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 Pierce County and sell at the Proctor Farmers Market in Tacoma. 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.
Washington's deadline is December 18, 2026, but most families should plan for next year. Washington NRCS funds high tunnels through EQIP, and the current application cutoff is December 18, 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 Puyallup field office 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 WSU Extension Pierce 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 spot, the Washington business license (UBI number), the liability insurance and any scale and nursery registrations, and runs the booth with the students.
Put a short written host–team agreement in place before applying: land access schedule, 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 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 Dec 18, 2026 | If the host family already grows and sells produce, contact NRCS at the Puyallup USDA Service Center 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 Puyallup Service Center (AD-1026, AGI, farm operating plan). Enroll the club with Pierce County 4-H and complete leader screening. Apply for the Washington business license and UBI number. |
| January–March 2027 | Apply to the Proctor Farmers Market. Get the insurance certificate naming the market and register the scale. Optionally apply to the Tacoma Farmers Market on Broadway, which holds a required new-vendor meeting in March. |
| Late March–December 2027 | Grow outdoor beds and sell at Proctor on Saturdays (the 2025 season ran March 29 to December 20). Keep planting and sales records. This season shows NRCS the land is in production. |
| Fall 2027 | Apply for EQIP before the next Washington cutoff. Confirm the date and process with the field office in the summer. |
| After approval | Build the tunnel as a team project. The tunnel extends the season both ways: heat for summer crops, and dry, protected greens for Proctor's winter market. |
| Proctor application fee (new vendors) | $35 |
| Proctor 10×10 ft stall, no electricity, by the week | $25 |
| …or for the year | $350 |
| Proctor commission on sales | 6% (annual payers: 3% on sales over $1,000); none on days with $100 or less in sales |
| Tacoma Farmers Market (optional) | $35 application, $25 per market day plus 5% of sales; discounts for prepaying the season |
| Washington business license | State fee; see the Business Licensing Service |
| 4-H enrollment | Ask the Extension office |
| Liability insurance ($1 million) | get quote |
| High tunnel | Paid by EQIP up to a per-tunnel maximum; confirm the Washington rate with the field office. Budget for the gap between the payment and actual cost. |
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.