“Nurturing the land that nurtures us.” |
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| Farm Apprenticeships |
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a bit of background |
The apprenticeship program at Hawthorne Valley Farm began in the mid-1970s and is a solid part of the farm. Many of our former apprentices are now farming, and those that are not farming now have a deeper connection to the local food movement, their own strong work ethic, the fields of biodynamics and Anthroposophy, nutrition and agriculture.
All Hawthorne Valley apprentices participate in a hands-on learning experience on our diversified, biodynamic farm. This means our apprentices work with and learn about the interrelationships between our milking herd, the other farm animals, the rotational grazing system, and the twelve acre mixed vegetable fields, and they get an overview of the administration of our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
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| commitment |
The farmers take the apprenticeship program seriously, having all been apprentices themselves at some point. The farm makes a commitment to teach the apprentices, and each apprentice (along with the farmers) makes a commitment to the farm: to work hard and intelligently for the good of the living farm itself. This is a team effort in which education, efficient production, hard work, and generosity all enter into the spirit of the farm's daily work. |
diversity
of our farm |
Our first-year apprenticeship program varies from many farms' in that the Hawthorne Valley Farm has both a dairy herd and a large market garden. A typical farm day for a first-year apprentice can include milking the cows in the early morning and bringing them out to their day pasture, having a good breakfast, meeting with the whole farm team to find out about all the work of the day and to designate tasks, transplanting vegetable seedlings into the vegetable fields, driving a tractor, having a good lunch, watering the greenhouse, being in charge of a specific harvest, then doing a final quality control and making sure invoices are correctly filled out. The apprentices are expected to have a good head on their shoulders, to work well with others, to have some patience, and to have some drive to get things done. A sense of humor is always useful. |
additional learning |
All of our apprentices participate in the CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) program, visiting approximately ten other farms during the growing season in order to get an overview of different farming practices. In addition, we at Hawthorne Valley Farm have extensive orientation sessions during March, and have a thorough season-review sessions in November, making sure that the whole apprentice team is clear on all farm management decisions that we have discussed throughout the year. There are lectures, some sponsored by the Nature Institute, some sponsored by the Farmscape Ecology Program, as well as other learning opportunities. All of this helps to create a vibrant cultural life in the small hamlet of Harlemville, the home of Hawthorne Valley Farm. |
apprenticeship time periods |
At Hawthorne Valley Farm, there are two minimum time periods for an apprenticeship (apprentices may stay longer by arrangement with our farm staff):
- March 1 or April 1 through the day before Thanksgiving (8 or 9 months)
- winter through the next winter (11 or 12 months)
- second-year apprentices should plan on staying at least 11 months, winter through winter
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| current openings |
For a list of apprentice spaces that are open, go to our openings page. |
| second–year apprenticeships |
For apprentices who have completed at least one full growing season on a working farm and wish to continue their education, we offer a second-year apprenticeship. One second-year apprenticeship focuses on the vegetable production, and one second-year apprenticeship focuses on the dairy herd. In the second year, apprentices may delve deeper into particular projects, take on more responsibilities, and continue to participate in the whole farm. We encourage people to consider apprenticing for more than one year, as farming is a multi-faceted endeavor and cannot be learned in its entirety in one single year. That being said, we do try to pack a lot into one year! |
| accommodations |
On-site housing and a monthly stipend are provided for all apprentices. Each apprentice has his/her own bedroom in a shared flat on the farm, with a communal apprentice kitchen, baths, and living space. |
| contact |
For information or to apply for an apprentice position, please contact Katy |
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