Are you an aspiring farmer looking to gain experience on a vegetable farm? Are you wanting to learn about market gardening, feeding hundreds of people, lean farm management, while being a part of a tight-knit farm team? Steel Pony Farm is offering a unique apprenticeship rooted in the growth of top-notch veggies but also in the human spirit. Join their team!
About the Farm
Steel Pony Farm is an 8 acre market garden which grows a diversity of vegetables for a CSA program and for wholesale. Mike Kozlowski grows his veggies with an emphasis on soil health and high nutrient density. Specifically, he is on a path right now transitioning toward no-till production and is also exploring the diverse ways that vegetable farms can completely embrace regenerative agriculture. Steel Pony is located on Tamara Ranch just south of Red Deer.
About the Apprenticeship
Steel Pony is a busy and diverse operation which serves the local community high quality food. This apprenticeship will teach skills in CSA market gardening such as crop planning, seed selection, vegetable production, and both direct and wholesale marketing. Mike is passionate about good soil health translating to healthy vegetables, and so you will learn applied soil health principles, soil amendments, and various cropping rotations. In this apprenticeship, you will become familiar (and no doubt well fed!) with numerous vegetable crops well suited for central Alberta climate.
As part of the apprenticeship, you will meet with other apprentices across the Prairies who are part of the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship program. Field days, learning opportunities and potlucks will be planned with this group at each host’s farm.
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 to a learning plan with the host farm.
| MARKET GARDENING | DIRECT MARKETING & Wholesale Marketing |
|---|---|
| COMMUNITY SUPPORT AGRICULTURE MODEL | Low-Till & no-till vegetable production |
| COVER CROPPING | GARLIC GROWING AND SEED SAVING |
| WEED MANAGEMENT | GREEN HOUSE MANAGEMENT |
| POST HARVEST HANDLING | SOIL FERTILITY / NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT |
| NUTRIENT DENSE FOOD PRODUCTION | LEAN FARMING |
Housing, Stipend, and Duration
Housing will be off farm and apprentices are responsible for finding their own housing. Red Deer is just a few minutes away. A stipend will be paid depending on length of stay and expertise. You will work alongside other staff and employees. This apprenticeship is 6-8 months.
About the Community
Red Deer is a hop, skip, and a jump from Steel Pony Farm and has full services and amenities. It is a bustling city with many unique developments such as the Piper Creek Restoration Agriculture Project food forest and pollinator gardens.
More Details about this Apprenticeship and How to Apply
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS. Apply by January 31, 2023.
Interested in an Apprenticeship but this isn’t quite the right one? Check out other Young Agrarians Prairie Apprenticeships being offered in 2023 here.
