Local Farming Wisdom Goes Global: Verge to Broadcast Joel Salatin’s First-Ever Livestream Course Around the World

When sustainable agriculture superstar Joel Salatin agreed to come teach for us, we knew we had to make it count. Joel’s message of reclaiming farming and food production has been so influential to us, and to like-minded people around the world, that we knew his three days of workshops in Alberta, Canada weren’t going to be enough.

So we decided to offer up his dirt-under-the-fingernails wisdom and lunatic farmer passion beyond the classroom – opening the doors to students 50 or 5,000 miles away with his first-ever live-streamed appearance.

You know as well as we do that there are some live-streaming events that have you staring for hours at a talking head against a plain background droning on and on, blah blah blah, till your eyelids are drooping with boredom and any value in the content is drowned out by the sound of your snores…

But, because this is a first trial-run for our long-range plans for live-streaming workshops, we’re going all-out. We are going to offer as much of the full workshop experience as we can possibly manage.

We’ve hired a professional production company: two videographers, one audio guy/gal, a lead technical coordinator, and a chat moderator…that is, a full technical team, plus equipment (cameras/lighting, computer streaming hardware, etc). So, you’ll see dynamic, changing camera views as Joel paces, faces off, and gesticulates… audience pans and closeup shots of audience reactions…and of course, full views of all his slides. You’ll be able to send in your questions to Joel and hear him respond to them as time allows…and you’ll even be able to interact online with the on-site and other off-site participants!

To use live-stream technology to spread knowledge beyond the normal geographic limits of an on-site training is one thing, but to build the solidarity of the beyond-organic farming movement is quite another. So we got creative and invited our students to think bigger – and they did…

How You Can Use This Course to Build Community and Even Make Money!

Why not make it a community event, and jump-start those ideas and inspirations with group energy right from the get-go?

For the cost of just one registration, Joel’s message can inform and inspire your friends, church, school, or neighborhood association… your garden club or CSA… even your business.

Yes, you read that right: it will cost no more to educate your organization or community than it would cost to watch this live-streaming training all by yourself. We even know of organizations that are using this training as a fundraising event, charging a low registration fee to cover the cost of their one ticket, and taking everything over that as pure profit.

Not sure what this would look like?

The Carrie Murray Nature Center in Baltimore, Maryland took our idea and ran with it. Click here to read how The Friends of Carrie Murray saw the opportunity not only for a wildly successful fundraiser, but also for a community-building event that could create real, sustainable change in the City of Baltimore.

And now for the fine print…

Of course, there is a small limitation… to get that group synergy, a group needs to be in one place, seeing the live-stream together from one computer. That’s all! They can be cozily clustered around your laptop, or sitting in a conference hall seeing the training projected onto a large screen – one registration gives access to one computer, no more.

Within those limits – a group’s participants will be able to take part fully in the training, interacting with Joel and the High River classes and asking questions via the chat feed provided for the group. At the same time, they’ll be building the base of local, shared experience, networking, brainstorming and mutual feedback and support that’s so critical to community-building…

Of course, when it’s all over, you’ll be able to download the video files and save them for future viewings whenever and wherever you want. So if you end up with a technical internet problem, need to step out, or miss some of the presentation for whatever reason, you can rest assured that you’ll be able to catch what you missed later on.

We’re pretty passionate about giving you every incentive to become a change agent for your community. When you put the cost of the training in this perspective, it becomes a very small investment, easily regained, toward long-term local sustainable self-sufficiency, food security, and resiliency….

Find out more, and register, here!