PCC Rock Creek Apprentice

Last Updated On: January 19th, 2024 at 09:44AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
PCC Rock Creek
Portland, Oregon, 97229

Primary Contact: Kait Crowley
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 541-588-3551
    Email: training@roguefarmcorps.org

Website: https://www.roguefarmcorps.org/host-farms/pcc

Website: https://www.pcc.edu/rock-creek-farm/

Internship information

General Farm Description: There are two host farm sites at Portland Community College Rock Creek: The farm is located in a corner of the PCC Rock Creek campus and it consists of a main barn, cattle lab barn, and 30 acres of pasture. The main barn houses the horses, cattle and sheep and has a classroom. The cattle lab barn has a squeeze chute and alley system for handling and doctoring cows. Although the farm is in the corner of campus and feels fairly remote, it does get a decent amount of visitors on a daily basis. The main purpose of the farm is to support the college’s Veterinary Technology program. Students in the program take two large animal classes where they learn how to provide basic medical care for livestock using the animals residing on the farm. We sell a small number of lambs in the spring and calves in the fall (this year we had 30 lambs and 3 calves). We have two John Deere tractors used for seeding and mowing pastures. We practice rotational grazing in spring, early summer, and fall using temporary electric fencing. We practice humane, low stress livestock handling. The farm employs 3-4 part time employees year round. Employees work mainly on weekends and holidays, with occasional weekday work. The Learning Garden is nestled near the main buildings on campus and consists of 3.5 acres with 50 fruit trees, 50 blueberries, grapes, brambles and many fruits and vegetables. Our campus is also home to wooded trails, the riparian habitat surrounding Rock Creek, a large recreational public park with sports fields operated by Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District, as well as the 5 Oaks Museum. The Learning Garden produces thousands of pounds of food each season, which are primarily donated to the food pantry on campus. We rely primarily on hand work, but also keep a new BCS walk-behind tractor just in case! We are no-spray, practice extensive cover cropping and are moving towards the production of our own usable compost. Our farm crew is always in flux - we have volunteer hours 9am-1pm Monday-Friday and we meet whoever is volunteering where they're at and re-prioritize based on inclusion.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 3/1
Internship Ends: 12/1
Number of Internship Available: 1, part time
Application Deadline: Rolling basis until positions are filled by early-mid March
Minimum Length of Stay: 500 training hours (~3-4 months minimum)

Internship Details:

An Apprenticeship is part of Rogue Farm Corps’ beginning farmer training program. Hands-on field training at the Host Farm is complemented by a series of classes, farm tours, discussions, and networking events organized by Rogue Farm Corps.

EDUCATIONAL EVENTS
Apprentices join other beginning farmers for an Educational Event Series facilitated by Rogue Farm Corps.
The full event series includes:
24 classes focused on foundational sustainable agriculture concepts, skills, and knowledge and the food system.
7-10 farm tours which showcase practical skills and individual farmers’ stories, as well as provide insight into diverse production and marketing systems.
3-5 discussion circles with topics including Food Justice / Food Sovereignty, and Next Steps for Beginning Farmers.

RFC strives to make all educational events inclusive and welcoming to people from all backgrounds and identities. Classes, tours, and discussions are led by Rogue Farm Corps staff, agricultural professionals, and expert farmers. Scholarships are available.

Educational Opportunities: Farm: On a daily basis, the main tasks to be done are feeding and watering livestock including cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs, and chickens. In the spring and fall we graze rotationally, so Apprentices will learn about rotational grazing and putting up temporary electric fencing. Lambs will arrive in May and Apprentices will learn about obstetrics, bottle feeding, tube feeding, castration, and tail docking. Apprentices will learn basic livestock handling and basic medical care including administering injections, oral dosing, deworming, trimming hooves, etc. In the spring, we shear the sheep and Apprentices will get to be a part of that process and learn the basics of shearing. Apprentices will learn how to operate tractors and attach various implements. Apprentices will learn about the basics of managing a farm such as record keeping and maintaining a budget. Learning Garden: Crop-planning is collaborative. Greenhouse work begins in Feb. We plant, cultivate, harvest, wash and deliver food together. Efficiency does not dictate here! However, Miriam can offer insights based on her 15 years of production experience. Our production is highly unpredictable because of our ethic of working in community, where building trust and creating learning opportunities are valued more highly than task completion. That said, because the majority of work is by hand, it is possible and probable that work will be physical and conditions may not always be easy.

Skills Desired: -Willingness to learn, honest communication, reliability, and attention to detail -Considerate communication skills -A genuine delight for people and plants

Meals: No

Stipend: $15.45 per hour The Apprentice can attend on-farm community education classes for free. Also available is: a share in the harvest, seeds and entry into the PCC hiring system and diverse community of students, staff, faculty and campus neighbors.

Housing: No

Preferred method of Contact: email