Co Op Interns

Most of us SSC farmers got our start in agriculture working on other people's farms as interns or apprentices. Farming is one of those careers that carries with it a cadre of romantic images- rising early and harvesting zucchini in the morning mist, children playing for hours in the pumpkin patch, bountiful vegetable displays at autumn farmer's markets, etc. The reality of farming is endless hours of hard labor and financial challenges spinkled with idyllic moments.

Farm internships allow hopeful young growers opportunities to see if they really want to farm before investing in land, equipment, and infrastructure. Arrangements differ widely from farm to farm, but usually farm interns work for a small, monthly stipend and expect to receive a hands-on farm education. Many people just work for a season or summer farming, and then move on to other jobs and careers. Those people inevitably have a new appreciation for small farmers, and will be more likely to grow their own gardens in the future. Those interns that go on to farm on their own receive invaluable, hands-on experiences in many aspects of agriculture.

Tom and Maud worked at Four Eagles Farm in Yreka and Whistling Duck Farm then in the Upper Rogue (now in the Applegate) before buying land and forging out on our own. We learned a great deal about growing and marketing, and also got a reality check about the kind of lifestyle we were signing up for. For farmers, interns represent inexpensive labor, as well as opportunites to mentor.

Labor is one of the most expensive components of agriculture, and paying hourly wages to farm workers is not financially feasible to many begining farmers. Farm interns however, are rarely as fast and efficient as farm workers who have spent most of their lives cultivating and harvesting.

The greatest problem associated with farm interships is a perceived lack of reciprocity between farmer and intern. Most often the intern, who is working long hours for very little money, does not feel that they are receiving the education, guidance or attention commesurate with the work they are doing. Add midsummer heat, stress and tight living quarters, and interpersonal dynamics can become strained and even intolerable.

Some of the SSC growers wanting to address this issue applied for and received grant funding from Western SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Resarch and Education) to develop an internship curriculum for farm interns. The idea is to develop materials to make teaching interns easier for stressed out farmers. We bring interns from ten local farms together for a weekly class, taught by a rotation of farmers. We all want to increase the pool of small, organic farmers, but need assistance in creating internship programs that satisfy the needs of all parties involved.