A sold-out class of about 15 budding farmers visited the non-profit American River Ranch in Rancho Cordova Saturday and Sunday to learn about small-scale farming. Students paid $150 to attend the two-day, hands-on class, which covered the knowledge needed to plan and run a farm smaller than 20 acres.

The class, titled “Grow Your Groceries,” served one of the farm’s missions, which is to educate the community about how to use its land. The American River Ranch is the 25-acre headquarters for Soil Born Farms Urban Agriculture and Education Project, who hosted the class along with the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. The students were happy to oblige the farm’s mission as they bombarded the farm’s workers with questions and requests for detailed advice all weekend.

Getting people excited about growing their own food is a big part of why the farm holds its classes, said Sean Hagan, who taught the class along with Randy Stannard.

“We’re in an area of the country where the land is so fertile, and we’re shipping in something like 98 percent of our food,” Hagan said.

Though it’s not possible for the population to become completely self-sufficient now, classes like these are a step in the right direction, he said.

If the farm’s mission of creating a local food system is to succeed, it will need good farmers. A good farmer is basically two things: observant and willing to put in the time required, Hagan said.

The students ranged from complete farming beginners to certified master gardeners looking to expand their repertoires. Each student had a vision for a beautiful, bountiful garden or farm somewhere in their life.

One couple, Andy Bucchiere and Marilyn Schiveley, stood looking at the farm’s irrigation system, which feeds off the American River. They said they plan to move to Colorado and start a small farm; the class was very helpful in filling in some of the details.

“This is great,” Schiveley said. “Every little tidbit helps.”

Living at “the epicenter of Sacramento,” Stefan and Akie Fukushige Wenk said they already have a successful garden at their Oak Park home but know there’s room for improvement.

“We are hyper-local,” Stefan said. “We want to buy everything as local as possible.”

Akie, a landscaping architect, said the class was more of a refresher for her, having already taken some farming courses. Although, she considered the class to be more than just a source of information for her.

“It’s inspiring, too,” she said. “We’re getting lots of ideas.”

Another student, Sherman Wong, alternated between a look of rapt attention and thoughtfully placing things down in his notebook as he listened to the teachers. Wong said he wants to grow food for his family because he and his daughter have deficient immune systems. Growing his own food would enable him to know the history of what he was eating to ensure that it wasn’t making his family sick.

The farm wants more people to grow their groceries in their yards, teacher Randy Stannard said.

“We want people to reconnect with the land and where their food comes from.” he said.

For more information on future classes and events, you can consult the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op website or the Soil Born Farms website.