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Are you an aspiring farmer looking to gain experience in regenerative mixed farming encompassing sheep, grain, and progressive technology? Diamond F Farms is excited to offer an apprenticeship just for you.
About the Farm
Diamond F Farms is located on Treaty 4 territory, near Foam Lake SK.
Diamond F Farms Ltd., a progressive intergenerational agricultural family enterprise, is located 20 miles south of Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. Diamond F Farms is a mixed farm encompassing grain and sheep.
Diamond F Farms offers opportunities and education through hands-on experience, and direct supervision demonstrating that agriculture has a bright future. Steven and Brittany strive to create a safe and respectful workplace where employees from different backgrounds can grow and feel that their opinions are heard.
Diamond F Farms believe embracing new technologies will be key to advancing farm productivity in the future. Some current technologies they use are: variable rate seeding/ spraying, split fertilizer applications, remote weather stations, water-driven yield potential estimates, GPS mapping, remote fleet tracking, and RFID scanning for sheep.
About the apprenticeship:
The apprenticeship would run from April 15 – November 30, 2023. Dates are flexible for students.
Lambing starts in March, seeding in May, spraying and crop protection are ongoing throughout the summer, hay and silaging into June and August, and then harvesting starts in August and ends in October. Throughout the season there is tending to sheep, marketing grain, and managing operations.
About the farm mentors:
Steven Dempsey – Co Owner
Brittany Dempsey – Co Owner
Cindy Faye – Co Owner
Steven & Brittany Dempsey: Steven is a mechanical engineer trained to design,
build, test, and repair technology, systems, and structures. As expected, Steven’s education has honed his ability for observation, testing, hypothesizing, and data analysis, which he uses at Diamond F Farms. Steven met Brittany while they were both in university and Brittany was finishing her Master’s Degree. They were married in 2014 and began pursuing a career in farming. Years later, they have four young children, Jack, Violet,
Louisa, and Kora. They have been working collaboratively with operators of Diamond F Farms for over 40 years Cindy and Zenneth.
Skills this farm has to teach:
The following skills are being offered by this farm. While you’ll get exposure to many of these areas, it is likely that not all will be covered. Apprentices will work to identify the skills they want to develop through a learning plan with the host farm.
| SHEEP – Animal handling & behavior | assessing soil health |
|---|---|
| moving & herding Sheep | crop rotation |
| assessing pasture forage quality | truck and tractor operating |
| remote fleet tracking | getting harvest to market |
| yard maintenance | observing the relationship with the land |
Skill required of the apprentice
Speak and read English, a Non-smoker, follow standard operating procedures (SOPs), maintain the health and safety of self and others, comfortable working independently, critical thinking, good self-care, safe body mechanics and ergonomics, how to be adaptable to changing schedules or circumstances, active listening, attention to detail, able to complete physical labour, open and clear communication, good time management, good stress management, giving and receiving constructive feedback, assist with groundskeeping work in the main yard site.
Housing, Stipend, and Duration
Hourly wage is $16.00 – $20.00 an hour based on experience.
Every second weekend the apprentice must be available to work Saturdays during
nonbusy times and Sundays are off. The apprentice would be able to take a week
off during the summer months in coordination with other employees.
Housing: There are a few options for housing the apprentice could choose to have
accommodations close to the farm away from town, or there are low-rent apartments available in town. The accommodations close to the farm would be a billet, while the apartment in town would be an individual setup. Transportation to the farm daily will be provided in a company vehicle.
Homecooked suppers are provided during busy seasons (Seeding, Haying, Harvest). Breakfast and lunch the apprentice must provide for themselves.
About the Community and Land
The town of Foam Lake is the closest center to the farm, 20 miles north. Foam Lake is conveniently situated between Yorkton and Saskatoon at the junction of Highway 16 and Highway 310 in East-Central Saskatchewan. As the center of a mixed farming area. Foam Lake offers basic business and professional requirements for the many surrounding communities.
Summer activities include:
Golf
Fishing
Hunting
Boating
To show our respect for the history of the Land and People, Young Agrarians acknowledges:
This farm is located on Treaty 4 territory and the traditional and ancestral lands of the cultures, languages, and People from Cree, Ojibwe, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota, and Métis roots. These communities have a deep relationship with this land based on, among other things, a spiritual connection and subsistence extending back thousands of years.
More Details about this Apprenticeship and How to Apply
The deadline to apply is March 15, 2023
Contact Alieka- Saskatchewan Apprenticeship Coordinator with questions:
saskatchewan@youngagrarians.org