SkyRoot Farm 2021 Internship Description
Farm Description:
SkyRoot Farm is a certified organic farm. We are located on South Whidbey Island where we currently farm 3 acres of vegetables and 12 acres of pasture. We practice regenerative agriculture integrating livestock with our vegetable operation.
Internship Description:
Interns at SkyRoot are involved in all aspects of running a diversified farm operation. We believe that our internship provides a good understanding of what goes into running a successful vegetable farm and the opportunity to gain proficiency in a variety of farming skills. Most learning is hands-on, with many opportunities for questions and discussion. Interns will often be working alongside the farm owners. We also have weekly education sessions, often revolving around a farming book of interest to the team, and occasional field trips. Vegetable production is the economic mainstay of the farm operation and is where interns will spend most of their time.
Generally farm work will focus on vegetable care which includes: weeding, planting, soil care, harvesting, market preparation, and the logistics of a CSA program and other vegetable sales outlets. Animal management includes ensuring that animals have food and water, setting up temporary pastures, collecting and cleaning eggs, and manure management. Currently we have goats, chickens, and ducks on the farm, and we anticipate goat kidding in April. The farm raises between 100-300 meat chickens in the summer and interns will help in the care and harvest of these birds. Orchard care consists of planting, pruning, mowing, mulching, insect monitoring and harvesting. General skills such as tool use and care and basic plumbing and carpentry are integrated into other farm tasks.
We believe that a valuable piece of what we offer interns is training in how to work efficiently and quickly. The mastery of field tasks is essential to running a successful farm. Interns should anticipate that farm work is repetitive and that learning happens through repeated practice, and they will receive instruction and feedback to help them achieve a rapid pace of work.
Preferred candidates will have:
The ability to lift ~40 lbs, experience working outdoors, knowledge of plants and/or livestock, curiosity, observational skills, good attitude, strong communication skills, and a clear articulation of how an internship at SkyRoot will further their goals. Previous experience working on a market farm is also desirable.
Start Date:
Flexible – Ideally between March 1st and April 15
Salary and Compensation:
SkyRoot Farm offers a generous compensation package including a monthly stipend of $1200/month, room and board in a shared home, access to barn gym facility and vacation time during the season. Interns are legally hired through the Washington State Farm Internship Program and thus eligible for workers compensation if injury occurs.
Further information:
Education is a high priority at SkyRoot and we tailor each year’s training to the interests of the interns on the farm through the books we choose and the opportunity to take on projects. Mentoring in business management and bookkeeping are an option for interested interns as well; we are very open about how we run our business.
We work very hard during the farm season, and we know that that work can only be sustained with attention to self-awareness and self-care. We try to achieve this by setting boundaries around our workday (we almost always end the day at 5 PM) and by providing vacation time and encouraging its use. We also consider our ongoing learning as humans and our attention to the community space of our farm to be foundational to our work of producing food. Interns will be expected to participate in some shared meals and other household activities during their time on the farm with the goal of fostering connection and shared support among the residents of the farm. Politics, philosophy, religion, race, and gender are regular topics of discussion, and while we strive to create a safe space for mistakes and learning we believe that learning requires us to confront our discomfort around new and unfamiliar ideas.
To Apply:
Please send resume and cover letter to Eli: wheat@skyrootfarm.com
To receive priority consideration please submit applications by January 18th.
SkyRoot Farm –
Intern Job Description
A certified organic, integrated farm operation on South Whidbey Island seeks interns for the coming 2021 season of farm work.
Job Description:
Interns at SkyRoot will help perform the functions of running a diversified farm operation. Farm duties fall in three main areas: animal management, orchard care, and vegetable production. Vegetable production is the economic mainstay of the farm operation and most of the work will revolve around vegetable-related tasks. These duties include, but are not limited to: weeding, harvesting, planting, soil care and market preparation. Animal management includes caring for a small herd of goats, setting up temporary pastures, feeding chickens, collecting and cleaning eggs, and helping care for other farm animals which may include ducks, cows, or sheep depending on the season. During the year the farm raised between 100-300 meat chickens and interns will help in the care and harvest of these birds. Orchard care consists of planting, pruning, mowing, mulching, insect monitoring and harvesting.
Farm work is piece work – meaning that there are many steps involved in getting a product to market, but in the end the farm makes money off of farm products sold. Thus we encourage employees to work quickly and efficiently. We prioritize efficiency and will work with interns to help them gain mastery in field related tasks – with the goal of getting the job done right, safely and quickly.
Preferred Qualifications:
ability to lift ~40 lbs, experience working on a market farm, knowledge of plants and/or livestock, curiosity, observational skills, good attitude, strong communication skills
Start Date:
Flexible – Ideally between March 15th and May 15th
Salary and Compensation:
SkyRoot Farm offers a generous compensation package including a monthly stipend of $1200/month, room and board in a shared home, access to barn gym facility and vacation time during the season. Interns are legally hired through the Washington State Internship program and thus eligible for workers compensation if injury occurs. As an intern at SkyRoot on farm education is a high priority and consists of weekly meetings gaining farm knowledge, and occasional field trips as well as direct instruction on the ground and in the fields. Interns will learn basic vegetable operation management, farm skills (tool use and care, monitoring systems and basic construction technique). If interns are interested they will also be mentored in the economic/fiscal systems of the farm operation.