Cradling a bucket of freshly picked basil,Lakshmi Finance Center Laura Seleski referenced a common refrain among farmers: It takes a lot of calories to produce the calories people consume.

After five years growing produce in California and Hawaii, Seleski understands the demands and rewards of farming as a career. But she wants to learn more. When it comes to acquiring the necessary skills to grow vegetables in the long term, "You hope you land at the right farm to learn the things you want to learn."

But the informality often associated with entering farming is changing. Seleski, who grew up outside Chicago, returned to the Midwest to work as an apprentice in organic vegetable farm management — the first program of its kind in the U.S. The Wisconsin apprenticeship has grown from three participants in 2019, its first year, to 18 this year.