Regenerative Farming Internships
The Regenerative Farming Internship (RFI) offers year-round learn-to-farm opportunities designed to be flexible and accessible to learners coming from a wide range of backgrounds and experience. Our spring, summer, fall, and winter semesters combine in-field and classroom teaching to provide the skills, expertise and support to practice human-scale agriculture. By demonstrating this model of seasonal food production, we address local food security, financial responsibility, and personal and spiritual fulfillment. Guiding themes of Indigenous foodways, decolonization, and reconciliation are highlighted throughout our programming
Balancing Practice with Theory
In-field learning is at the heart of the spring, summer, and fall semesters so interns get experience in all aspects of our small farm. Each intern will learn self-sufficiency skills by managing annual vegetable crop gardens, as well as working to complete group projects with the rest of the RFI cohort and farm team.
Classroom learning provides lectures and discussion through each semester that give grounding to the practice and context on the social and environmental implications of agriculture.
RFI SPRING Semester
Getting Started
10 weeks, April 19 – June 24, 2022
25 hours per week
190+ hours in-field; 35+ classroom hours
Topics include (but are not limited to!):
-
Crop Planning 101
-
Early Season Compost Management
-
Early Season Integrated Pest Management
-
Fertility Management
-
Field Identification Skills
-
Garden Bed Preparation
-
Hoophouse Management
-
Local Farm Fieldtrip
-
Plant Propagation
-
Practical Growing Skills
-
Seasonal Seeding & Seed Saving
-
Small-scale Animal Husbandry
-
Spring Ecosystems
-
Spring Vegetables at Hayes Farm
-
Spring Wildcrafting
-
Three Sisters Planting
-
Transplanting
-
Weeding
-
Working with Energy, Nature, Soil, and Water
RFI FALL Semester
Planning for Success
10 weeks, September 13 – November 18, 2022
25 hours per week
150+ hours in-field; 49+ classroom hours
Topics include (but are not limited to!):
-
Bed & General Farm Closing
-
Fall Vegetables at Hayes Farm
-
Fall Wildcrafting
-
Food Distribution
-
Harvesting
-
Hoophouse Management
-
Late-season Compost Management
-
Late-season Integrated Pest Management
-
Local Farm Fieldtrip
-
Post-harvest Handling
-
Practical Growing Skills
-
Seasonal Seeding & Seed Saving
-
Season Extension Planning
-
Small-scale Animal Husbandry
-
Transplanting
-
Weeding
Holistic Farm Business Planning Classes 1-18
Using a holistic approach, the qualitative HFBP classes will give both new and experienced growers the tools to create a comprehensive vision for their farm business or community project and help them identify any missing elements needed to develop a successful agricultural operation. With an idea of where you want to grow, what products you want to produce, and a desire to develop your ideas into a defined vision, this qualitative planning will be of great benefit to you.
From setting sales projections to creating a final field operations calendar, the quantitative HFBP classes will enable growers to finalize their business plan by setting attainable gross sales targets or community impacts and establishing a detailed plan to achieve them. If you have a well-developed idea of the kind of farm operation you want to have but need the practical skills to turn that idea into a step-by-step plan, then this quantitative planning is for you
RFI SUMMER Semester
Grow Like a Pro
10 weeks, June 28 – September 2, 2022
25 hours per week
190+ hours in-field; 31+ classroom hours
Topics include (but are not limited to!):
-
Food Distribution
-
Harvesting
-
Hoophouse Management
-
Indigenous Perspective on Seed Sovereignty
-
Local Farm Fieldtrip
-
Making Medicines
-
Mid-season Integrated Pest Management
-
Native Corn
-
Plant Pathology
-
Pollinators
-
Post-harvest Handling
-
Practical Growing Skills
-
Seasonal Seeding & Seed Saving
-
Small-scale Animal Husbandry
-
Summer Compost Management
-
Summer Ecosystems
-
Summer Vegetables at Hayes Farm
-
Summer Wildcrafting
-
Transplanting
-
Weeding
RFI WINTER Semester
Beyond Hayes Farm
10 weeks, February 7 – April 14, 2023
25 hours per week
105+ hours in-field; 140+ classroom hours
Topics include (but are not limited to!):
-
Agricultural Practices, Systems, and Models
-
Agriculture and Climate Change
-
Agroecology and Food Sovereignty
-
Alternative Economies in Practices
-
Basic Carpentry Skills
-
Forest Management
-
Fruit Tree Pruning
-
Hoophouse Management
-
Impacts of Colonization on Indigenous Food Systems
-
Indigenous Perspective on Economics
-
Land and Agrarian Reform
-
Local Farm Fieldtrip
-
Managing a Prosperous Community Farm
-
Permaculture Principles and Design 101
-
Political Economy of Agriculture
-
Practical Growing Skills
-
Seasonal Seeding & Seed Saving
-
Solutions for Small Scale Growers
-
Wildlife Tracking
-
Winter Compost Management
-
Winter Ecosystems
-
Winter Integrated Pest management
-
Winter Vegetables at Hayes Farm
-
Winter Wildcrafting
-
…and more!
Requirements and Qualifications
The farm, used as a tool for critical thinking, democratic citizenship, and skills-building, will be of great life-value for people from diverse backgrounds and future goals.
-
No farming experience necessary!
-
Strong work ethic, time management, adaptability, and problem-solving skills are all necessary on our community farm
-
Computer/tablet/phone and internet access
-
Word processing, basic spreadsheet literacy, and cloud file management (Google Drive)
-
Participants must be prepared to work physically demanding long hours outside in all kinds of weather
-
Must be at least 18 years of age or older as of the first day of programming
We are not accepting international applicants at this time. We are committed to working toward this access and thank you for your patience in the meantime. Please check back in 2023.
