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Volunteers, Internships, and Apprenticeships

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We really value the mentor-apprentice relationship at Hundred Fruit Farm, because it is through this process that we became involved in regenerative agriculture and gained the skills we needed to eventually start our own farm. We have a number of different roles at the farm for people who are interested in getting involved in permaculture or organic farming and want to learn by doing.

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Volunteers

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If you live nearby and want to help out informally (not on a fixed schedule), then contact us! We can always use extra hands and are open to volunteers on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during the farming season March through November. Volunteers will help with whatever is needed on the farm at that time - feeding and moving animals, weeding, mulching, harvesting, planting, chipping, orchard work, light construction work, etc. We are always happy to instruct volunteers and teach them about what we are doing, so our volunteers typically pick up a lot of new skills and knowledge in the process!

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Internship Program

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Our internship program is designed for people who are relatively inexperienced with permaculture and regenerative agriculture to learn a lot of new skills through a combination of structured learning in our permaculture design course and by getting their hands dirty helping out with general tasks on the farm.

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Internship Requirements​

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  • Completion of the internship entails 170 hours of activity on the farm. This equates to 10 hours per week for four months but can be done flexibly however one likes Mon-Fri. These hours do not include time in the Permaculture Design Course (PDC), but do include hands-on training in a variety of skills. 

  • All interns must live nearby and have the ability to provide their own lunch and accommodation. Unfortunately we don't have extra room and board available to house interns. (We hope to offer this at some point in the future, though.)

  • A positive attitude and willingness to learn and try new things is a must!

  • Interns are NOT expected or required to have previous knowledge or skills in farming or permaculture. You will learn a lot with us!
     

Internship Benefits

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  • No monetary compensation of any kind. Our internship program is designed as an educational program and our interns do not displace the work of paid employees.

  • Weekly share of produce from the farm when available.

  • Interns who complete at least four months (170 hours) of the internship will get to attend our next permaculture design course (PDC) for free, or if they have already taken one with us, will get their PDC tuition reimbursed.

    • the PDC is primarily classroom-based and less hands-on, and very focused on the permaculture design process, so it pairs very well with the internship which is almost entirely hands-on skills and learning​

  • Interns who complete at least one month of the internship program will receive a partial tuition credit for the PDC

  • Instruction in the following skills:

    • Organic gardening and market garden management

    • Composting

    • Sheep husbandry and care

    • Poultry care

    • Fruit tree planting and care

    • Plant propagation and grafting techniques

    • Tractor use and maintenance

    • Farm market operation and customer management

    • Fencing installation and maintenance

    • Light construction (proper use of basic hand and power tools)

    • No-spray orchard management and maintenance

    • Berry planting and management

    • Edible landscaping and forest gardening

  • Permaculture design methods and principles

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Apprenticeship Program

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1/17/23 Update: Unfortunately we won't be able to take any apprentices for the 2023 season. We plan to resume the apprenticeship program in 2024.

 

Our apprenticeship program is open to individuals who either have completed our internship program already or who already possess significant experience or skills working on farms. This program is meant to give apprentices in-depth and well-rounded training and education in permaculture farming and regenerative agriculture and give apprentices the confidence and real-world experience they need to someday start their own farm or permaculture-related business. Apprenticeships will be in charge of their own area of focus at the farm and manage it mostly themselves with some oversight from us, and get to share in the profits of that enterprise (or if there are no direct profits from that enterprise, receive a stipend from us).

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Apprenticeship Requirements​
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  • Apprentices must be able to help out on the farm on a part-time basis (at least 20 hours per week) on a semi-regular schedule (usually Tuesday through Saturday) during the growing season for at least four months. This does not include time in the Permaculture Design Course (PDC), but does include hands-on training in a variety of skills. 

  • Apprentices must have some previous experience working on farms or other relevant experience. Anyone who lacks any kind of farming experience will not be eligible for an apprenticeship but would be ideal candidates for our internship program.

  • All apprentices must live nearby and have the ability to provide their own lunch and accommodation. Unfortunately we don't have on-farm accommodation for apprentices.

  • Apprentices will be expected to work independently on tasks sometimes and work under supervision at other times. They will also be expected to supervise interns and volunteers occasionally.

  • A positive attitude and willingness to learn and try new things is a must!
     

Apprenticeship Benefits
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  • Our apprenticeship program is designed as an educational program and our apprentices do not displace the work of paid employees. They do, however, receive a stipend and/or income-sharing to help them cover some of the costs of attending the apprenticeship and forgoing paid employment elsewhere.

  • Weekly share of eggs, produce, and meat from the farm when available.

  • Apprentices get to attend our permaculture design course for free. If an apprentice has already completed a permaculture design course through another organization, they can attend our course either as a student or as a teaching assistant and receive mentorship in teaching and managing a permaculture design courses

  • Apprentices will receive training and instruction in the following skills​

    • Management of volunteers and interns

    • Permaculture design methods and principles

    • Organic gardening and market garden management

    • Composting

    • Animal husbandry and care

    • Fruit tree planting and care

    • Plant propagation and grafting techniques

    • Tractor use and maintenance

    • Farm market operation and customer management

    • Fencing installation and maintenance

    • Light construction (proper use of basic power tools)

    • Orchard management

    • Berry planting and management

    • Forest gardening

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If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, intern, or apprentice, contact us and let us know! We'd love to hear from you.

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