Job description

About our Farm: 
Live Power Community Farm is a 30-year old horse-powered CSA farm using biodynamic practices. The farm is 40 acres, with 4 acres planted in a vegetable garden each year. The garden harvest is shared by 200 families in San Francisco and Mendocino County, who receive a weekly supply of fresh vegetables throughout the 30-week growing season between May and November. The garden is a combination of raised beds and row crops. While soil preparation and some cultivation are done with the horses, there is a good deal of hand work in the garden as well. We start all of our own seedlings in soil that we make ourselves, and we generate our own fertility through compost and extensive use of cover crops. We lease an additional 40 acres which contribute to pasture and hay production. The farm produces its own hay and uses intensive rotational grazing for our six draft horses, a small herd of beef cows, and a flock of sheep. We keep a dairy cow and a flock of hens for our own eggs and dairy, and we raise feeder pigs each year. We also maintain a small orchard of apples, pears, peaches, and plums, and there is a wood-fired bread oven for those interested in baking. A 13-kw photovoltaic (PV) system provides much of our electrical power.

We also host 7-10 school classes of 3rd and 6th graders each year. During their three-day stay on the farm, the children participate in all aspects of life on the farm, including plowing with the horses, shearing sheep, and making compost. Live Power also hosts various workshops and field days throughout the year. 

Abut the Apprenticeship:
Live Power has a long history of commitment to education. We have worked with apprentices for nearly 30 years, providing young farmers with the opportunity to learn the skills they need to operate a successful, sustainable farm. The majority of the learning takes place through the hands-on work itself, and through the discussions that take place while working in the field. We hold a weekly organizational meeting that include the apprentices and head farmers. Evening study groups focusing on a specific text are also possible. Apprentices may attend the quarterly meetings of the Biodynamic Association of Northern California, and are invited to seek out other educational opportunities outside of the farm, including workshops and visits to other farms.

Commitment: March-December 2013

Skills Desired: We prefer to work with apprentices who have at least one season of farming experience and who are committed to pursuing a career in agriculture. We are also seeking experienced journeyman farmers to join us in longer-term partnership to share our lives and work, and to carry the farm forward into the future. 

Compensation: Room and board with monthly stipend that increases every 3 months.

Housing: Dorm-style housing. Separate apprentice kitchen and solar shower facilities.

Meals: Community meals with shared cooking most of the week.

Location: The farm is located at about 1,400 feet elevation in Round Valley in Mendocino County, California. The valley, with a local population of about 3,000, has the largest Native American reservation in California and is surrounded by the Eel River and the Mendocino National Forest. Local agriculture includes cattle and hay raising and small organic herb and fruit growing. It is hot and dry during the summer, with winter rains from November to March.

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