Pathways ForwardA model for how a multi-age homeschool team could grow produce in an NRCS cost-shared high tunnel on a host family's land in Linn County and sell at the Albany Saturday Market. Older members would leave each year and younger ones join, while the team, the tunnel and the market stall keep going. No team has been formed yet; this is a plan to start from.
Oregon's deadline is November 13, 2026, but most families should plan for next year. Oregon NRCS funds high tunnels through EQIP, and the current ranking cutoff is Friday, November 13, 2026. The land must already be producing food sold directly to consumers: NRCS looks for soil that has been prepared and crops planted and tended through a growing season. A host family that already grows and sells produce can contact the Linn County USDA Service Center in Tangent this fall. Everyone else should grow and sell from outdoor beds in 2027, keep records of it, and apply before the next cutoff in fall 2027.
Holds the EQIP contract, the FSA farm record and the land. May qualify as beginning farmers, which brings a higher payment rate and up to 50% paid in advance, covering the cost of building before reimbursement.
A horticulture project club through OSU Extension Linn County. The host parent becomes a 4-H volunteer leader. 4-H supplies structure, record books and youth-program backing. Ask the Extension office about age rules and leader screening.
One adult holds the market membership, any Oregon assumed business name, the liability insurance and any scale and nursery licenses, and runs the booth with the students.
Put a short written host–team agreement in place before applying: land access schedule, irrigation water and who pays for it, who keeps sales proceeds, insurance, and what happens if the family moves during the life of the tunnel contract.
| Ages | Role |
|---|---|
| 5–7 | Seed starting, watering, harvest helpers |
| 8–11 | Planting, weeding, washing and bunching, booth display |
| 12–14 | Crop calendar, soil, irrigation and yield records, pricing research |
| 15–18 | Crew leads, booth sales, bookkeeping, NRCS records, training the next group. Seniors write a handoff notebook before they leave. |
| By Nov 13, 2026 | If the host family already grows and sells produce, contact NRCS at the Linn County USDA Service Center in Tangent before the cutoff. Ask whether the land qualifies and whether the family has an FSA farm/tract number. |
| Fall–winter 2026 | Set up an FSA farm record at the Tangent Service Center (AD-1026, AGI, farm operating plan). Enroll the club with Linn County 4-H and complete leader screening. Register an assumed business name if the team will sell under one. |
| February 2027 | CAFM vendor applications open February 1 (returning vendors are due February 22). Apply as a member vendor, or file a consigner application to sell through the Community Tables. Get the insurance certificate naming CAFM and license the scale. |
| April–November 2027 | Grow outdoor beds and sell on Saturdays (the 2026 season ran from April 18 to November 21). Keep planting, irrigation and sales records. This season shows NRCS the land is in production. |
| Fall 2027 | Apply for EQIP before the next Oregon cutoff. Confirm the date and process with the field office in the summer. |
| After approval | Build the tunnel as a team project. In the Willamette Valley the tunnel keeps rain off tomatoes (the main defense against late blight), adds warmth for heat-loving crops on cool summer nights, and keeps greens coming through the wet months at both ends of the market season. |
| CAFM membership (yearly) | $25 |
| Stall fee, regular space | $32 / market |
| …short space | $30 / market |
| Prepay discount | 5% for 5–8 weeks, 10% for 9 or more |
| November markets | Stall fees half price |
| Community Tables consignment | No membership; ask CAFM about terms |
| Oregon assumed business name | State fee, if used |
| 4-H enrollment | Ask the Extension office |
| Liability insurance | get quote |
| Irrigation (drip line, timer, water) | get quote |
| High tunnel | Paid by EQIP up to a per-tunnel maximum; confirm the Oregon rate with the field office. Budget for the gap between the payment and actual cost. |
Fees are CAFM's 2026 figures for the Albany market; 2027 fees may change.
The garden shows students how useful AI can be, even on a hands-on, non-technical project like this one. Every AI task follows the same three steps: ask a clear question with the local facts included, check the answer against a trusted source or the garden itself, and record what was right and what wasn't. Younger members watch an older student ask the AI a question, then help check the answer in the beds, for example "Is the soil warm enough for beans yet?" Middle members write their own questions for pricing and planting dates. The oldest members plan the season with AI and teach the others how to catch its mistakes. By the time students age out, they have years of practice using AI as a helper whose work always gets checked.
Where it helps
Where people still decide
A role for the 15–18 group: draft the season plan with AI, then check it against Extension guides and what actually grew. Record the results each year so the next group starts with better local data.