– We Have Hosted Over 100 PDC Courses –
And they have been wonderful!
These were 8-9 day trainings with pre-training webinars.
And… we plan on delivering more in the coming years,
but for 2026 we are offering something wonderfully different.
- Less time away from home for you.
- The price of this certification course will be less expensive.
- And we believe you will receive TWICE the learning experience.
HOW?
STEP #1
Enroll in our
Online PDC Course ($695)
($495 without certificate)
…and take all the time you need or want to really dig into the content of the course. This is 5-star course we have been working on for almost 20 years. It is loaded and a powerful learning experience in itself. You can also join us for one of our 9-week support/review zoom series if you’d like a bit of structure while learning with other students including Bill and Milton. The real benefit here in comparison is that when we deliver a PDC Course in person we end up spending most of our time in class in order to cover the full curriculum. But the one overwhelming comment by students at the end of these courses is “we wish we had more hands-on time outside.”
‘STEP #2
Take Our New
‘Extended Weekend Hands-on Training’ ($695)
…and get the opportunity to see what 20-years of applied permaculture has produced here at Midwest Permaculture. Over 4-days we will take a close look at 16 different project areas where you will be able look under the hood, kick the tires and ask any question you might have. There will also be some optional hands-on opportunities such as planting a guild, digging a rain-garden or swale, taking a ‘perc’ test and propagating some plants. Curious how to build and use an A-frame, how a laser level works, techniques for using a broad fork, or what a keyline plow looks like as it is pulled through the ground? You will be exposed to all this and so much more while you are here.
Together, we are confident these two trainings will give students twice the learning experience while also saving them over $500.
Our 8-9 day in-person trainings are $1,895 and theses two trainings together come to only $1,390.
Join us May 28-31… or… Sept. 24-27
Extended Weekend Hands-on Training
And to be clear, these are both Stand Alone training experiences.
There is no requirement to take one or both of these, nor in any particular order. You can come for the extended weekend bonanza and maybe afterwards you’ll decide to take the Online PDC course. Or take the Online PDC and then decide to join us for an extended weekend sometime later.
Regardless, we are confident that these two trainings combined, offer the most powerful permaculture learning experience we have created yet.
- 8-Days On one-of-the-most 'Permacultured Sites' in the U.S. - This is a Rare Opportunity
- Training Led by Bill Wilson of MWP (Over 100 PDCs)
- Key Teaching Segments Hosted by Skilled and Experienced Dancing Rabbit Residents
- The Full Internationally Recognized 72-Hour Permaculture Design Course (PDC) Curriculum with Certificate
- All Meals (Mostly Organic and Locally Grown)
- Free Camping Sites (BYO tent/bag) - Some Natural Building Accommodations for Rent Onsite
- Post-Training Study Resources for Continued Learning
- Begin Study Any Time (even now) with the required Pre-Training Webinar Series
In this 3-minute video you will meet Prairie Johnson who took our PDC Course with her mother and sister just a few days after they moved into Dancing Rabbit. You will get a good feel for what Dancing Rabbit is like and who lives there. Prairie was our youngest PDC Graduate at the time (age 14) and was a wonderful addition to the course.
… and each one is a little more detailed than the last as the village’s permaculture design features have increased in number and maturity.
Just a Reminder…this course is Complete. Read on to learn how it was organized and delivered.
How Does This All Work and Progress?
Step 1
Register for the PDC Course.
Reserve your spot in the training with a deposit. Our upper limit is 24 students so registering early is a good idea. Shortly after registration, students receive a welcome email from us linking them to the Foundations of Permaculture Webinar series which begins this educational journey.
Step 2
Listen to All 11 Webinars in the Pre-Training Series
The webinar series is a 12-hour treasure trove of information and exposure to some amazing people who have incorporated permaculture principles and practices into real life situations. Take notes if it helps you learn but these are not required. Listening to the webinars is a requirement and an important first step of the course, so do make the time.
Step 3
Join Bill & Milton Just Before the Course in Two Live Webinars over Zoom
Live Webinar 1: Tues. June 3rd – 7:00-8:30pm
Live Webinar 2: Tues. June 10th – 7:00-8:30pm
In webinar #1 we will discuss the content of the Foundations of Permaculture Webinar Series that students received at the time of registration. Students should come prepared to share some of the highlights that really hit home for them. Following this live webinar, we will link you to an additional webinar (about 2-hours of content) which will be discussed in live webinar #2 on the 10th. Both of these webinar sessions will be recorded should you have to miss either. These are not fluff sessions. They are an important part of the content of the course.
