Clark Fork Organics Internship

Last Updated On: enero 12th, 2023 at 07:43AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
3507 S 7th St. W
Missoula, Montana, 59804

Primary Contact: Kim Murchison
Secondary Contact: Ellie Costello

Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 406-552-3770
    Email: kimmurchison86@gmail.com

Secondary Phone
    Type: Cell
    Number: 406-396-3656
    Email: blackbearsoups@gmail.com

    Email: blackbearsoups@gmail.com

Website: http://www.clarkforkorganics.com/

Internship information

General Farm Description: Clark Fork Organics is a family farm. We grow mixed vegetables on 8 acres. This year we will sell to a few restaurants, and at our farmstand. We grow a wide variety of market vegetables and our specialties are salad mix, loose leaf arugula, baby kale, fennel, bunched greens and many other crops. We have a small flower CSA and offer cut flowers in addition to produce and eggs out our farmstand. Our farm is located on the outskirts of Missoula MT, a beautiful progressive small city in the rocky mountains. Our farm is located close to Missoula -about a 20 minute bike ride. We are also on a bus line that arrives downtown in a few minutes and is now free, though it only goes by once an hour. We are close to two rivers and a quick bike ride from some good swimming spots. There is a lot of hiking, camping, rock climbing, hot springs and boating nearby as well as for weekend adventures. Missoula is a fun University town with a lot going on and fabulous outdoor opportunities.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: May 2023
Internship Ends: Sept - Oct 2023
Number of Internship Available: 3
Application Deadline: March 1, but the sooner the better
Minimum Length of Stay: 2 months, but we hope interns will stay the whole season

Internship Details:

Interns typically work 4-5 days/week Monday – Friday and complete farm chores, such as caring for the chickens or closing up the farmstand.

At the start of the season, interns will learn about young plant care through greenhouse work, then begin transplanting seedlings into the field. As field work picks up, days are spent moving irrigation pipe, weeding, tending the plants, and harvesting. In the heat of the season we harvest four to five days a week. As we switch our focus to expanding our farm stand, we will be harvesting a bit less and have more time for managing the farm and keeping it beautiful. Interns typically work five days a week, Monday – Friday. This year we may stagger intern work schedules so that interns take off a day during the week and keep the farmstand stocked on the weekends. Interns deliver produce to restaurants and can serve as a contact person for a restaurant account.

Our goal for this year is to have a happy group of 2-3 interns who work hard as a team! We have a new farm stand that has taken off. We are putting more and more effort into the farm stand. Last year, that included a flower CSA which we plan to continue.

Educational Opportunities: Interns are involved in all aspects of farm operations and will build skills to help manage their own farm in the future. Interns can access further learning opportunities at other farm operations via our connections to the small but tight organic farming community here. We can schedule informal field trips or interns can partake in educational opportunities through the Community Food & Agriculture Coalition, a local nonprofit that offers beginning farmer education. We have lots of books and are excited to share our knowledge about farming. The opportunities for learning are great, you need only to be open, observant and patient. It can be overwhelming at first, but in a fairly short time you will understand how the farm fits together.

Skills Desired: A strong work ethic and sincere desire to do this kind of work for the summer are required. Past farm experience is not. To do this work you must be a hardy person able to work in inclement weather, or the hot sun. The hours are often long, but the work is rewarding and you can learn a ton, everything from marketing to tractor work. You need to be emotionally flexible, even- keeled, and fine working alone at times and with others too.

Meals: We provide the evening meal at the end of the day on work days. Interns can also eat vegetables and eggs from the farm (when available).

Stipend: Yes, we offer $325/week

Housing: Yes. We have 3 little cabins, insulated and finished nicely, a room in our barn and a small but nice wooden trailer. Interns have a separate kitchen in another outbuilding. There is a bathroom and shower just inside the main house and an outdoor shower. This bathroom is for the interns, so you won't be colliding with our family. The living spaces are separate enough so you can be by yourself, but it's nice when interns all get along. You will share outdoor kitchen space on weekends and for weekday breakfast and lunch.

Preferred method of Contact: Email