Livestock Fellowship – Sky High Farm
Last Updated On: October 25th, 2024 at 11:28AM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:675 Hall Hill Road
Pine Plains, New York, 12567
Primary Contact: Phil Haynes
Primary Phone:
Type: Cell
Number: 9086428826
Email: phil@skyhighfarm.org
Website: https://www.skyhighfarm.org/
Internship information
General Farm Description: Sky High Farm is committed to community-centered research and action to contribute solutions toward urgent and long-term issues at the intersection of climate, agriculture, food access and education. Using an agroecological approach, our farm cultivates nutrient-dense produce and protein, 100% of which is distributed in partnership with community-based organizations to individuals and families experiencing food and nutrition insecurity. We partner with ecologists, biologists and community-based researchers to investigate soil health, strategies for wildlife habitat preservation and restoration, and water and air quality monitoring; we offer a 9-month, residential formal training and mentorship program for burgeoning farmers interested in regenerative agriculture and the larger food system; we provide grants to individuals and community organizations to catalyze and sustain work towards food sovereignty and food justice around the US and globally; and we develop and offer public programs centering youth to engage in broad-based conversations about food ways, climate change, and our collective futures.CRAFT Member Farm? Yes
Internship Starts: March 31, 2025
Internship Ends: Oct 31, 2025 or December 26, 2025
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: Feburary
Minimum Length of Stay: 7 Months
Internship Details:
Position: Seasonal
Schedule: 40 hours per week
Period: March 31, 2025 – October 31, 2025, with optional extension November 1-December 26, 2025
Compensation: $18/hour (Please read below for details and other benefits information)
About the Fellowship Program:
Sky High Farm’s fellowship program offers 7 months (March 31, 2025-October 31, 2025) of full-time seasonal employment designed to support people interested in farming, regenerative practices, and food systems work through training, education and mentorship. Each season, 4 fellows work as an integral part of our Vegetable and Livestock teams, learning practical farming skills and assisting with our food access work. The fellowship program is designed as a continuous learning opportunity, with skill building and refinement of skills at the center of the experience. Fellowship participants should be prepared and want to receive ongoing feedback to advance their knowledge and abilities. Fellows work from 7:30AM-3:30PM (during the hottest parts of the summer, we may work from 7AM-3PM) and live on the farm in shared housing. Each fellow has the opportunity to extend the paid fellowship past the growing season to develop and work on an end of season project of their interest (November 1-December 26, 2025).
Learning Opportunities:
Our farm team offers formal mentorship and feedback and organize structured opportunities for learning, including:
- Intensive orientation to build general farm awareness, familiarity with tools and equipment, and to help fellows adjust to life and work on the farm
- Visits to other farms organized by Sky High Staff
- Presentations and workshops facilitated by Sky High staff
- Working with food access partners on distribution, harvest, collecting feedback & community efforts
- Farm ecology focused field days with regional experts.
In addition to these activities, we seek to recognize each Fellow’s respective background and interests and provide support so that they achieve individualized learning goals. Fellowship participants are offered 5 paid extracurricular hours (Flex Hours) per week which can be used for self-directed learning.
These hours can be used to:
- Volunteer on other farms or with other community organizations (this includes organizations and farms within the Sky High network and any others that the fellow might be interested in)
- Participate in classes and workshops hosted by other farms and organizations in the region
- Visit other farms for tours hosted by Mid-Hudson CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training)
- Attend local conferences.
About the Livestock Fellowship:
The Sky High Farm Livestock Fellowship provides an educational work experience focused on livestock management. As a livestock fellow, the candidate is provided a comprehensive experience stewarding a beef cattle cow/calf herd, sheep, egg laying flocks and broiler chickens. Animal husbandry and management skills include but are not limited to, breeding, calving, vaccinating, egg collecting, washing and packing, bird crating, cattle loading, and keeping inventory and packing of meat for donation. The livestock fellow will work closely with the livestock team to carry out daily tasks across all livestock operations, focusing on regenerative, ecologically driven practices and goals. We seek to follow these values through adaptive, rotational animal movement and pasture observation and monitoring.
Compensation:
- $18/hr, 5 days a week, 40 work hours per week. Average 8 hour work day including 1 hour paid lunch. Paid time off: up to 5 vacation days, 5 sick days and paid holidays.
- Workers’ compensation
- Work hours from 7:30AM-3:30PM (during the hottest parts of the summer, we may work from 7AM-3PM)
- 5 paid flex hours per week primarily dedicated to extracurricular activities and learning, but may be allocated to farm work when needed.
