Farm Internship on Wisconsin Homestead

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A farm internship is available in southwest Wisconsin on a 40 acre homestead in a remote and hilly area for 2013. The owners of this farm have been living off the land and harvesting, storing and savoring their food, for the past 40 years, using principles from formidable pioneers in the art of sustainable living such as Helen and Scott Nearing, Elliot Coleman, John Jeavons and Michael Pollan. This homestead is heated with wood and has solar water heating. The owners seven children are grown. One son who is a chef that concentrates on preparing locally grown foods, and his family also make their home on this farm. Both of the owners are in their early sixties and are looking for a young person to share the work and joys of growing food and living sustainably.

Interns will have the opportunity to learn: To hand milk and care for a family cow; To put up hay using hand raking methods; To make cheese, butter and yogurt; To grow most vegetables using the raised bed bio-intensive method; To cultivate and maintain berry plantings; To prune, cultivate and maintain a small orchard; To press apple cider and make apple cider reduction and vinegar; To start seedlings using the soil blocker method; To can, freeze and dry most fruits and vegetables; To make salsas, jams, wines, and herbal tinctures; To make naturally fermented pickles and beverages; To harvest fire wood and care for woodland areas; To cook gourmet meals from locally grown products; To bake sourdough breads; To build buildings from local stone using the Nearing slip form method; To collect sap and boil maple syrup

Applicants must be willing to work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. References and in person interview and background check are required. No experience is required, but applicants must be able to do hard physical labor. Applicants will be working directly with one or both owners of the farm. Own transportation is preferable, but not required. The closest town is 9 miles away over hilly roads.

Private room and meals consisting mainly of farm grown produce, meat and dairy are provided. Some income may be availalbe to interns who are willing to take farm products to farmers market

 To learn more about this internship and/or to apply please call Gretchen at 608-532-6365