Internship Opportunity at New York Farm

Internship Opportunity at New York Farm, 2012 Location: Gallupville, Schoharie County, New York Type: 37 hours/week, Internship Compensation:  $ 7.25/hr plus farm produce, Location and description: Fox Creek Farm is located in Gallupville, Schoharie County, New York, about 30 miles SW of Albany. The farm operates as a CSA and has about 250 members for 2012. We grow vegetables and grow organically. Annually, we plant approximately 8 acres. In order to make this work, we need more help – for an intern, this would be a great opportunity to learn about our operation: hands on vegetable production, but also about business aspects of running a small, successful family farm. Since 2006, the farm has been the only source of income for our family. Our website is www.foxcreekfarmcsa.com Fox Creek Farm is a small family farm in beautiful upstate New York. The farmers and their six year old daughter live on the farm and the available intern housing is pleasant and only five minutes away in the small town of Gallupville. During a typical day there will be only us, the intern, some childcare and another employee. The intern, therefore, must be able to not only fit in and do their share of the work, but be independent and ready to spend time on their own after the workday is over. We are a CSA and members and friends typically invite our intern on outings and there is the city of Albany nearby that hosts many events in the summer, etc., but the intern should still be ready for a limited social setting. The family needs some time to themselves each day. With that said, we have a lot to offer the right person in the way of how we’ve made this farm succeed, as well as how we are learning from mistakes and challenges. The intern will be very much involved with most aspects of the farming operation from propagation to harvest and marketing. The more inquisitive he/she is, the better, and there’s plenty of opportunity to share insights as we work across from each other daily. During the internship, we assume the intern will use the experience to start their own farm someday.

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What is expected or desired:

We are looking for an intern who is strongly considering farming as a way of life. Since we compensate our workers and interns quite reasonably, we expect a ‘can-do’ attitude from all. Since housing is offered off farm in the village of Gallupville, you will need transportation. Work involves at times heavy lifting (about 50 lbs). Daily work involves taking care of vegetables (propagation, planting, thinning, weeding, harvesting), as well as serving our CSA members. We work 5 days a week, 7:30 to 4:00.

Housing, payment, mentorship:

Mentorship: Together, we will develop a suitable training/intern plan, that meets the needs of both the farm and the intern. Please know that we are predominantly a vegetable operation. As such, we would like to share our knowledge of propagation, transplanting, irrigation, cultivation, high-tunnel management, harvest and post harvest handling of crops, and cover cropping, among other integral parts of the farm. We are a small family farm: you will be working mostly with the farmers directly.

Over the duration of the internship, we would like to see the intern develop professionally, for example by developing leadership skills and becoming more efficient.

Aside from the fieldwork, we also would like to share information about the business part of our farm: farm planning, marketing, budgets, business plans, and bookkeeping.

Stipend: NYS minimum wage (currently $ 7.25/hr) plus farm produce as described under ‘meals’, 37 hours/week with 3 unpaid hours for instruction. We may ask you to work more (for example, to help on harvest days for the broilers), but will compensate with time-off. For interns that stay the full period, there will be a mandatory 1 week unpaid vacation around the middle of the internship, as well as two unpaid long weekends.

Housing and food: We do not have housing available on the farm, but we make a furnished single-occupancy house in Gallupville available for rent to our intern. Rent is $ 350 per month, of which the farm will pay $ 150. A small security deposit is required for the rental. We do not provide meals, but will make farm produce available, as well as a dozen eggs/week and 1 broiler/month.

Instructions on how to apply:

First, please visit our website (www.foxcreekfarmcsa.com) for more information on our farm. We invite you to take a look at our newsletters, too! If you would like to apply, please complete the application form you can find in the ‘employment’ section of the website, and please indicate you are looking for an internship position! This position remains available until filled. Please send in your application, or if you wish, give us a call to address your questions (518) 872-2375, between 8AM and 8PM EST, please – alternatively, send us an email with your questions: foxcreekfarmcsa@earthlink.net

Please note, we ask the prospective intern to come to the farm before making a decision. Meeting each other, seeing the scale and location of the farm, seeing the housing and answering any questions they have will be essential to making sure it is a good match for everyone.