Farm Education Apprentices, Jewish Farm School, NY

Jewish Farm School, located in Putnam Valley, NY is hiring Farm Education Apprentices for the 2012 farming season. They are an environmental education organization whose mission is to practice and promote sustainable agriculture and to support food systems rooted in justice and Jewish traditions.  They train Jewish farmers, educators, and food justice activists, as well as inspire and support Jewish agricultural education experiences for the broader Jewish community. They are looking to hire 6 Farm Education Apprentices from April 16 to October 15. The Farm Education Apprentices are involved in a multidisciplinary program where they are both farm staff and farm educators. They will work directly with our farm manager and farm educators to participate in all aspects of the 2 acre farm: seeding, greenhouse production, soil preparation and amending, composting, cultivating, harvesting, weeding, animal care, fruit and orchard management, and tractor work. Since our farm is only in its third season, apprentices will also have the opportunity to create and develop new facets of the farm, such as helping us start beekeeping, build grape arbors and orchards, expand flower production, research and implement alternative composting methods, or other ideas. During summer camp, apprentices will lead a variety of farm-based activities and educational programs for campers of all ages, while also assisting in maintaining the daily operations of the farm, and various agricultural projects around camp. When camp is not in session, Jewish Farm School and Eden Village Camp run a variety of educational programs on the site and the farm, including Sunday farm volunteer days, a fall harvest festival coinciding with Sukkot, and other skills workshops.  Apprentices will be the farm educators for all of these programs.

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Apprentice Learning Opportunities:

• Weekly seminars in organic, small scale agriculture.
• Trainings in Jewish environmental education, including the Teva Seminar.
• Participation in the Hudson Valley C.R.A.F.T. Program, a network  for young organic farmers.
• Participation in various on-site workshops, such as natural building and herbal medicine.
• Field trips to various organic and educational farms in the area.

Ideal candidates will:

• Be hard working
• Be able to complete tasks in a timely manner regardless of the weather
• Be flexible, positive members of a team and community
• Show timeliness and attention to detail
• Work creatively to solve problems
• Be able to develop new educational programs and farm infrastructure
• Be familiar with the sustainable agriculture and food justice movements

Experimental curiosity is encouraged!  Extensive experience is not necessary, just an eagerness to learn about small-scale, sustainable farming and Jewish agricultural education!  Farming is a continuous learning process through which we meet new challenges each day, learn from our experiences, and create new and exciting methods and programs!

To Apply: 

Complete the form on the Jobs page, and click here to complete the full application on the Eden Village Camp website.