GreenCities

Organic Farm Education Internship on Live Earth Farm

Interested in spending the school year on the Central Coast of California?

Description:

Live Earth Farm, established in 1996, is a 45 acre diversified, organic, family farm overlooking the Green Valley in the Santa Cruz area of California.  We offer a year round CSA with 700 members during the regular season.  We grow 40 different fruits and vegetables ranging from perennial fruit trees to a wide variety of annual crops.  We sell our produce at four area farmer’s markets and through a 700 member CSA program.

We are offering a new Farm Educator Internship this school year.  This internship will have a unique focus on our education programs.  The intern will spend at least 50% of their time on these activities and the other 50% on farm tasks.  Education programs include: a weekly visit by 7th and 8th grade Montessori students, half day farm tours for students of all ages and two afternoons a week with middle school students from a local charter school.

The position will involve leading farm tours, working with ongoing farm education programs and some office work such as scheduling farm tours and processing deposits and payments.  Farm tasks include vegetable and fruit production and marketing, animal care and greenhouse management.

Qualifications:

The right person for this position will be able to demonstrate experience and basic theoretical knowledge in organic and sustainable food production systems.  Ideally, you will have worked an entire season on a farm or garden project and be bilingual in Spanish.  This is a learning experience, we expect you to arrive with a good work ethic and a positive attitude.  Please be aware that farming is hard work and we require a full season commitment.  This is a position for someone seriously interested in sustainable farming, food, and community education.  It can serve as a stepping stone to pursue a career as an educator and/or farmer, as we offer the opportunity to learn the ropes of a small scale organic farming operation and farm education nonprofit.

Duration:

We ask that you arrive on the farm at the beginning of November 2008.  This will give our Education Programs Coordinator, Jessica an opportunity to work with you one on one.  We ask that you stay through mid November 2009 so that you can participate in the full school year cycle and a summer season on the farm.

Hours:

40 hrs/wk

Compensation:

A private room and communal kitchen, a stipend of $400/month and all of the fruit, vegetables, eggs, and goat’s milk you could want.

Application Procedure:

To apply fill out our application on our website: www.liveearthfarm.net

Please send a resume, cover letter, and an e-mail describing your interests and why you would like to be an intern at Live Earth Farm to: Jessica Ridgeway, LEFeducation@baymoon.com, or call: (831)763-2448