Raindance Organic Farm– May to August– Ann Arbor, Michigan


Contact information
Farm Address:
2015 E. North Territorial Rd
Whitmore Lake, Michigan, 48189

Primary Contact: Kristen Muehlhauser
Primary Phone:
    Type:
Cell
    Number: 734-747-3099
    Email: RaindanceOrganic@gmail.com

Website: https://www.raindanceorganic.com/

Website: https://www.instagram.com/raindanceorganicfarm/

Internship information
General Farm Description: Raindance Organic Farm is a certfied-organic, no-till, regenerative agriculture operation stewarding 18 acres and intensively cultivating 2 acres of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and cut flowers. The 2022 season will be our fifth year of certified organic farming just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The heart of the farm is a community supported agriculture (CSA) project that is unique in that members come to the farm and harvest their own shares each week. Our other farm enterprises in 2022 include the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, You-Pick Flower Pass hosting, Cut Flower Bouquet Subscriptions, and weekly deliveries to Argus Farm Stop, our local-farms-only grocery store.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Monday, May 2
Internship Ends: Saturday, August 27
Number of Internship Available: 1 (of 3 internships)
Application Deadline: Rolling-- 1 left as of 3/14/2022
Minimum Length of Stay: 4 months

Internship Details:

Join our Internship in Sustainable Agriculture 2022 program for a really special experience of intentional learning and paid farm work at local farms just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is a full-time, residential internship of 35-40 hours/week, living and working with a small cohort on a beautiful small farm near a university town. Our farm grows small amounts of a very long list of crops, so the work is extremely diverse and full of opportunities to try new things. You will get hands-on training with a farmer who loves people and loves teaching farming skills while you work on a small crew (7 people) of interesting readers, learners, and growers. You will see the meaningful impact you make in our community as you take crops from seed to table and meet a real need for good food and beautiful flowers and plants, sustainably grown. You’ll get hands-on experience in seeding, greenhouse work, transplanting, trellising and pruning, harvesting, washing and packing, farmer’s market sales, and CSA hosting.

Our schedule will include weekly farm tours or seminars on Tuesday afternoon hosted and taught by local farmers with a passion for sustainable agriculture, 35-40 hours in paid positions at two local farms to maximize exposure to diverse kinds of farm work and experiences, , and potential to focus on organic vegetable production, flower farming, agroforestry, or fruit and native perennial nursery work.

Important details: The program runs 17 weeks from May 2 through August 27. Earn over $5000 working at two or more local farms. Housing: On-farm housing is available if desired for a reduced cost ($250/month).


Educational Opportunities: Each week we intentionally set aside one afternoon for intern education. This focused time allows space to ask questions and hear real-life small business stories from the farm's owner and operator. Most weeks we will tour a local farms, and we're very excited for the draft schedule we have for 2022! We are working hard to secure farm tours for you at the following types of farms: Greenhouse and native plant nursery Winter passive solar hoophouse growers Community and biodynamic farming Greens production You-Pick operations Flower farming and floral design Small dairy and herd share Agroforestry Agritourism Regenerative, rotationally grazed cattle Small livestock homesteading Small CSA homesteading Seed farming Nonprofit farming Orcharding and commercial permaculture We'll also share our focused list of favorite books, podcasts, software, and online learning resources. Brines Farm was founded in 2004 and Raindance in 2017 by individuals who believe in the goodness, joy, and meaning of this work. We are very happy to share what we can to empower the next generation of farmers to build a just, equitable, resilient, locally-based food system.

Skills Desired: Strong Candidates will hold a strong interest in a career in sustainable agriculture, land conservation, horticulture, agroforestry, or environmental sustainability and have a demonstrated love of spending most of the day outdoors in all kinds of weather. We are looking for a desire to work closely with a small group of other interns and the farms' own crews. Previous farming or gardening experience is not required, but is helpful. You must have a valid driver’s license and have their own reliable transportation. Everyone working on our farms must be fully vaccinated against COVID and be committed to following best practices for public safety.

Meals: No, but we encourage you to harvest and enjoy all the seasonal produce from the farm that you can use! The farm apartment has a well-stocked kitchen and intern cohorts typically meal plan and share meals together.

Stipend: Interns receive an hour wage for entry level work that amounts to $1550-$1775 per month for 35-40 hours a week as part of this educational internship.

Housing: Housing is available. Up to three interns may share a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment located at Raindance Organic Farm. The apartment is approximately 800 sq ft. Free laundry and parking is also available. Our farm is a 12 minute drive from downtown Ann Arbor, home to hundreds of restaurants and great, free summer events like the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and the Art Fair. We're 10-15 minutes from Argo Cascades on the Huron River (canoeing, free river tubing), lakes with swimming beaches, hiking trails, and the University’s Arb and the Botanical Gardens. Most of Detroit and even Windsor, Ontario, Canada is within an hour’s drive of Raindance, and there is so much to explore!

Preferred method of Contact: Email