Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship in Michigan

Tweet

Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship in Michigan at Tollgate Farm, Part of the Michigan State University Extension System – 2021

MSUE Tollgate Farm is located on 160 acres in Novi, MI and includes pasture, hay fields, 40 acres of forest, a conference center and educational facilities. The sustainable agriculture field totals seven acres with three under cultivation as well as a heated greenhouse for transplant production and four caterpillar tunnels. We grow more than forty different vegetables for sale to our 200+ member CSA, farm stand and local restaurants. Embracing organic growing methods and progressive growing techniques, our production strives to push the boundaries of sustainable agriculture.

We are hiring 2 Beginner Farmer Apprentices to join our team this season! This is an intensive introduction into small-scale vegetable production to prepare participants with the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to begin their own operation. Apprentices will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the farm, including planting, weeding, harvesting and processing the produce. CSA distribution and market stands will also be operated by the apprentices. At the end of the season, the apprentices will have an excellent handle on the operation of the farm and dedicated participants would be qualified for a manager position. As part of the program, apprentices will engage with textual and online material. These more formal learning opportunities will connect the hands-on technical training to larger concepts necessary to understand the operation of a farm. More information about our program at Tollgate Farm can be found here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/tollgate/sustainable-ag/

Schedule: Apprentices work five days/per week, Monday-Friday. Occasional weekend work required, but the schedule would flex to accommodate it. Apprentices are guaranteed 40 hours a week; 8am-5pm with an hour for lunch. The apprenticeship runs from May 17 to October 29, 2021.

Compensation: Apprentices receive an hourly wage of $12, and unlimited produce from the farm. At this time, we are unable to provide housing.

To Apply for the Sustainable Agriculture Apprenticeship in Michigan

Applications will only be accepted through the MSU Careers website: https://careers.msu.edu/…/504564/extension-program-worker

Deadline: February 1, 2021

MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status.

 

• Learn more about farming and food jobs and internships, or learn how to post a job, internship, or apprenticeship opportunity on beginningfarmers.org here.