Old School Farm Organic Farming Internship in Pennsylvania

Old School Farm is a total of 50 acres overall. There are a variety of terrains including: river bottom, pasture, wetlands, woods, moss glades, and two small orchards. The sound of a small creek’s falls flowing behind the house can be heard throughout the year. The view from the farmhouse kitchen and upstairs bedroom overlooks 15 acres of floodplain pasture ending along the meandering Dyberry Creek. The surrounding area is a mixture of wooded hillsides and rolling pastures, populated by local farms, vacation homes, local homes, and summer camps. Old School Farm is located in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

For 2017, Old School Farm will be maintaining our organic vegetable growing areas of over 1 acre. We have five Icelandic sheep with more lambs expected to arrive in late spring 2017. We also have bee hives, a flock of free ranging laying hens, heritage turkeys, and two small orchards. A timber frame/Amish-built barn was completed in 2012; and our Friday Pizza Night/ Music jam sessions that center around the wood-fired earthen oven behind the barn will continue – they were a huge success in 2016. There is also a commercial grade kitchen for interns to use in the barn. Old School Farm’s long term goal for the farm is self-sustainability; operating on its own with zero off farm inputs.

The farm also recently began hosting Friday night wood-fired pizza events utilizing the handmade earthen oven on site. These have become very popular and will become a much bigger focus for the farm in 2017. If you like diversity and experiencing a lot of variety of work and learning opportunities on a small farm in a bucolic location, then Old School farm is a good match

Internship Opportunity:

Old School Farm is looking for three English speaking volunteers who can start work sometime between the middle of May or early June (or possibly sooner) and stay through the summer (at least to August 10th), preferably through the September harvest season. Interns will stay in a newly erected cabin, will have their own outdoor showers, and their own kitchen and lounge area in the barn with wifi. Work day lengths and tasks will vary and include but are not limited to: planting, harvesting, and cleaning vegetables; preparing orders for delivery; weeding; helping to cut and haul firewood; property maintenance (weed whacking fence lines, mowing fields, etc.).

All interns will help with the Friday pizza nights and in the process learn all aspects of wood fired pizza preparation and oven operation. Interns will also have the opportunity to work with the Farm Manager as well as Roger Hill, a veteran organic farmer and soil expert who oversees the fertility of the vegetable plots. Interns will also have the opportunity to meet with other sustainable and organic farmers in the area, go on farm tours, and partake in potluck dinners with the local chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture.

A strong work ethic and the willingness and flexibility to help out with various projects on the farm is key. The farm embraces the work hard – play hard/have fun credo.

Activities available in the area include: hiking, fishing (trout stream borders property), swimming, canoeing, biking, golf, shopping and museums. There is also a movie theater close by and the famous Wayne County Fair. The Coopereage is now also open for live musical entertainment and other social and cultural activities.

All food for meals are provided by the Farm and are typically based around what is available on the farm; however, interns are expected to prepare their own meals in the barn kitchen. Eggs are usually available. Some items not available on farm such as milk, cheese, etc. are purchased by the farm for the use of the interns.

Special Note: Farm Manager, Dave Campeau will be building a small home on one side of the farm and the opportunity exists for someone to assist in this project part time and learn building techniques focused around utilizing local materials.

How to apply:

Potential interns should apply before March 1, 2017 by sending a resume and cover letter to the farm owner, Al Benner at alanbenner@gmail.com; or, by calling the Farm Manager, Dave Campeau at 570-253-1393. After March 1, please call to see if any positions are still available.