Are you an aspiring young farmer looking for mentorship with an experienced team at an organic haskap orchard and U-pick?
Rosy Farm may be the place for you.
About the Farm
Rosy Farm is an organic, regenerative haskap orchard with 27 acres in production of their overall 76 acres, with plans to expand another 7 acres in the spring. They harvest haskaps for wholesale, farmers markets (summer & year round) and retail. Farm operations are supported by a seasonal team of apprentices, interns, farm workers, marketing and social media staff, so you will also have a team to support you.
Every summer Rosy Farm opens their doors to the community through their U-Pick. They are expected to host over 3000 people through agritourism activities.
About the Apprenticeship
This apprenticeship covers growing to direct marketing of haskaps, and you’ll be involved every step of the way.
The haskap season runs from May to October. The spring season starts off busy with building, taking cuttings and maintaining the haskap propagation beds of roughly 20,000 haskaps. You’ll be working with Andrew and the staff to apply the fertility program, pruning, weeding, and packing fruit for weekend markets.
The summer season ramps up into a flurry of production and on farm activities with the Upick opening. There is a focus on the maintenance of haskap crops, fertilizing haskap propagation beds, tractor mowing and foliar application.
You’ll be working alongside the harvesting crew, handpicking fruit when needed. After harvest priorities include sorting, grading and packaging the fruit for market. You’ll learn about GAP food safety rules and paperwork. As a fast paced operation, there are often times when solving problems on your own will be expected.
The Upick brings the public to our farm and apprentices will be part of the customer service team. This includes running the till, assisting customers and answering their questions. Three days a week you’ll be traveling to farmers markets in the area to sell products. Your own car and cell phone are essential for success in this apprenticeship.
Rosy Farm believes field research is an important part of supporting regenerative farming in Alberta and encourages Apprentices engage in projects. Some areas of interest are: fertility trials, sodium abatement, pruning, cover crop trials, etc.
You’ll have the opportunity to gather 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.
About the Farm Mentors
The apprentice will be working alongside a variety of folks. Your main mentor will be Andrew Rosychuk. A city slicker turned farmer, fuelled by a deep curiosity about how the environment works and how we work in it.
In 2005, while taking the Production Horticulture Diploma program at Olds College, Andrew started growing haskaps on his grandparents’ farm, making him Alberta’s first haskap grower.
As part of his experimenting, Andrew planted sour cherries, currants, and haskaps. The deer loved the sour cherries, bugs loved the currants, and Andrew fell in love with haskaps.
Andrew quickly realized that starting an orchard would take more than an education and a dream. So, Andrew dug his heels in, landed a job in Fort McMurray and earned his Canadian Red Seal welding and boilermaker trades tickets. This made the financial aspect of his dream possible.
All of his life experiences have culminated in this love and passion for horticulture. This has spirited him on to build a haskap orchard that will change Canada’s fruit industry.
Skills this farm has to teach
The following skills are being offered by Rosy 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 their mentor.
| Haskap berry propagation | Equipment maintenance |
| Haskap harvesting for retail sales | Tractor time |
| U-picks | Organic certification |
| Farmers Markets & retail distribution | Soil assessment & building |
| Field Research | Packaging for retail sales |
| Customer service | Compost building |
Skills Required of the Apprentice
Curious, friendly and self-driven post-secondary student who is willing to work outdoors in all sorts of weather, lift, bend and move boxes of fruit, has a class 5 driving license, and a cell phone.
Housing, Stipend, and Duration
Apprentices are expected to find their own living accommodations. St. Albert is 25 minutes away. Morinville is 15 minutes away.
An hourly wage will be paid to the Apprentice.
Haskap season is from May until mid-October.
About the Community
Rosy Farm has great connections with neighbours and the community to enable an apprentice to learn about many different aspects of agriculture.
The farm is about 15 minutes from the town of Morinville which has all amenities, as well as a leisure centre, library and restaurants. There are a growing number of farms and small businesses in the area that raise, grow, make products on farm; flowers, garlic, soaps, honey, etc. and there is good community support for these. There are quite a few lakes and natural areas to explore as well.
Be sure to check out Rosy Farm on social media and the world wide web!
More Details about this Apprenticeship and How to Apply
Deadline to apply: January 31, 2024
Interested in an Apprenticeship but this isn’t quite the right one? Check out other Young Agrarians Prairie Apprenticeships being offered in 2024 here.