Family Food Producer Program

 The Family Food Producer Program is a 12-month educational and mentorship program created by The Local Exchange to help West Virginia families scale their gardens, livestock operations, and home food systems into productive, resilient homesteads and small farm businesses.

Building on the success of our Organic Gardening Program, this advanced-level program is designed for families who already have some experience with gardening, raising livestock, or food preservation and are ready to expand their skills, reduce grocery costs, and create opportunities for supplemental income.

Participants will learn how to produce a significant portion of their household food supply while developing practical skills to market and sell surplus products through local outlets such as the Local Exchange Market and cottage food businesses.

The program is built around five core pillars:

Learn regenerative gardening, soil health, seed starting, season extension, high tunnel production, and livestock management. Participants will explore systems for raising chickens, rabbits, goats, and sheep while integrating animals into healthy, productive soil-building systems.

Gain practical knowledge about humane livestock handling, egg production, milk management, and small-scale meat processing.

Master food preservation techniques including water bath canning, pressure canning, dehydration, freezing, fermentation, and long-term food storage systems.

Develop meal planning, scratch cooking, food storage, and record-keeping systems that help families maximize the value of what they produce.

Learn branding, pricing, marketing, social media, product photography, website basics, and local market sales strategies to turn excess production into income.

• 12 monthly hands-on workshops 
• Year-round mentorship and support 
• Private online community 
• One-on-one coaching opportunities 
• Business and marketing training 
• Professional farm and product photography 
• Educational books and resources 
• Access to local agricultural experts and partner organizations

This program is ideal for families who:

• Already garden or raise small livestock 
• Want to produce more of their own food 
• Are interested in reducing household food costs 
• Want to preserve and store food more effectively 
• Hope to sell surplus products locally 
• Are ready to move beyond hobby production into a more intentional homestead or small farm enterprise/business 

Graduates of our other programs are especially encouraged to apply.

Applications for the inaugural Family Food Producer Program cohort are expected to open in late fall 2026.

Together, we're growing stronger families, thriving homesteads, new small business and a more resilient local food system for West Virginia.