Organic Livestock Apprentice Wanted in RI

Posted on February 1, 2021 by Taylor in Animal Husbandry, Apprenticeship, Education, Farming, Livestock // 0 Comments

Organic Livestock Apprentice Wanted at Wild Harmony Farm in Exeter, Rhode Island – 2021

Wild Harmony Farm is seeking a ROCKSTAR Organic Livestock Apprentice to join our hardworking team! The ideal candidate will be a hardy soul, enjoy working outside in all conditions, have a cheerful personality, love to cook farm-fresh meals, thrive living in close quarters with a roommate/co-worker, and take COVID precautions seriously. This is a perfect place for someone looking to dive in, work hard, and learn what it entails to include animals in their future farming endeavors.

Valid driver’s license, ability to drive standard transmission vehicles, a working cell-phone, the ability to lift 50 pounds regularly, and a dedication to physical well-being are hugely desired.

Non-tobacco users are preferred.

Our organic livestock apprentice is a vital part of our farm community.

Wild Harmony Farm is a diverse, certified organic livestock farm in Exeter, RI focused on environmental stewardship, utilizing regenerative farming practices.

We raise 100% grass-fed beef cattle, organic pigs, organic laying hens, organic meat chickens, & organic turkeys. We graze our animals in an intensive rotational system to maximize benefits to the animals’ health and the land, moving fences every day during the grazing season. We sell meat and eggs through a 20-member CSA, on-site farm store, wholesale accounts with restaurants and butcher shops, and the retail app WhatsGood Marketplace which offers home delivery.

Organic Livestock Apprentice Job Description

Our apprentices will be helping with all aspects of animal husbandry, farm upkeep & rotational grazing; as well as dabbling in marketing, retail, and wholesale sales and deliveries. As on any farm, significant time will be spent problem-solving, repairing, constructing, getting dirty, and cleaning. The apprentices will help with social media account contributions as well as educational tours and programs on the farm. We will make every effort to educate and include our apprentices in every task and will tailor the educational opportunities to the desires of the apprentices. We work hard to make this a good place to live and work.

A personal vehicle is a must, as there is no immediate access to public transportation nor are we on a good cycling road. The farm has a Mon.-Fri. workweek with rotating weekend duty shared amongst farm staff.

We are looking for the livestock apprentice to start in February and work through January. Longer-term agreements are possible upon further discussion, as we value the experience acquired while working with us.

There are many things that the Wild Harmony Farm crew does!

Here is a list of SOME of the things we get up to…

Duties include but are not limited to:

Morning and afternoon farm chores
Portable fence setup and breakdown
Assisting in construction projects
Monitoring condition of breeding stock
Castration and ear notching
Egg washing and packing
Repairs and maintenance of farm equipment, tools, structures
Cleaning and organizing common workspaces
Loading and moving animals
Running errands
Driving for sales deliveries
General property landscape upkeep
Weed-whacking, chipping, chainsawing work
Seeding
Tractor operations
Grazing plan implementation
Forage observation
Compost turning and management
Weekend farm coverage (in rotation)
Positive neighbor and contractor relating and communicating
Assisting in occasional administrative work
Collaborative record keeping
Possible on-site farm animal processing
Feeding and training of livestock guardian dogs
Catching and loading chickens
Checking and repairing fence lines

Benefits include:

Private sleeping space on-site in a basic tiny home
Communal kitchen and living space shared with other farm staff
Vegetables from 1/10 acre on-site shared garden space
$200/mo meat & eggs from the farm- $1,000/mo (responsible for off-farm food, and shared propane for hot water and cooking stove)
Occasional off-site educational opportunities; i.e. workshops, farm visits, etc.
30 mins from beaches, Newport, and Providence
Great walking trails on farm and nearby Arcadia