Volunteers, Internships, and Apprenticeships

We really value the mentor-apprentice relationship at Hundred Fruit Farm, because it is through this process that we became involved in regenerative agriculture and gained the skills we needed to eventually start our own farm. We have a number of different roles at the farm for people who are interested in getting involved in permaculture or organic farming and want to learn by doing.

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Volunteers

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If you live nearby and want to help out informally (not on a fixed schedule), then contact us! We can always use extra hands and are open to volunteers Tuesdays through Fridays during the farming season March through November. Volunteers will help with whatever is needed on the farm at that time - feeding and moving animals, weeding, mulching, harvesting, planting, chipping, orchard work, light construction work, etc. We are always happy to instruct volunteers and teach them about what we are doing, so our volunteers typically pick up a lot of new skills and knowledge in the process!

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Internship Program

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Our internship program is designed for people who are relatively inexperienced with permaculture and regenerative agriculture to learn a lot of new skills through a combination of structured learning in our permaculture design course and by getting their hands dirty helping out with general tasks on the farm.

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Internship Requirements​

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• Completion of the internship entails 130 hours of activity on the farm. This equates to 10 hours per week for three months, but can be done flexibly Tuedays through Saturdays. These hours do not include time in the Permaculture Design Course (PDC), but do include hands-on training in a variety of skills. 

• All interns must live nearby and have the ability to provide their own lunch, accommodation, and transportation to/from the farm. Unfortunately we don't have extra room and board available to house interns. (We hope to offer this at some point in the future, though.)

• A positive attitude and willingness to learn and try new things is a must!

• Interns are not expected or required to have previous knowledge or skills in farming or permaculture. You will learn a lot with us!
   

Internship Benefits

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• No monetary compensation of any kind. Our internship program is designed as an educational program and our interns do not displace the work of paid employees.

• Weekly share of produce from the farm when available.

• Interns who complete all 130 hours of the internship will get to attend our next permaculture design course (PDC) for free, or if they have already taken one with us, will get their PDC tuition reimbursed.

  • the PDC is primarily classroom-based and less hands-on, and very focused on the permaculture design process, so it pairs very well with the internship which is almost entirely hands-on skills and learning​

  • Interns who complete at least one month of the internship program will receive a partial tuition credit for the PDC

• Free or heavily discounted attendence to one-day workshops hosted at HFF 

• 20% discount to all nursery items

• Instruction in the following skills:

  • Organic gardening and market garden management

  • Composting

  • Sheep husbandry and care

  • Poultry care

  • Fruit tree planting and care

  • Plant propagation and grafting techniques

  • Farm market operation and customer management

  • Portable electric fencing installation and maintenance

  • Light construction (proper use of basic hand and power tools)

  • No-spray orchard management and maintenance

  • Berry planting and management

  • Edible landscaping and forest gardening

  • Permaculture design methods and principles

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Paid Apprenticeship Program - FULL for 2024

 

In Autumn 2024 we will start accepting applicants to our apprenticeship program in 2025. Our apprenticeship program is primarily geared toward those who already possess some relevant experience working on farms or with permaculture more broadly. We view this as a paid training program. We invest a lot of time into developing the skills of our apprentices, but we also acknowledge and vaue their contributions to our farm enough where they will be receiving some pay for their work. This program is meant to give apprentices in-depth and well-rounded training and education in permaculture farming and regenerative agriculture an d give apprentices the confidence and real-world experience they need to someday start their own farm or permaculture-related business. Apprentices will receive a stipend of $10/hr and also receive free tuition to our permaculture design course if they complete their apprenticeship. Apprentices will be legal employees with W-4s.

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Apprenticeship Requirements​

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• Apprentices must be able to help out on the farm on a part-time basis (approximately 20 hours per week) on a semi-regular schedule (2-3 days per week, usually Tuesday through Saturday) during the growing season for at least four months. This does not include time in the Permaculture Design Course (PDC), but does include hands-on training in a variety of skills.

• Apprentices are not strictly required to have previous experience working on farms, but previous experience in agriculture, permaculture, or horticulture is a major plus and is highly preferred

• All apprentices must live nearby and have the ability to provide their own lunch and accommodation. Unfortunately we don't have on-farm accommodation for apprentices yet, though it's something we are working on.

• Apprentices will be expected to work independently on tasks sometimes and work under supervision at other times. They will also be expected to supervise interns and volunteers on a regular basis.

• Apprentices will need to have the ability to keep pace with the physical demands of the role. This includes the ability to safely lift 50 lbs on a consistent basis, working outside through the heat of summer, etc.

• A positive attitude and willingness to learn and try new things is a must!
   

Apprenticeship Benefits

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• Weekly share of produce from the farm when available.

• Apprentices get to attend our permaculture design course for free if they complete the apprenticeship. If an apprentice has already completed a permaculture design course through another organization, they may be elligible for a cash-based bonus instead.

• Free attendence to workshops hosted at Hundred Fruit Farm

• 20% employee discount on all nursery items

• Apprentices will receive training and instruction in the following skills​

  • Management of volunteers and interns

  • Permaculture design methods and principles

  • Organic gardening and market garden management

  • Composting

  • Animal husbandry and care

  • Fruit tree planting and care

  • Plant propagation and grafting techniques

  • Tractor use and maintenance

  • Farm market operation and customer management

  • Fencing installation and maintenance

  • Light construction (proper use of basic power tools)

  • Orchard management

  • Berry planting and management

  • Forest gardening

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Employment

 

We are a very small farm with very limited resources, so we don't typically hire employees outside of our apprenticeship program. We also are currently unable to provide on-farm accommodation for any employees, which makes it a lot harder for anyone working for us because of the high cost of living in this area. We may lookto hire a full-time or part-time Assistant Farm Manager in the next year or two, but this would ideally be someone who has already done an apprenticeship with us.

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If you are interested in joining us as a volunteer, intern, or apprentice, contact us and let us know! We'd love to hear from you.

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