northland sheep dairy seeking apprentice for 2018 season.

Northland Sheep Dairy in Marathon NY are seeking a teamster apprentice for the 2018 season. Northland is the oldest continuously operating sheep dairy in the United States. Their farm operates in a traditional pastoral style, making sheep milk cheeses seasonally from their small flock of 100% grass fed ewes. Their cheeses are truly handmade in small batches from their own raw sheep milk. They use organic lamb rennet and cave age all of their own cheeses. The work on the farm is done with draft horses and mules and they pay homage to these great work partners. They also offer 100% grass fed lamb  seasonally and sheepskins and wool products.

To apply for the position or to find out more, contact Donn Hewes by email: tripletree@frontiernet.net or phone: 607-849-4442.

apprenticeships in regenerative ranching and farming

credit: Quivira coalition/Cobblestone Ranch

The Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program (NAP) is partnering with skilled ranchers and farmers to offer apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture. Together, they create opportunities for full-immersion learning from expert practitioners. This program is designed to support the next generation of food producers and targets those with a sincere commitment to life at the intersection of conservation and regenerative agriculture. NAP mentors are dedicated stewards of the land; they practice regenerative methods of food or fiber production, provide excellent animal care, and are skilled and enthusiastic teachers. 

inspiring apprenticeship model on common hands farm philmont, ny

We share the following apprenticeship program as much for the potential apprentices as we do for all the farms out there who either run or would someday like to host apprenticeship programs. Common Hands Farm, a 150-acre biodynamic CSA farm in New York’s Hudson Valley, has a unique three-part internship broken up by Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons. The uncompensated spring block leans heavily on classroom and practical instruction in biodynamic farming; the stipended summer block focuses on practical work experience on the farm; and the fall specialization program allows apprentices to take on responsibility and projects of their own direction around the farm with the potential to transition into paid staff.

Full program description is included below the break. Application information is available at the very bottom of the page.

apprentice on a regenerative ranch

Apprenticeships in Regenerative Ranching and Farming

Offered through The Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program on partner ranches and farms in New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, and California

The Quivira Coalition’s New Agrarian Program (NAP) partners with skilled ranchers and farmers to offer annual apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture. Together, we create opportunities for comprehensive, full-immersion experiential learning from expert practitioners in professional settings. This program is designed to support the next generation of food producers and specifically targets first-career professionals with a sincere commitment to life at the intersection of conservation and regenerative agriculture. NAP mentors are dedicated stewards of the land; they practice intentional, regenerative methods of food or fiber production, provide excellent animal care, and are skilled and enthusiastic teachers.

In 2017, we are offering seven paid apprenticeship opportunities including:

• San Juan Ranch (Saguache, CO): San Juan Ranch is a certified organic, grass-fed beef ranch operated by George Whitten and Julie Sullivan. The apprenticeship curriculum includes Holistic Management, low-stress animal husbandry,

maine dairy: eight generations and counting

Meet Your Farmer – Tide Mill Farm from Pull-Start Pictures on Vimeo, featuring Aaron Bell and Carly DelSignore and their four children. Aaron is the 8th generation of the Bell family that has lived on Tide Mill Farm, where they now raise chickens, pigs, dairy cows, and beef, along with two acres of mixed vegetables. They are also featured in the critically-acclaimed documentary Betting the Farm, a film about a milk marketing-coop they formed with other Maine dairy farmers.

Word on the street is that they’re hiring for their apprentice program too! Learn more about that here.

indispensable new guidebook for farms offering apprenticeship program

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There are two things that it is important for you to know before I say the following sentence: 1.the subject at hand is one that I have considered at great length and that is enormously near and dear to me hear; 2. bomb-diggity is not a phrase that I use lightly. Keeping that in mind, the Quivira Coalition’s new guidebook on agricultural apprenticeships is unequivocally the bomb-diggity. First of all, the PDF is free (though you can order a hard copy for $30). Secondly, unlike a few other guides and databases out there, the Quiviera Coalition’s publication speaks more to the would-be-farming mentors than to potential apprentices. Complete with a thoughtful foreword and introduction, teary-eye-inducing essays on what it means to be a mentor, a collection of case studies of apprenticeship programs in the US, and thoroughly useful appendices, it gets our “must read” stamp of approval for farmers and apprentices alike.

The agricultural apprenticeship sits simultaneously as one of the most beloved and also one of the most contentious institutions in new American sustainable agriculture. Almost every young farmer I know has done at least one apprenticeship. It acts as entryway, proving ground, and foundational base for careers in agriculture. However, at the same time, the past few years have seen debates over fairness and legality of apprenticeships on farms. Are they exploitative of workers? Do they place an undue and uncompensated burden on the farm?

One has to commit to the idea of practical education both for the apprentice and yourself. Remember, you are learning at least as much as the person you are teaching, just at different levels.

These people will:

• Pester you with endless questions
• Break your shovel handles
• Burn up your clutch
• Spoil your dog

  They will also:

• Give you their heart and soul
• Make you a much better manager
• Teach you how to turn anger into teachable moments
• Add to your life in ways that will astonish you.”

