Bibb Forest Farm

Last Updated On: febrero 28th, 2022 at 10:03AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
3320 Bibb Store Rd
Louisa, Virginia, 23093

Primary Contact: Bibb Forest Farm LLC
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 8042405797
    Email: bibbforestfarm@gmail.com

Website: https://bibbforestfarm.com/

Internship information

General Farm Description: Bibb Forest Farm is an organic minded farm focusing on veggie production along with grassfed beef/lamb, hemp & honey, and slowly getting into niche fruits. The farm is run by Jesse (28, M) who has a background in horticulture and business management and has been growing the farm since 2016. We are mainly selling online these days through our online store, CSA and participation in an online farmers market/non-profit in Richmond. The farm has over 100 acres of woods, 2 acres of vegetable production, 35 in hay/pasture, and 6 beehives. We grow with smart tillage practices, practice crop rotations and rely on intensive cover cropping to keep organic matter levels up. Our production incorporates both intensive plantings managed more by hand and larger rows with grass-paths to use the tractor with for more labor intensive crops. We grow in par with organic standards and beyond, especially with our avoidance to single use plastic. We also incorporate smart, timely cultivation and rely on rain for our crops.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: March 15, Flexible
Internship Ends: November, Flexbile
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: Open until filled, please email us with letter of interest, and any resume or experience included!
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 months, preference given to full season applicants

Internship Details:

Joining a farm, you soon learn to wear many hats as they say. This opportunity is centered around growing nutrient dense food and of course eating delicious food along the way. Jesse is great at teaching not only the how, but why especially when you ask questions. An internship at our farm would give you a great foundation towards farming with both small scale systems and larger scale systems to aim towards. One of the best aspects of an internship is learning the farms mistakes, so that you don’t have to make them! You will learn cultivation science, dry farming methods, how to safety operate tractors and how to service them, how and why we grow cover crops, when to plant your seeds or transplants, harvest/ post harvest and more. You can also learn how to manage the pastures and sheep/cows. The best thing to do is ask questions! We are glad to share our thoughts and ideas on our practices.

This coming season along with the general maintenance of the farm we are exploring many new types of herbs and flowers, will be planting more asparagus beds, will continue to expand our fig tree collection and hope to build a processing barn by 2023. We are also starting to explore different fruit trees and other niche perennial crops. We currently grow over 40+ different vegetables with some of our customers’ favorites including carrots, baby ginger, hardneck garlic and lettuce mixes.

Work will range from 40-50 hours per week and we are totally flexible to the weather with our schedules. Wednesdays are an important day for us with packing, since we do mostly online sales, we spend a lot of time packing and sorting the orders for deliveries. We are not planning to do any farmers markets this year, so this means you can generally have the weekends off, unless we have a good window for planting or cultivation. But there will be plenty of time for you to explore the surroundings of Virginia. Charlottesville is 40 min, Richmond 1 hr, DC 2 hr, the local town of Louisa is only 5 min drive.

Our participation in a nonprofit based in Richmond, also opens up access to 50+ other farms, bakeries etc that you can shop with or maybe get to know. Also our CSA and online store members are a big part of our community. We typically have an hour at each location for pickup and often the customers love to stay and chat.

Perks of internship include a 10% store credit for store purchases of meats, honey or produce in short supply (see food section below). Also you are welcome to forage in our woods, we have loads of edible mushrooms growing through the season and hope to wild simulate mushrooms in the future.

We also think the farm is a great place where someone can bring added value. We are open to hearing your ideas.

Educational Opportunities: Jesse offers 6 years of experience running this farm. Along with four prior years with hands on and academic work in the Netherlands centered in horticulture and business management. Feel free to borrow any books or ebooks while here.

Skills Desired: This is a working farm so grit and flexibility are important. Farming with the weather we will have times of intense work ethic and then a morning to sleep in after the rain. We ask that you are able to lift around 50 lb, have a positive attitude and humility. You can expect the same from Jesse!

Meals: Meals are your responsibility, especially if specific diet is required. But Jesse loves to cook and share when he finds the time, including baking breads. Extra veggies leftover from harvest are always fair play!

Stipend: Hourly wage, $13/hr

Housing: Private room/full bathroom with shared dinning, living room, kitchen etc including utilities $600/mo

Preferred method of Contact: email