Goat-Sheep Dairy & Cheese – Toluma Farms

Last Updated On: marzo 27th, 2023 at 07:13AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
5488 Middle Road
Tomales, California, 94971

Primary Contact: Tamara Hicks
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 4152443179
    Email: info@tolumafarms.org

Website: https://www.tolumafarms.org

Internship information

General Farm Description: Toluma Farms & Tomales Farmstead Creamery We are a 160 acre goat/sheep dairy and creamery in beautiful West Marin CA (60 miles North of San Francisco) and 3 miles from the Pacific Ocean. We are in our 20th year of operation, having a restored a defunct cow dairy. Our land is certified organic, we are actively involved in the Marin Carbon Project and a recipient of the CA Healthy Soil Initiative Grant. We aim for zero waste and practice regenerative farming techniques whenever possible. We have 150 goats and 85 sheep and practice rotational grazing. We have a business in San Francisco (www.dailydriver.com) that is San Francisco's only creamery as well as producing organic wood-fired bagels. We make award winning goat and sheep cheeses on the farm. We have one open apprenticeship with the focus on Cheesemaking and one day on the farm and another that is primarily on the farm with one day in the creamery. We are all vaccinated and require our next apprentices to be vaccinated.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 4/01/2023
Internship Ends: 10/01/2022
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: when filled
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 months

Internship Details:

Goat and Sheep Dairy and Cheesemaking Apprentices!! Learn everything there is to know about goat and sheep animal husbandry (kidding/lambing, breeding, vaccinations, pasture rotation), milking, cheese making, gardening and organic land management. We are looking for KIND, hard working individuals who want a career in sustainable agriculture and or cheesemaking. We are passionate about training the next generation. There isn’t a much more dynamic farming community than Marin and Sonoma Counties! Apprentices will have the opportunity to engage and network within the broader farming community. You must have a great sense of humor, get along well with others, be able to problem solve and have excellent communication skills. We are only interested in intersectional feminist, open minded, progressive farmers joining our team.

Educational Opportunities: We have academic curriculum that corresponds to our program and has weekly milestones and goals. We also send apprentices to one large CA conference as well as smaller workshops (covid pending). Our apprentices typically attend 3-5 various workshops and/or classes. We ensure that apprentices visit other neighboring farms and ranches to provide the opportunity to learn from more than one model.

Skills Desired: We prefer an apprentice with livestock experience and an individual that wants to continue working with livestock, preferably dairy.

Meals: We have raised beds and most people who work here harvest from as well as cheese, eggs, apples and lamb. We also provide all basic cooking materials (flour, sugar, olive oil...) in our communal kitchen.

Stipend: We offer $600 a month stipend for first 3 months, $750 for month four and five and 1,000 for month six.

Housing: Yes, we provide an airsteam or tiny vintage trailer on the farm. The airstream has a private bathroom, queen bed, wood floors, kitchen, electricity, internet and water. The tiny land commander trailer has a full size bed, private bathroom, tiny kitchen. We also have a communal kitchen space for hanging out and cooking in a larger area than the tiny home/trailer.

Preferred method of Contact: email