  – George Whitten, San Juan Ranch and NAP mentor

It is our belief that candid conversations and a defined set of standards within our community are necessary to foster apprenticeship programs that are mutually beneficial to farm, farmer, and apprentice. We need clear expectations, clear goals, and a lot of love for each other  in order to ensure that the knowledge this movement has gleaned over the last half century is passed down to, built upon, and carefully stewarded by the next generation. To this end, the Quivira Coalition has taken a large step: their guidebook should become a time-honored resource.

In their own words:

Effecting change at a systemic level requires widespread participation and dedicated effort, and yet none of us need singlehandedly change the world. By growing a strongly collaborative network of small, regional programs at work within their own communities and by learning from one another, we can make a significant difference for ranchers and farmers throughout the country. Our hope is that this guidebook will serve as a catalyst to develop this national network of people committed to agricultural apprenticeships and to growing the next generation of ranchers and farmers.

canada: stewards of irreplaceable lands (SOIL) seeks apprentices!

SOIL links Canadian farmers willing to take on and train apprentices with folks wanting to work and learn on an organic farm using sustainable practices. We aim to facilitate apprenticeships which transfer lasting knowledge to both the farmer and the apprentice. Established in 1989 as a non-profit organization, our goals are:

• To encourage the growth of sustainable agriculture in Canada
• To expose potential apprentices to a rural lifestyle. For those with little or no farming experience an apprenticeship can offer a valuable hands on learning environment in which to acquire the basic skills or even provide the basis for an agricultural career.
• To assist the farmer with the necessary support required to successfully run their organic operation. The farmers and farm community can also benefit greatly from the influx of new ideas, energy and enthusiasm of apprentices.

SOIL acts as a directory that links farm-hosts and prospective apprentices. All listings are submitted to this site by farm employers. Stewards of Irreplaceable Land makes no claims of any kind about content, accuracy, suitability, intent, comprehensiveness, or availability of positions. SOIL makes no representations or guarantees about positions listed on its website and is not responsible for safety, wages, working conditions, or other aspects of employment. It is the responsibility of prospective apprentices to take all necessary precautions when interviewing for or accepting positions, and he/she is solely responsible for obtaining necessary information concerning the employers, using caution and common sense. It is the responsibility of host farms to be aware of federal and provincial labour laws related to hiring apprentices and for apprentice training for full on-farm health and safety. SOIL provides the listing only as a public service, and the listings do not imply any recommendation by the organization.

Please feel free to contact them with any questions using the form on their website, or by emailing soilapprenticeships@gmail.com.

grange school applications due feb 20!

It’s no secret that we love the Grange School. We’re here to remind you that applications for their Spring term, which starts in April, are due in by Feb. 20. And, as any farmer can tell you, cold as it may be right now, the summer semester is right around the corner!

CALL FOR APPLICANTS:

The Grange Farm School is looking for a special kind of student. You think holistically rather than in parts. You see the importance of asking high quality questions. You are innovative, ambitious, persistent, and collaborative. You want to be part of the new face of agriculture that will transform our world for the better.

Our 14 week residential, Student Program offers you the tools and confidence to manage a successful agricultural enterprise, whether in farming, ranching, or related fields. You will live and work on a beautiful 5,000 acre ranch with diverse vegetables, grains, fruit trees, and livestock. Guest instructors and staff members provide a comprehensive curriculum in business management, industrial arts, animal husbandry, soil and ecology, and crop production, supported by an understanding of the theory and history of our food systems. You will leave with hands-on practical experience, and a framework for thinking outside the box, creative decision making, and communication that improves your business planning, community networking, and relationship building .

Grange Farm School programs are designed for practical people who are ready to make a difference in the real world. Students with a desire to enter a career in agriculture equipped with essential skills, knowledge, and resources. Students who want to be among the million new farmers, ranchers, and small businesses this country needs in order to transform agriculture through creative and profitable enterprises.

Grange Farm School is part of the movement to make that happen. Are you ready to join? Then take the next step by contacting us at info@grangefarmschool.org or visiting our website: www.grangefarmschool.org OR blog: www.grangefarmschool.wordpress.com

amazing apprenticeship opportunity/project in appalachia (kentucky)

The Plowshares mission is to encourage innovation in family-farm scale food production. Through this work, Plowshares aims to address vulnerabilities in the food system which are exacerbated by climate change.

We undertake this work through
-agricultural education
-biologically intelligent, profitable, food production projects on our own acreage

-high quality research and technical assistance for other landholders in the Appalachian corridor.

We have two spaces left in the cabin on our homestead site at this time. Contact us if you are interested to come learn about our project and we can talk about your individual situation and the options open at the farm/homestead for the time. Click HERE to learn more!

Apprentice Opportunity, Downeast Maine

Sacred Bough Farm is seeking a summer apprentice to help out on our growing permaculture farmstead in Downeast Maine. We live at the site of an old granite quarry; a very unique and beautiful environment hosting a
diversity of species. We have 22 acres of mostly wooded land and are creating a permaculture eden with a forest garden and medicinal herb focus. Currently we grow an organic veggie garden with small greenhouse, a small collection of trees, berry, and nut bushes (the foundation of our food forest), and several organic, perennial flower beds. We have a flock of 13 laying pullets and will be getting Icelandic chicks and dairy goats this spring. We hope to add bees, ducks, meat rabbits, and a farm collie to the mix this year.