Step 4
8 Amazing Days at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage
Price: $1795
$1595
Early Bird Discount Until 4/13
Groups (Families, Couples, Friends)
Some Key Items Covered
Earthworks
- Swales
- Keyline Design & Plow
- Rain Gardens
- Spillways
- Ponds
Water Harvesting
- First Flush Systems
- Cisterns
- Rainwater Tanks
- French Drains
- Drywells
Soil Building
- Soil Structure
- Organic Matter
- Life in the Soil
- Fertility without Fertilizers
Plants and Guilds
- Increasing Photosynthesis
- Power of Polycultures
- Plant Layers
- Designing Food Forests, Orchards and Guilds
- Propagation
Food Production Systems
- Creative Gardening
- Self-Watering Beds
- Season Extenders
- Food Storage
- Community Projects
Humane Use of Animals
- Quality of Life
- Full Expression
- Creatively Use Their Behavior
- Increase Whole Farm Fertility
- Honorably Harvest
Alternatives to Alternative Energy
- Conservation
- Biogas
- Earth-air Tubes
- Thermal Mass
- Wood Gasification
Natural Building
- Recycled Materials
- Stem Walls
- Cob – Clay Slip – Waddle-&-Daub – Cordwood – Super Adobe – More…
- Light vs. Insulation vs. Thermal Mass
Aquaculture-Aquaponics
- Pond Basics
- Layering in the Water
- Maximize Food Production
- Minimize Water Use
- New Possibilities in our Oceans
Community Building
- 4-Fires of Group Work
- Clear Agreements
- Eat Together – Work Together – Play Together
- Personal Responsibility
- Emotional Maturity
Learn to Design
- How to find publicly available site data on almost any property
- Clear step-by-step instruction on what to design first, second, and so forth.
- Stacking functional elements to maximize effectiveness and efficiency.
- Easy digital software for making simple, clear and professional looking design maps
...And lots, lots more.
If you have a family member or friend who would also like to take this course, we offer a $300 discount off the full $1795 price for this additional person and any more friends or family members who join you. This brings the price down to $1495. This is what we refer to as a group registration. And if the first person registers during the early registration period, they save $200 ($1595). This price includes all course materials, the early webinars, and 8-days at Dancing Rabbit with meals.
Should My Spouse/Partner/Close Friend/Family Member take the course with me?
If there is someone(s) who is intimately involved in whatever project you are undertaking, our students have repeatedly told us that it really made a difference when all parties involved took the PDC together.
Going through one of our PDC courses tends to create a mind and heart shift in most people that cannot be transferred by conversation later on to others. Most people leaving the course never look at land the same way, and the concepts and ideas they now have can be fundamentally different than when they began. How does one explain this to their loved one(s)?
All we can tell you is that most people experience an inner shift by the conclusion of the training and to be able to experience this with those you will be working closely with is priceless. If there is anyway the other(s) involved with your project can join you, we, and most all of our students, highly recommend it.
We offer a 33% discount to students who have already earned their PDC Certification from another recognized teacher (from anywhere in the world) who wish to take one of our courses as a refresher. Please call or email us for details.
Additional Details
Friday arrival with a 4pm tour, dinner and evening intros is a bonus, recommended, but optional. The actual course begins at 9am on Saturday. From there, you can see we have 8 very-full days that follow. Please note: Because we break up the days with videos, exercises, discussions and more, students enjoy going into the evenings without feeling fatigued.
- Breakfast 7:15
- Class 8:15
- Lunch Break 12:15
- Class 2:00
- Dinner Break 5:00
- Class 7:00
- End 9:00
“Bill, I was concerned coming in that I would not be able to learn anything by the evening sessions. Not so. With the long meal breaks and the way that you and your team kept the material so interesting, I was fully engaged all day. Great job. I didn’t want the week to end.”
About 4 weeks before the on-site training begins, students will receive more information concerning what to pack, when and where to arrive and other details. No big surprises here. Just the usual stuff.
Students who complete this design course will receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’ from Midwest Permaculture, which in the permaculture tradition, allows them to use the word ‘permaculture’ in the promotion of their work or business. Graduates may offer workshops, lectures and design services.
Participation in a final design project is a requirement of earning the certificate. We typically divide students up into groups of 2-4 persons, all working on one of the student’s own design projects.
Want to work on your Own Design Project?
Depending upon the number of students with projects, it is likely your project could be selected or you will be able to work on a project very similar to yours. If you want your project to be considered, bring the following:
- A written list of your current goals and/or vision for your property
- A sketch or aerial photo with key features and property lines clearly noted
- Noted 'problem areas', underground or overhead utilities, downspout locations, septic field, etc.
- A list of dominant plant species that are currently on the property (does not have to be exhaustive)
Our instructors determine the final design project selection, but students’ preferences are strongly considered.
Students who have completed a Midwest Permaculture design certification course (PDC) are then invited to become part of our growing network of graduates. There are 4-ways we work to support our graduates:
- We offer the course at half-price to any graduate who would like to experience the PDC once again.
- We host a private networking page for graduates to stay connected with each other.
- We host 'Office Hours' once a month for help with design questions or just to check in and say hello. Bill is usually in.
Our objective is to support our students for as long as they need it or want it, and to encourage them to support each other.
We would love to have you join us.
The experience of taking a PDC course in person is almost always deeply impactful. As teachers, we feel it is our job to deliver the best quality training we know how to our students, and we take this responsibility seriously. This subject is too brilliant to share in a ho-hum way. We see the course as a journey into wonderment, self-confidence, and endless possibilities.
Thank you for your interest.
-The MWP Team