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Are you looking for a quiet farming opportunity with cows, pigs, chickens, and goats? Maybe an apprenticeship at Fostering Change Farm between the big beautiful lakes in the middle of Manitoba is a good fit for you!
About the Farm
Fostering Change Farm is located on Treaty 1 territory, traditional land of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
Fostering Change Farm is a small farm in the Interlake area of Manitoba comprised of 80 acres of land of which 40 acres are forest, 30 acres are meadow and 10 acres are marsh (primarily a reclaimed gravel pit). The farmhouse is a beautiful little log house that was built in 1977. They direct market the food and focus on the health of people, animals and the environment through regenerative agriculture techniques. You will find pastured poultry, woodlot reared pork, as well as grass-fed beef. They even have dairy goats! The farm began about a decade ago and has gradually grown. It has primarily been run by a single farmer, Farmer Charlene, with increasing need for assistance and hired help over the past few years. This is where you come in; look no further than Fostering Change Farm as the perfect place to get experience raising all sorts of animals.
Website: https://fosteringchangefarm.weebly.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fosteringchangefarm
Workplace Culture
Charlene, the farm owner and mentor works full time off farm as a veterinarian at the Winnipeg Zoo. This means she is gone from 8am-5pm Monday to Friday. This is a unique apprenticeship in that the apprentice will be spending a lot of their time on the farm alone. Charlene will provide training and instruction and be available via text or phone call during the day. A lot of the apprentice’s learning will be alone, spending time doing the tasks with the animals in quiet on the land. This apprenticeship will require someone who is self-motivated, able to think ahead, and make decisions from a place of guidance and self determination. A clear contract will be provided before the season starts.
About the Farmers
Charlene is the farm owner and primary farm steward. She purchased the farm in 2010. Initially her goal was simply to raise more of her own food but over time that extended to growing healthy, environmentally friendly, welfare friendly food for friends and family. In addition to being a farmer, Charlene is also a veterinarian with a deeply engrained interest in the health of the whole planet. Charlene has a 7 year old adopted son named RJ who lives with her on the farm and goes to school nearby.
Orla is Charlene’s mom who regularly helps on the farm and keeps it functioning when Charlene is away. She recently retired from the health care field and is constantly learning new things, like how to drive a tractor. She loves the connect with nature the farm provides as well as the opportunity to meet with various people in the community.
Both Charlene and Orla tend to be relatively relaxed mentors. Charlene has experience working with a variety of students through her off farm career and understands that different people have different levels of experience and learn in different ways. Thus, she always tries to provide individual appropriate levels of guidance for everyone’s individual stage of knowledge/experience development.
About the Apprenticeship
An apprentice would participate in various activities that occur on the farm, including:
- Rearing, feeding and watering all the pastured poultry, laying hens and broilers.
- Egg collection and storage.
- Daily chicken tractor moves.
- Weekly egg mobile moves.
- Hauling water to the cattle and pasture moves.
- Using electric fence, including net fences as well as temporary and permanent electric fence.
- Feeding the pigs as well as fence repairs and movements.
- Opportunity to learn how to hand milk a goat as well as assist with handling and care of goats including vaccinations and hoof trims.
- Winter barn cleaning for the goats and chickens.
- Animal care and animal health as it relates to a variety of species.
- Learn about some of the wildlife, fauna and flora, present on the farm.
- If interested, they would have the opportunity to join and interact with customers at food drop-offs/pick-ups as well as on farm tours.
The ideal duration of employment is 4 months – May 1st to September 1st – may be able to extend if wage supplements available.
Hours on the farm may vary especially during the heat of the summer when working in the early morning and evening is more comfortable than the mid-day heat. Would aim for 1.5-2 days off per week.
The job requirements are
- Open mind, good focus and listening skills, attention to detail, and a strong interest in animal based regenerative agriculture.
- Experience working with animals is an asset.
- A driver’s license
- able to lift 50 lbs.
- Work boots, rubber boots, and all weather and farm appropriate clothing.
- Apprentice will be working a lot on their own, with Charlene also working off-farm.
- Self motivated, likes to work alone.
Apprentices are willing to learn these skills:
- Observing the water cycle
- Techniques to maintain living roots in the soil
- Animal Nutrition
- Safety around animals
- Feeding & watering
- Moving animals in a field
- Animal Health
- Handling Animals
Compensation
The wage will be minimum wage which is currently $16 per hour
The farm is dependent on wage subsidy so the applicant needs to be between the ages of 18-30 and have permanent residence or citizenship within Canada.
About the Community
Located between Balmoral and Gunton just north of Winnipeg the farm is in close proximity (30 minutes to 1 hour) of a wide variety of tourist attractions and fun places to visit. The farm is only a 30 minute drive to Gimli which is a bustling tourist attraction in the summer. The Narcisse Snake Dens and Oak Hammock marsh are great nature areas to visit. Stonewall has some wonderful shops and stores as well as all amenities. The farm’s community of supportive friends are an absolutely wonderful group of people to know and will quickly include any and all newcomers.
Accommodation
Accommodations: yes
Accommodation details: Housing will either be the 1980s RV on the property or a spare room in the house. Shared laundry is available in the house, as well as internet connection and a medium sized library of regenerative agriculture and gardening books.
Shared products from the farm – eggs, pork, chicken, garden produce. Potential for shared meals eg. Breakfasts, dinners – depending on dietary preferences/intolerances.
Pets permitted: no
Guests permitted: maybe
Rent: TBD
Accommodation Agreement: yes
The humans and animals on the farm look forward to seeing you all!
