Organic Farm Internship

emulkahi1 · #1 01/21/08, 11:50 AM

Hi Everyone....I was kinda excited about this so I wanted to share it w/ ya'll. I just found out that I am going to be spending my summer--or rather from March thru November up in beautiful Whitefish, MT, interning on an organic farm. It should be quite the experience. I went up to see the place and sort of interview a few weeks ago. It was under a couple feet of snow at the time, so it was difficult to really 'see' much of the actual grounds but that was alright. There is an on-site produce stand, acres of fields, a large greenhouse and more. While I was there, the lady that owns the place was going thru her seed inventory, so she had me help her. We took stock of what she had, how old it was, how much she planted last year, and how much needed to be ordered. Then we went through the various magazines (Fedco, Johnny's, High Mowing, Seeds of Change and a few more) comparing the varieties that were available in organic, and their prices so that we could make up the order forms. I was only there for a couple of days and felt like I learned a lot, so I am really looking forward to the education I'll get when I'm there for the entire growing season

.

There will probably be 3 or 4 other interns, and we will go to 3-4 farmers markets a week, man the produce stand, deliver to the area restaurants that buy from the farm and to the 40 person CSA. She'll also help us learn to preserve the harvest (canning, etc) and save seeds as she sells seed to a # of the catalogs and seed banks. We'll also get to observe how she deals w/ the farm's accounting and book keeping and participate in the organic inspections.

She says it's her goal to 'grow farmers' as well as food, and she has a good track record....Many of her former interns now have organic farms and/or large market gardens of their own. There is a lady here in my town that is very interested in getting a community garden going down town, and there has been a lot of interest in that. So it is my goal to learn as much as I can so that I can bring it back here and really hopefully help to get something started in this little community. I'm not so excited about being away from home again (was traveling while working last year, for about 6 months) but I am comforting myself w/ the thought that it is like going away for a couple of semesters of school. I won't get an official degree or anything....But I've gotten so tired of learning everything by trial and error. I am very excited to finally have the chance to have someone that knows what she is doing (she's been at this for 30 yrs) teach me various tried and true methods that honestly work (w/o having to go thru the 40520 methods that DON'T work first). What a concept, lol :baby04:.

If anyone else is interested, I found out about this opportunity on ATTRA's website. Here is the link: http://www.attrainternships.ncat.org/. You can click on your state (or province if you're in Canada) and a list of the farms in that state that are looking for volunteers and/or interns comes up. Many offer housing and living stipends, which helps.

Anyway, I'd better get busy here. I hope you're all doing well and staying warm (a balmy -6 F here right now brrr).

Erin

jenofthewoods · #2 01/21/08, 12:32 PM

congrats sounds like fun. I helped out with a small CSA in my area last year and absolutely loved it. you will learn so much. be sure to take a small notebook that will fit in your jeans pocket and a pen everywhere you go so you can take notes. That really helped me out a lot. It was a small mom and pop family farm and one of the sons helped and the daughter sold eggs and helped at the farmers market. I helped plant and start seedlings and learned a lot from them. they were very nice. I wish I could have spent more time with them but at the time my "real job" kept me busy so i only got to visit and help on the weekends.
Good luck and learn a lot and report back to us on what you learned.
Thanks Jen

Beltane · #3 01/21/08, 12:51 PM

That sounds wonderful! I'm sure you'll enjoy it and learn quite a bit.

What a great opportunity.

meanwhile · #4 01/21/08, 01:54 PM

Wow! Thanks for the interesting link. Wish I could have a few interns around here! Have a great trip and learn lots.

emulkahi1 · #5 01/21/08, 07:58 PM

Meanwhile--Yeah. I stumbled on the link by accident and was amazed at all of the resources on the site. I don't know what it takes to get involved w/ having interns on one's own farm, but I read a # of listings for MT that seemed like smaller scale operations that just needed an extra set of hands or 2. In exchange for their work, the intern gets a hands on education. Some of the ads listed tents as the principle means of summer shelter. I am happy that I will have a little one room cabin, but many just had rooms w/in the main house listed as "accommodations."

And yep, I am gonna be sure to take lots of notes. DH gave me one of those little digital voice recorders. So I am thinking I will wear it around my neck or something so that I can just hit the button whenever good info seems to be being said....then later, when I'm back in my cabin, I can take notes on it. It is just a thought...don't know how workable that will be when we're actually out there working.

Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and well wishes. I'll definitely let you know how it goes!!

