Job: Apprenticeship with the Farm at Locusts, 2013

Job: 5 Month Apprenticeship with the Farm at Locusts, Staatsburg, NY (near Rhinebeck), 2013 The farm is a small, diversified farm located on the Hudson River in Staatsburg, New York.  Products: vegetables, herbs, eggs, meat and honey for restaurants locally and in the New York City. The Farm at Locusts is looking for an apprentice to begin as soon as possible. Apprentices learn all aspects of managing the fields and pastures.  They host lectures and discussions for apprentices that cover a curriculum that focuses on topics related to agriculture and mindfulness.  Apprentices also have the option to participate in CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training).

Tweet

Vegetables, Greens and Herbs
They grow vegetables on three acres intensively, year-round.  Management begins by focusing on the balancing of plant mineral nutrients, using appropriate tillage, utilizing cover crops, and biological inoculants. They also produce specialty greens, flowers and herbs on a separate one-acre plot.

Livestock
Animals graze and forage on 20 acres of pasture/woodland and are rotated frequently. They raise laying hens, donkeys, pigs and bees.  All apprentices alternate livestock chores each week. Chores include: feeding and watering, moving fencing and shelters, egg collection and cleaning, transporting animals for processing, cleaning equipment, building infrastructure and monitoring animal health.

Some of what Apprentices will have the opportunity to learn:

• Processing, Harvesting and Marketing to Restaurants
• Propagation, of Vegetables, Flowers, Herbs and Sprouts
• Direct Seeding and Transplanting Complete Mineral Balancing and the Application of Soil Amendments
• Cover Crop Management
• The use of Compost and Biological Inoculants
• Crop Rotation and Planting Schedules
• Managing Seasonal Harvest Loads
• Four Season Growing: Season Extension, Greenhouses, Coldframes, Low Tunnels and Variety Selection
• Animal Care
• Pasture Rotation
• General Farm Carpentry

Expectations:

A positive attitude, good communication skills, punctuality, flexibility, intellectual curiosity and a strong work ethic are all prerequisite.

Apprentices are expected to work a 50-hour week during the high season and a 30-hour week in the low season.

Exchange:
They offer regular classes, a daily meditation session, housing, partial board and a stipend of $800/month.