deposits Due: 5/1/2025
- Move In Date: 5/31/2025
Or read on for more details….
Classes
Each week includes 2 days of classes and group discussions. Core courses include Farming Systems, The Real Economics of Farming, The Future is Rural, and To Start A Farm.
Day 2 introduces more specialized topics, such as:
- soil ecology
- irrigation and water conservation
- crop planning
- seed selection, planting, transplanting
- animal husbandry and pasture management
- medicinal herbs production and preparation
- getting a living on the land
- building community and conviviality
- and practical skills like carpentry, electrical work, and plumbing.
You may also pursue independent study with a mentor or your work-learn host on such topics as no-till vegetable production, regenerative farming, biointensive gardening, the biodynamic method, orchard management, small-scale dairy, livestock production, grain production, wool and fiber arts, or permaculture. And you may apply to stay on up through the end of November to develop a capstone project around some special interest.
Field Trips
One day each week is dedicated to field trips and tours to a wide variety of farms and food operations, providing a direct example of how real farmers, ranchers and food workers meet the challenges of our time.
Our field trips can take you as far afield as Singing Frogs Farm in Sonoma County, noted for owners Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser’s intensive no-till production. Or the O’Neil family’s Happy Day Farm in northern Mendocino County, where farmer Casey O’Neil has devoted years to perfecting the integration of cannabis and vegetable production, using traditional organic methods of soil management and water conservation. Or the Mendocino Grain Project, where owner Rachel Britten grows heirloom grains, threshes and cleans her own grain and that of local producers, and produces and distributes flour and other food staples for local markets.
Meals and Housing
5 days a week students cook meals together in an outdoor kitchen stocked with staples and farm fresh produce, meat and eggs from local sources, including the School’s lead farm, Black Dog Farm, and the Mendocino Grain Project. Students who live elsewhere in the area are encouraged to participate in common meals and the discussions that go with them. Our Student Life Coordinator will get you started on using the kitchen, sharing roles, and setting up a schedule for preparing meals and chores. Special requests will be honored (within reason), and the kitchen routine can be adjusted to meet special dietary needs. Students will pack lunches for their days off-site at work-learn farms and the farm tours.
Each student will live in one of our simple cabins, furnished with bed, dresser and desk. There is electricity to the cabins, and they are in reach of the wi-fi on campus. Two showers are attached to the student kitchen at the top of the knoll.
What You Will Find at Farm School
A working ranch with multiple market gardens and livestock operations, a therapeutic riding program, a charter school, and miles of trails through oak savannah, redwoods, and mixed conifer forest.
- A vibrant community devoted to maintaining and restoring this beautiful land. The Ranch community’s Dining Hall doubles as an important conference site for farm-related gatherings.
- A “community within the community” of fellow learners.
- A committed group of farmers and educators who bring to bear real life experience on the questions you raise about farming, land stewardship, and rural life skills.
A Diverse Community
We reflect the vibrant diversity of Mendocino County. SAA welcomes white and black, Indigenous, Hispanic and Asian, working class and middles class, straight and queer, immigrant and US born to live and work together, sharing our strengths and supporting one another as we learn new skills and new ways of living with the land on which all alike depend.
About Ridgewood Ranch
The School is located on the 5,000-acre Ridgewood Ranch, 6 miles south of Willits, CA. The valley and hills that now comprise the Ranch have been home to a variety of inhabitants over the years, including Northern Pomo people, sheep and cattle ranchers, racing horse moguls, and loggers. It was famously the home of the racehorse Seabiscuit. Since the 1960’s it has been owned and operated by the Golden Rule Association, who host a number of non-profit organizations as well as the School, and a small, thriving community of members and others. The valley that contains Ridgewood Ranch is full of natural beauty and peace.
The Farm School Campus
The School campus includes a 1920s house that currently serves for staff housing and occasional meetings; an outdoor kitchen and bathhouse; a gazebo that serves as both outdoor dining area and classroom; a small office and separate reading room; and a workshop. Farm School student housing and classroom spaces are situated in a rustic, outdoor setting, with all the challenges and joys that living close to nature bring. The School of Adaptive Agriculture’s farm, orchard and our “incubator farms“, as well as two other market gardens and livestock operations, are located close by.
Recreational Opportunities
There is plenty of hiking on Ridgewood Ranch and picnicking at the Redwood Grove. You can go for a swim in the pond above the Ranch. The town of Willits nearby features a lively arts, theater and music scene, and there are movie theaters in both Willits and Ukiah. The coast is a good hour’s drive away, but it is spectacular and well worth the drive, with lots to explore and lots of good food, much of it sourced locally.
We welcome visitors. If you are interested in visiting, please contact us here.