Farming Internships 2024
We are looking for someone who is…
fluent in spoken and written English (speaking Italian is not necessary)
a WWOOF Italia member (simple, costs about 35 euros), for bureaucratic and insurance purposes, must be 18 or older
motivated, hardworking, helpful and with a very strong desire to learn
able to communicate clearly (taking and giving detailed instructions) and work both independently and as part of a team
able to co-operatively live in a group/family setting (shared room and meals)
in good physical health and strength
knowledgeable about vegetable and fruit crops: has already worked in at least a family-scale vegetable garden (transplanting, watering, harvesting, etc.)
is comfortable with all types of farm animals (poultry, sheep, cows, pigs, guardian dogs), and ideally has some minimum experience handling farm animals
not concerned about being sweaty, dirty, surrounded by insects or coated in manure
comfortable supervising other volunteers, working off a list, making decisions in a group
Cleanliness and tidiness, especially as it relates to working in our food processing lab, is much appreciated. Cooking skills/interest are a big plus, as we sometimes cook and eat together. Being comfortable with a flexible diet is important, as we mostly eat what the farm produces: fruit, veg, meat, milk, eggs. This means eating tons of green beans when they’re in season, having omelettes two nights in a row when the hens are in high gear, and eating lots of apples if it’s a good apple year! Vegetarians welcome but no vegans please: it is easy to avoid meat here but we have learned from past experience that eliminating eggs and dairy for one person makes group dinners too complicated (mainly because we produce eggs and dairy products and like to use them). Please see our general info page for volunteers for information about accomodations, meals, how to get here, etc.
Daily tasks predictably include harvesting produce of all kinds (about 100 different fruit, herb, berry, veg crops), animal feeding/watering, taking animals to and from pasture, packaging and weighing produce, switching irrigation systems on and off, checking that irrigation systems work and repairing them, seeding and transplanting, pruning, mulching, weeding, propagating plants, making decisions about rotating crops or what to plant when and where (no tractor driving, we’ll do that). Other things will sometimes need to be done, for example covering the greenhouse, loading/unloading trailers of manure and straw, drying fruit, making jam, stacking firewood, shearing sheep, bringing in the hay, etc. We would like to find someone who is willing to lend a hand with any farm task that needs to be done and will pitch in ‘til the job is done.
Beyond the daily routine of chores, we can tailor the internship a bit towards your interests and future goals, for example giving you more time, instruction and responsibility in propagating berries or grafting if that will be part of your future, or more towards soil fertility management or seed-saving or permaculture if these are your interests. There is a shared emphasis on getting farmwork done and on you learning the things we have to share that are of interest to you. The farm has a very large library of books in English on agricultural topics and we look forward to sharing and discussing all that we have learned in 20+ years of growing fruit and vegetable crops!
If interested, please write to gordondarcy@gmail.com by 29 Feb 2024 to share some information about yourself, including your background, experience, interests and skills. We hope to interview promising candidates via Skype in March 2024. If you like, we can put you in contact with previous interns.