Company description

Amber Waves Farm is a nonprofit teaching farm on Long Island’s East End. The farm operates on 35 acres, raising 25 acres of vegetables, 2 acres of cut flowers, and 5 acres of grains. The farm’s production serves a 320+ member CSA and on-site retail farm market and kitchen, local restaurant wholesale accounts, and local food pantries.

As a 501c3 non-profit organization, Amber Waves’ core values of stewardship, community, sustainability, and exploration are carried out through four respective programs: Apprenticeship; Children’s Education: Public Access; and Food Security. The Apprenticeship Program is the anchor of farm operations and reflects our deep commitment to cultivating the next generation of farmers. Our hands-on children’s education programming is designed to spark curiosity by connecting young eaters to their local food system. We also welcome the public to share the farm and experience the joyous sense of place exuded by the farmland. Visitors walk the fields, visit the animals, and can enjoy breakfast and lunch on the farm nearly every day of the year. Finally, we collaborate with local food pantries to support our neighbors in need by donating thousands of pounds of produce each year.

Internship description

Program Overview

In 2025, the Amber Waves Apprenticeship Program will celebrate its 14th year of growing new farmers through hands-on training and mentorship. More than 60 new farmers have completed the program since 2012, most of whom remain actively involved in food and agriculture both locally and around the world. The Apprenticeship provides an 8-month (April-November) paid working and learning experience in sustainable agricultural practices. Specifically, the program includes in-field instruction, weekly discussion time with farm managers, and a handbook that guides and supplements educational topics (described below). The goal of the program is to teach the skill set necessary to launch a new farmer’s career in sustainable agriculture, and prepare them for subsequent growing seasons that will include advancement into higher level positions in farm leadership, management, or entrepreneurship.

As a vertically integrated farm operation, we are uniquely positioned to provide robust training to new farmers by exposing them to multiple areas of the farm’s work, and giving insight on business planning, budgeting, and marketing associated with running a modern farm business. We specialize in value-added products ranging from shelf-stable jarred goods to packaged baby greens, salads, and floral arrangements. Apprentices’ involvement in this production model showcases the multiple avenues to pursue a productive career in food and agriculture post-apprenticeship. 

Among key topics covered over the course of the season, apprentices will work towards mastering technical skills associated with plant propagation in the greenhouse, harvesting and post-harvest handling, and tractor work. The intensive production of vegetables requires considerable hand-labor (weeding, harvesting, trellising, etc.), which is accompanied by mechanized (tractor) tillage, cultivation, and preparation of beds. The field work is very physically demanding, and will require that apprentices are motivated, have a good attitude, can tolerate working in inclement weather, and be able to lift at least 50 lbs at a time.

Educational Enrichment: 

There is a tremendous amount to be learned in a first season at Amber Waves Farm, where hands-on fieldwork dominates the workday and daily repetition of relevant, critically important tasks are what drive an apprentice’s holistic understanding of the farm operation. To supplement fieldwork, we provide an apprenticeship curriculum and handbook that outlines weekly educational topics throughout the season. We begin with topics associated with getting the season started, including: plant propagation, seedling care, and equipment and safety overview. As the season progresses, topics include plant and soil health in the field, irrigation, harvest, post-harvest handling, marketing produce successfully, and finally crop planning, budgets, and a season review. Apprentices will explore topics with farm managers during a weekly meeting and group field walk.

The farm also participates in the local CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) Program and throughout the season apprentices have the opportunity to attend workshops and lectures led by other farmers, tour neighboring farms and food operations, and attend a farming conference. Upon completion of the farming season, the aim is for each apprentice to have the foundational understanding and skill set necessary to move on to more advanced work in agriculture or food-related work elsewhere, or to remain at Amber Waves Farm for additional seasons in a more advanced role as many past apprentices have done.  

Skills & Qualifications: 

• Strong physical and mental work ethic, sense of pace and self-awareness
• Genuine interest in agricultural production, with the intention to continue a career in food or agriculture post-apprenticeship 
• Desire to learn and improve skill set and knowledge base 
  Strong organizational and time management skills 
• Ability and willingness to collaborate and work well with (and sometimes manage) others, including coworkers and the public 
• Prior agricultural experience is not required, although any work or study in the field of food or agriculture is a desirable attribute to apprenticeship applicants

Work Schedule & Compensation: 

• Position Duration: April - Thanksgiving
• Full-time (40-50 hours/week); one guaranteed day off/week 
• $17/hour; covers paid learning/instruction time on-farm 
• Farm housing available for rent (not on-farm - within walking/biking distance) 

Amber Waves embraces diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, and encourages people of color, LGBTQ+ candidates, and people from other underrepresented groups to apply.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

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Deadline

February 28, 2025