Company description

Spoon Full Farm is a mid-size ecological farm founded in 2017. Spoon Full Farm’s 242 acres are nestled alongside the Yakima River in Thorp, Washington, 99 miles east of Seattle. 100 acres of irrigated pastureland contrast over 100 acres of mixed Ponderosa Pine and Cottonwood wildland. It is amazingly beautiful, hot in the summer, often dry, and often very very windy.

We grow beyond-organic produce in a large no-till garden, raise grass-finished cattle, collect pasture-raised eggs, harvest raw wildflower honey, and ferment probiotic hot sauce in a commercial kitchen. The philosophies of permaculture, biodynamics, agro-ecology, and management-intensive grazing inspire our decisions, strategies, and enterprises. In everything we do, we aim to be "Loyal to Soil."

Internship description

Join a young, dynamic, versatile farm business. Grow some of the world’s most delicious, healthiest food. Learn how to farm in ways that are not just sustainable, but actually healing and regenerative for the land, our climate, and our culture.

We farmers at Spoon Full Farm invite you to apply to work with us for the 2019 season, on our gorgeous, productive, and biodiverse farm here on the banks of the Yakima River in central Washington state.

The ideal candidate for a Spoon Full Farm internship position aspires to become a farm manager in the future. 

If you are: 

-passionate,

-purpose-driven (larger ecological or social purpose),

-community-oriented,

-energetic, 

-detail-oriented,

-able to handle constructive feedback,

-adaptable, and

-wanting to learn,

then we would love to read your application.

As an intern, you will immerse yourself in the physically and mentally demanding farm lifestyle. Interns must be able to lift 50 pounds all day. Farming experience in a production setting is preferred. Preference will be given to applicants who are able to visit the farm for a working interview.

The Internship runs from early March through October 28th, 2019 (Approximately 33 weeks). Our ideal candidate will be available for the whole season’s duration.

Interns work 5-day weeks, 10 hours per day. Days off may or may not be Saturday and Sunday, depending on the market season.

Compensation includes room and board, a weekly food stipend, and $500/month to start, with opportunities for wage growth as the season progresses.

Interns are provided a shared bunk room with a kitchenette and a shared bathroom. You also have the option of setting up a tent / camp if preferred. The nearby Farmhouse is a shared common space with a full kitchen, living room and dining area. Communal meals are frequently shared in the evenings. We eat very well here on the farm. Farm fresh produce and local humane meat are staples.

Interns will have the opportunity to lead, with several work hours per week, a project that will contribute to the long-term success and diversity of Spoon Full Farm.

Interns must not have pets and must not abuse alcohol or recreational drugs.

Days off can be spent floating on or lounging by the Yakima river, exploring the glorious outdoor recreation opportunities here in Central Washington, venturing into Seattle, or simply enjoying the natural beauty here at Spoon Full Farm.
 

Everyone who comes to Spoon Full Farm learns a lot. That’s partly because we are a young farm and are therefore still nailing down our processes, and partly because of the wide range of operations and enterprises we are growing. Also, everyone here at Spoon Full has diverse interests, knowledge, and skills. The ideas of permaculture, biodynamics, agro-ecology, and intensively-managed grazing are the theoretical bases of our operation, so you will learn a lot about those, even without a formal education curriculum. 

You will work primarily in the no-till garden, but will have the opportunity to experience the nuances and details of planning and running a large garden and, to a lesser extent, a large biodiverse farm. 

As an intern, you will report to and work alongside the Garden Manager and assist in the success of Spoon Full Farm’s no-till vegetable crop production. 

Depending on the season, daily tasks will include:

-Seed propagation,

-Soil preparation,

-Transplanting,

-Irrigating,

-Weeding,

-Pruning,

-Harvest, processing, washing, and packing,

-Clearing garden beds,

-Working at farmers market booths (occasional, depending on level of interest and ability).

In short, you will work on every aspect of vegetable production, from seed to sale. Additionally, if you opt to take on a personal farm project, you will gain experience about establishing or improving an enterprise that interests you.

You join a fun and hardworking group of passionate people sharing a common goal in a beautiful setting. We want you to come away with much of the knowledge and confidence that you will need become a career farmer!

Garden interns will also work occasionally with our livestock to gain familiarity around animal and pasture management.
 

A month-long probationary period will give interns and Spoon Full Farm discretion to end the internship if it is not a good fit.

Spoon Full Farm does not discriminate based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, gender expression or sexual orientation.

Compensation

this position is: stipend / non-monetary compensation

Work visa

This employer is willing to sponsor a work visa for international applicants

Application instructions

Deadline

December 14, 2018