- On-site housing in a shared loft apartment with semi-private bedrooms, shared kitchen, central air, wifi, washer/dryer. Bathrooms, kitchen, and cleaning supplies replenished by Sky High. Produce and eggs from the farm at no cost.
- $1500 professional development stipend for conferences, workshops, classes. Hours spent in said professional development settings are paid like regular work hours.
- Optional 2 month paid End of Season Project at the conclusion of the on-farm work portion of the fellowship
- 2 paid volunteer days (determined by you) at other farm operations in the region.
- On and off-site education/participation opportunities scheduled and facilitated by Sky High and partner organizations.
Responsibilities:
Report to work on time when scheduled and work closely with the Livestock Manager on daily tasks and weekly planning.
Livestock Tasks:
- Interact with livestock with care and respect, and strive to develop a unique relationship to the animals and landscape
- Learn and distinguish animal welfare cues and signals, adapting daily plans based on animal observations
- Careful monitoring of spring calving and summer breeding
- Work with cattle in handling equipment, corral and livestock trailer
- Move livestock across fields daily based on observation of pasture quality and animal grazing behavior
- Learn to assemble portable fencing such as poultry netting, polywire and energizers with skill and efficiency
- Operate small engines such as string trimmer
- Drive farm trucks and other vehicles safely
- Opportunity to learn how to operate small tractor or mower for jobs around farm property if proven to be a safe and competent operator
- Regular on-farm processing of eggs, and optional poultry slaughter workshop
- Small team, partner and independent work are all required regularly
- Due to the constant movement of the animal groups across larger acreage, there is both need and opportunity for substantial independent work, often working alone with animals. This will be expected only after adequate skills and level of comfort have been established. There is potential opportunity to work full days independently if there is an expressed interest, or if the rare need arises. All work will always be appropriately supported by management based on both assessment and fellow feedback.
Work Environment, Evening and Weekend Work:
Most of the work is performed outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. The 40 hour work week will include once a week evening livestock checks and some basic weekend work on a rotating basis (once a month, Friday – Sunday) that includes evening checks on the animals and watering the greenhouse on Saturday and Sunday.
Requirements:
Livestock Fellows must be able and willing to:
- Repeatedly lift and move up to 50lbs
- Complete daily tasks around the farm in an efficient manner
- Perform other physical activities as needed for performance of livestock farming
- Work outdoors in all weather conditions. (Working outdoors is not required when hazardous to human health and safety)
- Willingness to communicate in a direct and healthy way with teammates and supervisors
- Willingness to receive feedback and comfortable asking questions
- Alignment with Sky High Farm’s mission and values
- Valid US Driver’s License and in good standing
- Eligibility to work in the US.
Preferred Experience and Attributes:
- Positive, open-minded attitude. Willingness to adapt to change in plans throughout the day or week
- Collaborative and compassionate mindset. Farming is difficult and it is critical that we support one another and work together in the field to accomplish what needs to be done
- Reliability – show up to work on time and communicate clearly about sick days/day off requests
- Flexibility – Willingness to adjust schedule if another team member is out sick or unavailable, or to accommodate events falling outside of normal hours, such as crating birds
- Initiative – a desire to learn about the big picture of our livestock program and the ability to self-direct work as needed for both short and long periods of time.
End of Season Project:
Each fellow has the opportunity to extend their employment with Sky High through a research or project-based opportunity related to food systems, sustainable agriculture, or another topic of their choosing and aligned with Sky High’s mission. Pending approval by Sky High’s management team, fellows may travel or stay local to engage in a structured project or research around a topic that they’re interested in November and December. The goal of this research project is to complement on-farm learning and help the fellow develop their next steps. Examples of research projects could include: working on a farm they’re interested in, learning more about the work of our community partners, or a more traditional academic research project. Compensation and housing will continue during these months. Engaging in the research project does not require that fellows stay at the farm, however those who do choose to remain on site may be asked to work up to 10 hours a week on the farm during this period.
Other Duties:
The farm is a frequent host of visitors, volunteers and press. The Vegetable Production Fellow may be asked to participate in said events in some capacity, such as training volunteers or leading activities.
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
To Apply: Fill out the Google Form and attach your resume to the space provided.
Educational Opportunities: Yes
Skills Desired: No
Meals: No
Stipend: Yes
Housing: Yes
Preferred method of Contact: email