Two Farming Internships in Goshen, NY on Harmony Farm

Posted on March 28, 2012 by in Internships // 0 Comments

Two Farming Internships in Goshen, NY on Harmony Farm

Position Starts: Anytime after May 1st.

Positions Available: 2

Duration: Minimum 3 months, preference given to those who can commit to longer stays.

Compensation: $500/month stipend; free housing at the onsite

Location: Goshen, NY

Harmony Farm is located in the gently rolling hills of the famous farming region of Goshen, NY--an area with rich cultural community and abundant natural beauty. It is located in the heart of Orange County, twenty minutes from the historic and artistic towns of Warwick and Sugar Loaf; and twenty minutes from the city of Middletown—from which trains and buses connect to the New York Metropolitan area.The Orange County Heritage Trail, a pleasant flat route that connects the local village of Goshen with the town of Monroe, borders the farm. The local farming community is multigenerational and well-established, and this location makes it an ideal place to network and make new connections in the “field.”

Harmony Farm is seeking two full-time interns who can commit to learning and implementing all types of vegetable farm work. An intern’s tasks will include field preparation, mowing, weeding, transplanting, compost maintenance, harvesting, packing, CSA dropoff and distribution, irrigation system maintenance, as well as some bookkeeping. The work-week is currently 5 days, Monday-Friday. But as our CSA season picks up, the work-week will extend to 6 days, with Sundays off.

Compensation: $500/month stipend; free housing at the onsite and beautiful Empowerment Center, this includes all utilities incl. wireless internet access, shared bathroom w/tub, laundry and kitchen facilities, it is located on a 150-acre parcel of forests and farmland with lots of nature trails and opportunities for hiking/exploring; and lots of fresh produce. There will be a couple of weekends in the summer during which the space inhabited by the interns must be available to the programs renting the center—interns will be given these weekends off from work, or Harmony Farm will find you alternate housing for those days. A variety of knowledgeable people are involved with the Harmony Farm community, and can offer valuable educational experiences in Master Gardening, beekeeping, and other skills. We will also work with your college to accredit this internship (if possible.) The farmer will be present and available to answer and educate interns about all facets of farm-work.

If you do not wish to live in the Center, a travel stipend can be provided. However, affordable local housing options are very limited.

A valid license is necessary, and a personal vehicle (while not essential) is strongly preferred, for interns’ own sake. While there may be some opportunities for ride-sharing and car-pooling, interns should be aware that public transit is quite limited, and the closest grocery store is a 10-minute drive away (only 3 miles/20 minutes by bicycle, though)

Some tractor experience would be helpful, but is not absolutely necessary. Some farming or gardening experience is preferred; experience with physical labor is required. Some experience with Excel for bookkeeping would be helpful as well. The ideal candidate is: eager to learn and work; not employed elsewhere during the growing season; tidy; (the Center and the Farm are shared spaces—it is extremely important that our interns clean up after themselves and maintain a clean space) creative; hardworking; responsible; personally-accountable; and a team player.

Please send a cover letter, resume and at least 2 references to harmonyfarmcsa@yahoo.com. In your cover letter, please be sure to address the requirements as outlined above and elaborate on how you, specifically, are well-suited to fulfill them.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the positions are filled.