Are you a young, aspiring farmer interested in learning about small-scale organic veggie production? Cartwheel Farm may be the apprenticeship for you!
About the Farm
Cartwheel Farm is a small-scale, certified organic market garden on the traditional and unceded territory of the yaqan nuʔkiy people (Ktunaxa Nation). We farm with love for our Kootenay community and the land we call home. Most of what we grow is delivered directly to friends and neighbours through our 180+ member Community Supported Agriculture program. We have been feeding many of those folks for a decade! We also work with a loyal group of restaurant partners and are proud vendors at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market.
We consider our farm to be a solid example of the Market Gardener Institute style of mixed vegetable and herb production. This approach, championed by Jean-Martin Fortier, emphasizes efficient, bio-intensive methods for producing nutrient-dense foods with practical commitments to ecological, social, and economic integrity. We are proud to be becoming innovators in this field – especially when it comes to minimizing the negative impacts of our operation on the environment and maximizing the good that we do in our community.
Recent infrastructure developments on the farm include transitioning to solar power, electrifying farm delivery and utility vehicles, electrifying greenhouse heating, building the first two insulated greenhouses that we know of in BC, installing an in-vessel composter, and enhancing our cold storage capacity.
Contributing to vibrant local food culture drives and inspires us. We write weekly essays and recipes for our eaters, take part in community events, and run the Cartwheel Farm Sharing Fund – a tangible collaboration with our customer to build local food sovereignty. Through this work we flow food to families in need, team up with the Creston Refugee Committee, and partner with the yaqan nuʔkiy (Lower Kootenay Band). Our deepening dedication to active reconciliation is something we strive to share.
As we go into our second decade of farming we have some clear intentions. Goals for the operation include deepening our knowledge of plant and soil biology, enhancing our soil health, refining our crop plan and growing methods to better suit our particular conditions, becoming more profitable and wasting fewer resources, contributing to meaningful climate action and fostering ease.
Be sure to check them out on their website
About the Apprenticeship
Offering a safe, supportive, fun, and empowering workplace is a priority for us. Most all people who work here return for multiple seasons. We do our best to tailor roles, training, and learning opportunities to suit individual crew members as their lives unfold. 2025 will be our first season hosting a farm apprentice. We have worked hard to build the capacity to be strong mentors.
Apprentices are expected to use their labor for the daily work of the farm as a major part of their learning experience. Apprentices work in all aspects of farm production from soil preparation to harvest, seeding to cultivation, tractors to hand hoes, and farm planning to marketing.
We strive to help foster curiosity and support learning for all farm staff. Team members have access to a library of market gardening related books and the Market Gardener Institute’s main online masterclass resources. Apprentices will work alongside the farm’s owner-operators and experienced farm staff and will be encouraged to ask lots of questions as each farm day unfolds!”
We are experiencing some natural staff turnover as key farm staff make life transitions. Our hope is that openings on the Cartwheel team will attract passionate, hard-working, fun-loving people with an interest in spending more than a single season here. We imagine a close-knit team collaborating to pursue a shared vision for the farm’s future.
About the Farm Mentors
Skills this farm has to teach
We do our best to carve roles that suit the interests and capacities of individual crew members. That said, our crew is smaller in size and close-knit. Roles are not hyper-specialized. Everyone takes part in most aspects of the operation (except for administrative activity). Our ideal candidate would want to attend the Saturday Farmers’ Market and take a lead role in managing our Market presence. Our ideal candidate would also be keen to help manage our online presence.
| Crop planning and rotations | hand tool operation |
|---|---|
| Pivoting farming models | post harvest handling |
| assessing soil health | Profitable farm business practices |
| Sustainable agriculture practices | Active reconciliation |
| irrigation set-up/use | compost making/processing |
| greenhouse management | Multi-variety vegetable production |
| season extension | Team work & Organizational skills |
| Active reconciliation | Emissions reduction |
Housing, Wages, and Duration
The ideal length of apprenticeship is May 1st to Dec 1st.
We do our best to support living wage work on our farm. We always pay above minimum wage. An hourly wage for any apprentice would be set based on experience, in line with role that is niched out for the individual.
All farm staff have access to a CSA share weekly, as well as access to culls and any windfall crops. Our crew shares a monthly potluck meal and other spontaneous feasts.
Paid housing arrangements could be organized with support from the farm family, if needed. Farm staff have potential access to a private studio located across the road from the main farmstead. The suite is fully finished and furnished. It was completed this year and is modern, clean, and very bright. It includes a full kitchen, separate bathroom with shower, laundry facilities, and a mini-split pump for heating and cooling. It is situated above a garage and there is a small balcony overlook the adjacent woodland. Large windows overlook the farm. The property borders Crown Land. A walking path into the woodland starts a few steps away from the suite’s entrance.
About the Community
Creston is a deceptively quiet community with a diverse agricultural scene. Resourcefulness, pragmatism, modest lifestyle, and kindness are local values. The most popular shopping spot is a volunteer run thrift shop. The biggest event of the year is a spring Blossom Festival. The local microbrewery is a hub for younger folks. The Valley has seen a recent surge in younger people, especially young families who are drawn to the beautiful setting, warm low-key atmosphere, and sense of possibility.
More Details about this Apprenticeship and How to Apply
Application Due: January 31, 2025
Interested in an Apprenticeship but this isn’t quite the right one? Check out other Young Agrarians Apprenticeships being offered in 2025 here.