CLASSES- 175 Classes to choose from!

Click on our class description booklet to find all of this year’s amazing classes!

Class Descriptions

Meet Some of our Amazing Instructors

Allen and Barbara Miller

grew up in old order Amish Families in the mid-west and shared a deep and natural love of farming. Through grit and determination, they tried a number of different farming ventures from mink farming to pig farming but were never able to make a living.

After 20 years of owning a successful manufacture business they now own 82 acres near Clear Lake in Skagit County, Washington and are now farming to their hearts content. Find inspiration in their journey, as hard work does pay off.

“I think almost all farmers farm, because they truly love it.” Allen Miller

Tara & Brennan Van Loo                      

Shared Roots Orchard is a small farm in Bow, WA, which incorporates trees and livestock into an integrated and productive farm ecosystem. Brennan and Tara Van Loo purchased their 15 acre farm in 2013 while both teaching full time. In 2015 they began planting the nut orchard and started their sheep flock. Since then, they have grown their sheep flock to 9 ewes and expanded the nut orchard to 3 acres of chestnuts and hazelnuts. While parenting two small children and maintaining their part time teaching jobs, they continue to slowly nurture and grow their farm ecosystem. One of their core values is health: of the soil, the farm ecosystem, trees, pasture and sheep, which ultimately leads to the health of those who eat from their farm. Their farm model and decisions are guided by a regenerative lens that seeks first to heal and improve the soil and productivity of the land.

Rachael C. Witt

Rachael is a clinical community herbalist, gardener, and teacher. She is the founder of Wildness Within; an herbal business that offers plant-focused classes and workshops, hand-made products and herbal consultations. Rachael is dedicated to simple, seasonal living with land and teaching people hands-on-earth skills. She lives and stewards the Highlands Homestead in Duvall, WA. Find more at  www.WildnessWithinLiving.com

Thomas Bulthuis

Thomas earned his Master’s in Environmental Resource Management from the University of Essex, focusing on the community and environmental benefits of ecologically sound habitat corridors in semi-urban and rural landscapes. This was preceded by a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies.

He spent a year on a Washington Conservation Corps field crew implementing riparian restoration projects and managing noxious weed populations in King County, followed by a second term where he worked closely with King County professional staff to help design and manage restoration projects for several Washington Conservation Corps crews.

Tamila Morgan

Tamila Morgan, a graduate of the University of Washington, conducted innovative field research on bumblebees in the Canadian Rockies during her undergraduate years. Afterward, she trained and worked as a commercial pilot and flight instructor before taking a break to raise their family. Tamila is the founder of the Stilly Valley Bee Collective, where she mentors members, and conducts classes. She operates her own queen breeding program through grafting and honing her instrumental insemination skills. Tamila’s treatment-free bee stock thrives on a small farm in the Pacific Northwest. She is a Certified Master Beekeeper from the University of Montana and is currently participating in the new Commercial Beekeeping program. Tamila teaches at UM’s Beekeeping Summer Field Days.

Dr. Craig McConnel

Craig McConnel grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm in central Idaho.  He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University in 2002. Following an internship in ruminant medicine at the University of Sydney, he completed a Master of Veterinary Clinical Studies. Craig’s research interests led him to Colorado State University where he completed a PhD exploring the epidemiology of adult dairy cow mortality on Colorado dairies.  In 2010, he joined the staff of Charles Sturt University’s School of Animal and Veterinary Science in Wagga Wagga, Australia, as a Lecturer in Ruminant Health.  Craig returned to Colorado State University in 2013 as an Assistant Professor in Dairy Population Health Management where he provided clinical instruction in dairy field service, and oversight of elective rotations in dairy production medicine and herd health assessments.  In 2016, Craig moved to Washington State University as an Assistant Professor in Veterinary Medicine Extension.  He is the course coordinator for Veterinary Epidemiology and continues to pursue his varied research interests including efforts to develop more effective classification strategies for dairy cow removals, and to more fully understand the ecology of E. coliO157 on dairies, the influence of calf housing strategies on lifetime performance, and the impact of dairy cow diseases on animal well-being and associated economic opportunity costs.

Dr. Elizabeth Hardy

Dr. Hardy grew up outside of St. Louis Missouri and completed her undergraduate degree at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. She spent time after graduation working on conservation research on leopards in South Africa and then took a job working with sheep at Colorado State University until applying to veterinary school. She graduated from Western University of Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine in California in 2011 and spent some time studying alpacas in Peru.
Dr. Hardy worked as a mixed animal veterinarian at Woodinville Veterinary Hospital from 2011-2017 and has enjoyed working with a wide variety of animals and visiting small local farms. She enjoys working with the community, while providing education and sparking interest in small hobby farms. She particularly enjoys working with small ruminants (goats, sheep), ducks, pigs, and camelids (llamas, alpacas).

Ryan Gelwicks

Ryan grew up on a small farm in Whatcom County where they raised cattle for milk and beef. After majoring in environmental science at Western Washington University he spent a couple of years working for the WSDA and Snohomish Conservation District before coming to Skagit CD in 2023 where he is a farm planner who works to help dairies and other small farms to manage their natural resources. When Ryan is off the clock, you will find him playing baseball, climbing, sailing or spending time at home with his partner, dog, and cat.

Craig Romano

Craig Romano is one of the most prolific trails writers in the Northwest having penned more than two dozen books covering the region. He has hiked more than 35,000 miles in Washington State alone.  He is also an avid runner and has completed more than 40 marathons and ultra runs including the challenging Cuyamaca 100K.

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