Tag Archives: Apprentices

Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program: 2023 Reflections

Posted by Lourdes Still on September 13, 2023 2 Comments

It’s been another fantastic apprenticeship season! This year, the program partnered with 17 host farms across Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba offering 18 aspiring farmers hands-on training and educational experiences. The Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program started in Alberta in 2016, and in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in 2021. To date, we have had 89 apprentices working with 72 host farm mentors, all offer something unique. These apprenticeships create the opportunity to learn about ecological land stewardship practices while developing a network of community and support. Through this program, participants gain an understanding of what it takes to create viable farms that are … Continue reading Young Agrarians Apprenticeship Program: 2023 Reflections →

Is an apprentice or employee a better fit for your farm?

Posted by Dana Penrice on September 06, 2023

Having an apprentice can be a rewarding experience, but it isn’t for everyone. Knowing your goals and your farm systems can tell you if an apprentice or an employee is a better fit for you. The skills needed for you to manage a paid apprenticeship or an employee often overlap, since in both cases there is a labour and learning component. However, the difference is the emphasis. You might not fit 100% into one side of this checklist or the other, but it should help you to reflect on what might be best for you. You might be looking for … Continue reading Is an apprentice or employee a better fit for your farm? →

INTERNSHIP: Vallican, British Columbia – Elk Root Conservation Farm

Posted by Michalina Hunter on March 15, 2023

Elk Root Conservation Farm in Vallican, British Columbia is seeking three interns for the 2023 season! ABOUT Elk Root Conservation Farm Elk Root Conservation Farm (ERC) is a ‘beyond’ organic regenerative demonstration farm located adjacent to the ancestral Sinixt village site of n’kʔáwxtən, in Sinixt təmxwúlaʔxw and within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) at the confluence of the Slocan River and Little Slocan Rivers. Our farm offers educational workshops focused on ecological stewardship, wildlife conservation & habitat restoration, honey bee wellness & wild pollinator gardens, sustainability, ‘beyond’ organic regenerative gardening, biodiverse farming practices and local food security. Elk Root Conservation … Continue reading INTERNSHIP: Vallican, British Columbia – Elk Root Conservation Farm →

INTERNSHIP: Black Creek, BC – Ravensong Seeds & Herbals

Posted by Michalina Hunter on January 30, 2023

Ravensong Seeds & Herbals in Black Creek, BC is seeking an intern for the 2023 season! ABOUT Ravensong Seeds & Herbals Ravensong Seeds & Herbals is a small farm and home business producing herb seeds for organic growing, nursery plants, and herbal products such as tinctures, salves, and hydrosols. All seeds, as well herbs for our products, are grown on our two acre property with a focus on stewardship practices. After a decade of attending farmers markets, Ravensong now focuses mainly on selling through their online store. This year the farm plans to reopen their small herb plant nursery for … Continue reading INTERNSHIP: Black Creek, BC – Ravensong Seeds & Herbals →

APPRENTICESHIP: Salt Spring Island, BC – Heavenly Roots Farm

Posted by Michalina Hunter on January 27, 2022

Heavenly Roots Farm on Salt Spring Island, BC is seeking an apprentice for the 2022 season! ABOUT Heavenly Roots Farm We are a small-scale fruit, vegetable and seed farm growing organically and using ecological practices on Salt Spring Island, BC. We grow our field crops on a 4 acre site in the Fulford Valley. This is leased land, part of the Burgoyne Valley Community Farm which is owned by the Salt Spring Farmland Trust Society. We live about 10 minutes away. Here, we live, wash & store our produce, propagate plants, and harvest from blueberries, raspberries, tayberries and the fruit … Continue reading APPRENTICESHIP: Salt Spring Island, BC – Heavenly Roots Farm →

APPRENTICESHIP: Whitehorse, Yukon – Mandalay Farm

Posted by Michalina Hunter on October 14, 2021

Mandalay Farm in Whitehorse, Yukon is seeking an apprentice! ABOUT Mandalay Farm The farm is 20 minutes north of the city of Whitehorse, on the banks of the Yukon River. We have two flocks of Brown free range laying hens for a total if 4000 birds. Our CFIA licensed grading station allows us to sell our eggs commercially into stores, bakeries and other commercial establishments. The summer sees us growing grains and hay. Up to this winter we have cared for 50 horses that spend the summer in hunting camps. We are a farm that believes in reducing the Yukon’s … Continue reading APPRENTICESHIP: Whitehorse, Yukon – Mandalay Farm →

#foodandlabour 3/3: Food Justice and The Face of Ecological Farm Interns in Ontario

Posted by Moss Dance on August 26, 2016

By Charles Z Levkoe and Michael Ekers Originally published in the Ecological Farmers Association of Ontario’s May-June 2016 newsletter, Volume 37, Issue 3. This article is the third in a series that describes the increasing numbers of non-waged interns working on ecological farms across Ontario. As farmers welcome those seeking seasonal farm experiences as a way to share knowledge and skills and to meet labour demands, our research has been exploring the broader implications of these trends. In this article, we look at who exactly is being trained to farm through ecological farm internships and the potential impact on the future … Continue reading #foodandlabour 3/3: Food Justice and The Face of Ecological Farm Interns in Ontario →

Apprentices of the Maritimes, Unite!

Posted by Bernard Soubry on March 27, 2015 1 Comment

Are you working on or managing a farm in the Maritime region of Canada this coming season? Do you want to help form a network of engaged, fantastic apprentices and their farmers who meet up to discover new techniques and swap black bean brownie recipes? Hoo, boy. Have we got a plan for you! Here’s the rationale: apprenticeships are lovely, intense periods in every up-and-coming farmer’s education. You get an immense amount of knowledge from farmers, you work hard, you see the same four to six people every day for seven months, and you learn to love it. For those … Continue reading Apprentices of the Maritimes, Unite! →

Apprentices Seeking Farm

Posted by Sara Dent on February 19, 2013

Looking For Farm Apprentices This Summer? Look No Further! Who We Are: An enthusiastic group of 5 future farmers, looking to develop the necessary skills to start our own farm. We are a cohesive, well educated, hardworking, friendly, dynamic group that lives and works well together. Collectively, we have more than 7 years of farm experience, 5 BAs, 2 MAs, 5 years of communal living and a wealth of relevant skills, from lacto-fermentation to carpentry to CSA management to raising chickens. Although all of us have worked on farms in the past, we’d like to transition … Continue reading Apprentices Seeking Farm →