Goats, Greenhouses, Gardening at Free Urban Ag Summit

Free and Open to All

May 31, 2019: 1–4 p.m.
June 1, 2019: 9:30 a.m.–3:50 p.m.
Highline’s main campus, Building 2

From growing herbs and grafting apple trees to keeping goats and chickens in the city, a two-day summit will explore several topics for budding and experienced gardeners alike.

Attendees will find experts, resources and hands-on workshops at the South King County Urban Agriculture Food Summit. Now in its third year, the free summit is open to all who want to make the most of a small urban garden.

The two-day event will feature resource tables with information and activities ranging from small business development to native pollinator habitat. Experts will be available to talk about ideas.

One goal of the summit is to increase awareness and opportunities to develop urban agriculture in a region of King County that is recognized as a food desert.

The event is made possible through the college’s partnerships with organizations such as King Conservation District and is organized by Highline’s Urban Agriculture program.

Goats are an environmentally friendly way to keep blackberry bushes in check on Highline’s campus. They will also be part of the college’s Urban Agriculture Food Summit, where attendees can learn how to keep and milk goats in the city.

Several other businesses and organizations are participating:

Questions?

Bobby Butler: (206) 592-3985, bbutler@highline.edu
Rick Shultz: (206) 592-4117, rshultz@highline.edu

Summit Schedule

All activities are free and open to the public.

Friday, May 31, 2019

1–2:45 p.m.
Herbs 101: Hear an introduction to the benefits of growing and using your own herbs, followed by a demonstration of cooking with herbs.

2:45–4 p.m.
Apple Tree Workshop: Learn how to make your own fruit tree through a process called grafting in this interactive workshop.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

9:30 a.m.
Check in starts.

10–10:50 a.m.
Essential Oils: Learn to use and create them through steam distillation.

11–11:50 a.m.
Native Pollinators: Learn to create and use pollinator habitat with small farm crops.

12–12:50 p.m.
Goats in the City: Learn about keeping and milking goats in the city.

1–1:50 p.m.
Chickens 101: Learn how to keep chickens (and collect the eggs!).

2–2:50 p.m.
Introduction to Greenhouses: Learn the tricks of how to use this urban ag tool.

3–3:50 p.m.
Jobs in Agriculture: Join us for a facilitated discussion.

Urban Agriculture Grows in Des Moines

Highline College student Floribert Mubalama

In October 2016, KING 5 news reported on Highline’s Urban Ag program, featuring student Floribert Mubalama (“Urban Farming Course Helps Refugees in Washington”).

Back in 2015, Highline received a grant to help launch its Urban Agriculture/Food Security program. The two-year, $80,000 grant came from the King Conservation District (KCD) Regional Food System program.

In 2017, Highline received a $76,000 grant from KCD to help launch a project with the City of Des Moines. The college and city are working together to identify and increase the amount of farmable land for use by the college and the community. More farmable land will improve local food security, improve land use, and provide a venue to educate and develop new farmers.