Erin

emulkahi1 · #6 08/04/08, 11:51 PM

Just thought I'd post a quick update. I am back early from my internship at Terrapin Farm. It was supposed to run from March - November, but it became apparent after the season started that the woman that owned the place was the sort that relieved her own stress and pressures by taking them out on those around her. Namely her interns. It was a ridiculous situation that was in no way sustainable so I bid it an early adieu...as have other interns, year after year after year. After I left, I stuck around the valley for another couple of months though, working/volunteering at a couple other farms in that area. I am so glad that I did because I learned a lot and was able to see that it is possible to farm AND be positive all at the same time. LOL (a novel concept at the other place

). I guess I wanted to write to tell anyone else that is thinking of doing something similar to definitely (definitely) get some non-biased references for the place that you are going before you commit months of your life to a place. It IS a wonderful way to learn, but just think....an employer (including the lady that owns Terrapin) asks for references for you. It is as important for YOU to get an idea of the sort of place that you are going to. Seems obvious to me now, w/ the benefit of hindsight, but I was so eager before-hand that I didn't even think of it. This farm's reputation is well known around the town in which it's in (Whitefish, MT), and knowing this ahead of time definitely would have had me finding a different place in which to immerse myself.

All is well though. I am happy to be home early as I will now have the chance to get a cover crop planted on the plot of ground that will be my new garden area. Hopefully it will do some good growing before frost.....

I just wanted to post to give some feedback on my experience, in case it might help someone else end up in a place that actually facilitates learning about farming (rather than verbal abuse....

).

Erin

WisJim · #7 08/05/08, 08:12 AM

Too bad that your initial experience wasn't the greatest. I get to meet a lot of interns because we have a number of friends who have CSAs or organic farms, and we occassionaly see them at summer parties, pot lucks or events in the area. I have been impressed with the number of young folks who either are working as interns, plan to do it the following summer, or have worked as interns and now have their own farm, that I have met at the annual Organic Farming Conference in LaCrosse, WI every February.

I'm glad that you realize that not all farms are like the one you started on!

OldWest · #8 03/24/11, 03:45 PM

Hello emulkahi

My name is Toby and I have been wanting to do a farm internship near Glacier (I love the outdoors as well as growing food). I was really thinking about Terrapin Farm, with Judy Owsowitz. Is that the place that you left early? I've been doing a lot of googling of the place (that's how I found your old post) and there seems to be some positive reviews, so I was interested to hear more about your experience. You say it happened year after year? I guess I just want to know more before I make any final decisions, or leave my current job. That's a good point about getting references for the place. Makes sense. I had to give references for every job I've ever gotten. Just didn't think about asking for them for a place where I was going to work. Anyway, thanks for posting this. Hope to hear from you.

Toby

emulkahi1 · #9 03/24/11, 04:24 PM

Holy cow, Toby. Seeing this post again is like a blast from the past

. Glad you wrote though. Yes, the place that I left early was the very same Terrapin Farm you described, owned by Judy. And yes, after I left with another intern, we heard from a multitude of sources that our experience at the farm was far from unique (unfortunately). Interns had quit the year before. And, I ended up being in touch with several that were there the year after me, and I think almost the whole crew quit that year too. I know a good chunk of it did anyway. Everyone gives the same reasons...seems to have almost precisely the same experiences and trials....so I know it wasn't just a personality conflict that existed the year I was there. I've also seen some of the positive reviews of the place online, and am mystified, given how consistent the stories I've heard were with my own. But, to each their own I guess. My advice would be to contact them for feedback too. The more info you can gather, the better. But I would strongly caution you to keep my experience in the back of your mind, and to definitely, definitely GET a list of references for the place (other than the ones Judy gives you herself). You want to know what you're getting yourself into before showing up there.

Anyway, I don't want to go into too much detail here, so I'll message you with more info. Hope this is helpful.

emulkahi1 · #10 03/24/11, 05:03 PM

Toby--Something else I wanted to add. When you do get in touch with references, come up with a list of very specific questions about what your life at the farm will be like. What are the hours you will be expected to work each day/week? Did the apprentices get paid as promised? Were they allowed their promised days off, and meal breaks at fair intervals? What time did they get to eat dinner each night? Were they able to get to sleep for a reasonable number of hours/night? Did they feel the farmer treated them with respect? Was their learning experience a quality one? Did you ever get yelled at? Did you ever witness anyone else get yelled at while you or they were working?

The more specific you can be with your questions, the more you will understand what the 8 months of time you'll spend there will be. You are, after all, giving up almost an entire year of your earning potential, so do your best not to be impulsive with choosing your final destination. Having the answers to the above questions can make a BIG impact on your choice. Any place that's awesome (as many, many farms are) should not have a problem answering them. Don't ignore little nagging doubts about a place. If you're feeling unsure, keep asking questions, or just keep looking. There are plenty of terrific farms--even in the Whitefish area still--so there's no reason to limit yourself to a place that you don't feel solid about.