Apprenticeships
2014 positions are available. If you are thinking of an apprentice position for next year, come in for a day to visit! Applicants who can spend a day with us the season before are strongly favored.
Program Overview
Started in 2010, the Stone Soup Apprentice Program is focused on training people to learn everything they need to run a farm. Our program is designed to be robust and thorough, it will not be easy, but it will provide challenges and opportunities that are deeply satisfying. We want the farm community and work to be fun, exciting, and maybe, even magical.
New for 2014: We are now a Co-op, and apprentices will be trained in the art of co-operation. This means we will be training about working together as a team, what are co-ops really and how do they function. Our goal is to bring our apprentices up to the level where they can either join our co-op or start their own.
What it’s all about
The apprenticeship will be both an academic experience and a work experience. Duties and topics will include: Planting, greenhouse management, weed management, soil/fertility management, livestock husbandry, harvest, and distribution. Tractor training will also be possible for those interested. All topics have an emphasis on integration with sustainable practices. Farm work is highly variable, and ranges from the mundane to the extremely complex.
We tend to do things together, and most of our time is spent in small groups, but there is also much flexibility of individual roles on the farm. Each apprentice will choose a specialty, such as vehicle mechanics, greenhouse management, or caring for our 150 chickens, and will be trained more extensively in their area. They should be ready to gradually take on responsibility for their role, and will quickly become an important contributor to the overall smooth operation of the farm.
Who we’re looking for
Apprentices should be someone who is willing to work hard at Stone Soup, and should also expect a strong education leading towards competency in managing a farm. Like any true apprenticeship, both the mentor and the mentee should expect much from each other, in hard work, in learning, and in community.
Stone Soup is a bit different from most other farms as well, because it is also a live-in community. Apprentices will need to learn how to live in our intensive community, and all that this entails. All meals are shared in our communal kitchen. We are not shy of cooking, and are especially fond of good chefs….
We do have individual bedrooms, which are modest, and this is about the only personal space we can provide. All other spaces are shares to some extent, and learning to live and share in a community are essential skills.
Times and logistics
Ideally, the apprenticeship would be April 1st through Oct. 31st for the first year (7 months). Candidates who can commit to this timespan will be favored over those who cannot. A minimum of 5 consecutive months is required. If you are a college student, this means you will need to miss at least one semester of school.
To apply, please write an email of interest to the farm at stonesoupfarm@gmail.com
Please also include references (please give email addresses for references), and if you’d like, a resume.
The most important thing will be a visit to the farm. If you are serious about applying, we ask that you spend at least 1 full day at the farm in the prior season, to make sure that you seem like a good fit for the program, and that the program seems like a good fit for you!
Stone Soup Farm 