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Are you an aspiring ecological farmer who wants hands on experience working the land and living in community? Upland Organics in Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan might be the place for you! Open skies and grassland diversity at its finest near Grassland National Park, farmers Allison and Cody welcome you to come to learn about organic and regenerative farming! Get out onto the land for a beautiful and fun farming adventure.
About the Farm
Upland Organics is on Treaty 4 territory which is the traditional territory of the Blackfoot / Niitsítapi ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, the Assiniboine, the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. Upland is located near Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan
Allison and Cody farm over 8000 acres and produce several crop types including pulses, cereals, and oilseeds. They live in the heart of the grasslands and brought cattle into their farm rotation to promote diversity and healthy soils. They moved onto the land in 2010 and have been focused on organic and regenerative farming while raising 3 children. Cody and Allison are both passionate and interested in building soil health and producing healthy food for their community. Their farm has been certified organic since 2010 and has been certified Regenerative Organic since 2021.
Their vision for Upland Organics is “to create a family orientated, environmentally and economically resilient organic farming operation which contributes in a positive and significant way to both the local community and the greater agricultural community.”
Website: https://uplandorganics.ca/
Instagram: @uplandorganics
About the Farmers
Cody Straza was born and raised in the Wood Mountain area. He grew up on a farm and completed an engineering degree at the University of Saskatchewan in Agricultural and BioResource Engineering. After completing this degree he went on to work in the manufacturing sector for several years before returning back to farm in the Wood Mountain area. One of Cody’s strengths is in machinery design and he enjoys working with and improving the equipment on the farm. Currently, Cody serves as an active board member on the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association (SaskSoil).
Allison Squires didn’t grow up farming but it was always something she was interested in doing. After finishing her PhD in Toxicology, her and Cody started Upland Organics together in 2010. She uses her education to conduct on-farm research and spends a lot of time contributing to the organic sector in various ways through her work on the standards, as President of Canadian Organic Growers and extension and outreach opportunities.
Allison and Cody have been very honoured to receive several awards during their farming career. In 2016 they were awarded the Young Organic Heroes award and in 2018 they received the international Canadian Farmer-Rancher Pollinator Conservation Award. In 2021 they were named SaskOrganics provincial Outstanding Organic Farmers and this was followed by COTA’s National Organic Famer of the Year award in 2022. Also in 2022 they were the first organic farmers to ever win provincial Saskatchewan Outstanding Young Farmer award. Following this, they were named the national Canadian Outstanding Young Farmers of 2022.
About the Apprenticeship
An apprentice would have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the farm. Activities would include operating a variety of large farm equipment, working with cattle, pigs, chickens and bees, brewing compost tea and making compost, fencing, moving and cleaning grain, basic equipment repair and maintenance, and soil, plant, and grain sampling. Allison and Cody are well-practiced and are excited to share their skills and knowledge with those who are passionate about soil health and growing good food.
As part of the apprenticeship, you will meet with other apprentices across Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta who are part of the Young Agrarians Apprenticeship program. Field days, learning opportunities, and potlucks will be planned with the Saskatchewan group at each host’s farm. You will also be invited to attend a regenerative or organic food conference during or following the apprenticeship.
Testimonial from 2022 apprentice Olivia:
“I’d say my biggest takeaway I’m getting right now is the amount of machinery I’m getting good at. You really get a chance to submerge yourself when you are working on the farm, and it usually only takes me a week to get comfortable on something once I’m shown how to drive it because I get to put in so many hours on every piece.”
The ideal duration of employment is April until October or November .
The job requirements are
- A valid class 5 drivers license with a clean drivers abstract and a criminal record check.
- An apprentice will need their own vehicle for off-farm travel.
- A laptop or tablet for internet access would be a good idea.
- Work boots (steel toed) are necessary, especially when working around cattle.
- Someone who is interested in organic regenerative agriculture and is keen to learn and immerse themselves in the farm experience and learn as much as possible during the apprenticeship.
Apprentices are willing to learn these skills:
- Techniques to minimize tillage,Techniques to integrate cropping & livestock
- Safety around animals,Animal Health,Feeding & watering,Calving/Farrowing/Kidding etc.
- Pigs and chickens
- Bee Keeping
- Truck & tractor basic operation,Truck & tractor troubleshooting & maintenance
- Compost tea making & application
- Microscope / grain sampling
- Plant health assesments
- Soil sampling
- Moving/ cleaning grain
- fencing
Compensation
We offer the wage of min wage – 18$/ hour depending on experience with further compensation for overtime and stat holidays
About the Community
Upland Organics is quite remote, a great way to be fully immersed in nature and the grassland. A 45-minute drive away from the nearest town (groceries, banking, restaurants, etc.). They are minutes away from a regional park (www.woodmountainpark.ca) that has a concession and outdoor swimming pool. The farm is also very close to the East Block of Grasslands National Park and is a 20-minute drive north of the US border. And Wood Mountain has a library, Whoot Whoot!
Accommodation
Accommodations: yes
Accommodation details:
Accommodations shared with other employees/apprentices: yes
Access to a full bathroom with running water: yes
Type of dwelling: Four seasons
Pets permitted: no
Guests permitted: maybe
Rent: TBD
Accommodation Agreement: yes
Other information:
- The apprentice will have their own house provided, in a separate yard a mile south of the home yard. Complete with a fully functioning kitchen, the apprentice will be responsible for all of their own meals. Laundry and internet are available and the farm will provide a vehicle for on-farm use.
- A cell phone stipend will be paid during every pay period to compensate for the use of your personal cell phone for communications on farm.
- There is also a lot of private outdoor space available for gardening etc
- Weekends would be time off. The exception is during busy times such as seeding and harvest when everyone puts in the necessary hours to get the crop in (or off) around weather constraints. This extra time would be compensated with overtime pay and days off after the busy season and/or if it rains and fieldwork is not possible.
We look forward to seeing you all!