Regenerative Farming Education
Objective #2: Enhance education in ecological farming and wellness through community workshops, trainings, and school programs.
Regenerative Farming offers connection to the land and each other in our home ecosystem.
Rugged Roots Farm is our farm-classroom. We use every opportunity to educate students and community members about sound, sustainable, and place-based growing methods. Our goal is to empower folks to grow their own food in our mountainous climate. We offer education programs for all ages through hands-on and immersive instruction.
Current Farming Education Programs:
Nutrition and farming education through partnerships with Plumas County agencies
Plumas Charter School’s Career Technical Education—Agricultural Pathway
“A garden is a nursery for nurturing connection, the soil for cultivation of practical reverence. And its power goes far beyond the garden gate—once you develop a relationship with a little patch of earth, it becomes a seed itself.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
Lost Sierra Food Project is a proud Farm to School partner.
Since April 2023, the Lost Sierra Food Project has been working in partnership with Plumas Unified School District, Plumas Charter School, and the Feather River Food System Collaborative to bring farm to school activities to Plumas County. LSFP is a recipient of two Farm to School Incubator Grants for food producers from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. In 2025, LSFP plans to upgrade infrastructure with the goal of increasing key crop production for PUSD while continuing to support cafeteria managers in incorporating that produce into their meals.
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Over the course of the 2024 season, the Lost Sierra Food Project sold $956 of produce to PUSD nutrition services. This included 14 bunches of kale, 57 lbs of cucumber, 40 lbs of zucchini and 85 pints of strawberries from Rugged Roots farm that were processed by PUSD cafeteria staff and distributed directly to students at PUSD and PCS across the county.
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In 2024, 435 TK-5th grade PUSD and PCS students visited Rugged Roots farm on field trips where students not only toured the farm but participated in farm chores- they sowed sunflower seeds, planted garlic, transplanted strawberry runners, and gleaned flowers to donate to patients at the hospital. Students also spent free time in the farms ‘kid zone’ designed to spark creative and culinary learning.
PUSD food service staff members toured Rugged Roots farm and met with farm staff to discuss ways Lost Sierra Food Project can better support their incorporation of local, fresh produce into school meals.
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Produce grown on Rugged Roots farm was featured at the Feather River Food System Collaboratives “Try it Thursdays” events at school cafeterias across Plumas County with the goal of exposing kids to farm-fresh produce alongside produce from 2 other Plumas County farms. Try it Thursdays is one of the many activities supported by the Track 2 CDFA Farm to School grant and is organized by PUSD Nutrition Services Supervisor, Tracy Darue and Cait McCloske of the Feather River Food System Collaborative.
Support regenerative agriculture!
Help us raise funds for regenerative ag projects in Plumas County.
LSFP is fundraising to support our regenerative agriculture implementation and education programs. By donating, you’re supporting the expansion of agriculture practices which benefits the soil, watershed and people of Plumas County! Consider making your donation monthly for the most impact.
Thank you for your support!
