The Farm at Sunnyside
Last Updated On: enero 2nd, 2020 at 03:02PM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:27 Sweetwater Lane
27 Sweetwater Lane
Washington, Virginia, 22747
Primary Contact: Stacey Carlberg
Primary Phone:
Type: Office
Number: 5406759946
Email: stacey@thefarmatsunnyside.com
Website: http://www.thefarmatsunnyside.com
Website: http://www.farmertofarmerpodcast.com/episodes/sunnyside
Internship information
General Farm Description: "We are a certified organic farm located in Rappahannock County, VA, sitting at the foot of a mountain directly adjoining the Shenandoah National Park. In 2020, we will grow approximately 15 acres of vegetables and cover crops and dabble in grains. We will maintain some fruit crops, have a flock of chickens and make compost on-farm. We market our vegetables at the Falls Church, Dupont Circle and Rappahannock Farmers Markets and through wholesale restaurant relationships. We also participate in two local food/beer festivals at our local brewery because Farmer Casey loves to cook AND likes beer. We are passionate about regenerative agriculture, environmental conservation and inspiring new growers. We also have a keen interest in providing jobs in agriculture for a longer term. Team members that enjoy working here have the opportunity to stay for multiple seasons with added benefits. "CRAFT Member Farm? Yes
Internship Starts: March through May
Internship Ends: October through December
Number of Internship Available: 4
Application Deadline: Until full
Minimum Length of Stay: 5 months
Internship Details:
“Our farm workers help us with planting, weeding, harvesting, processing and marketing vegetables through farmer’s markets. Twice a month, you will work 6 days a week with either Sunday or Monday off. Twice a month you will work 5 days a week and have Sun-Mon or Mon-Tues off. We work 45-50 hours a week in the early and late months, 60 hours a week mid-season. Hours are typically 7:30 or 8 until 5 or 5:30 with a one or one and half hour lunch break. Market days are longer. We are looking for 4 people to join our 4 returning staff and 3 permanent employees.
We have a larger crew, so we often break up into teams to accomplish our tasks. We use walkie-talkies to communicate because our fields are spread out. If you are not working side-by-side with a manager, they are reachable. We have 10 years of experience running crews and believe we can do it rather efficiently without wasting your time.
We are humane bosses and adjust our workload depending on the weather conditions. If it’s going to be unbearably hot, we do the hard jobs in the morning. If it’s going to rain cats and dogs, we try to get the harvest in before the deluge. However, this is a farm job – candidates should be prepared to be outside in all weather conditions to help the team get the work done and understand there is a realm of unpredictability in farming.
We welcome folks to be a part of our farm family for the season with all its ups and downs. We enjoy growing high quality food and sharing it with our crew, customers and local community – and are looking for workers who want to be a part of this. If you like it and we like you, there are opportunities to stay for multiple years with added benefits. “
Educational Opportunities: "We have morning meetings and afternoon meetings to explain what you will be doing for the day and why. This is the best time to ask questions - as we may not always be with you in the field. But, we are happy to answer questions and explain things when we are working with you. You will have the opportunity to go on unpaid field trips through CRAFT and Future Harvest CASA as the workload allows. We give folks some individual responsibilities - and this is an opportunity to have ownership over an area and learn a little bit more about this realm (poultry care, wholesale packing, market prep, high tunnel management, wash and pack room management). There are more educational opportunities after completing your first season. Returning workers get more responsibility - tractor driving, wholesale management, crew management, field management, running a farmers market stand. In turn, we pay for returning workers to attend a conference or classes."
Skills Desired: "Experience in physical labor, farming or outdoor other work is ideal. But, more important is the willingness to work hard outdoors as part of a team and a desire to learn about farming. (If you already know you like farming, please apply!) You will sweat, be tired, be surrounded by insects and critters and see the same faces on the farm day-in and day-out. We will work with you to teach you new skills, but you will work unsupervised once you've learned what we want. So, good communication skills, team work skills and community living experience are desired. Successful candidates will be enthusiastic, energetic, and eager to learn, positive in attitude, and able and willing to follow directions. Some of our best workers have had experience in the restaurant sector, on trail crews or on sports teams. Ideal candidates are ready to unplug a bit and explore rural life, being more connected to nature, the seasons and all things food (growing, cooking, preserving). Your phone will probably not work well here, so if you need to gram every hour - look elsewhere. (You can gram when you're at home during lunch or the evening.)"
Meals: "Veggies, fruit and eggs produced by the farm is available for your use. We love food (esp. hot peppers)! There will be opportunities for community potlucks on other farms. We eat together as a farm crew twice a month, cooking on a voluntary basis. "
Stipend: "Compensation DOE (starts at $8.00 per hour with no experience), produce & eggs, plus housing on-site. Bonuses are given for finishing the season and doing good work. We pay more per hour for folks with some experience. "
Housing: "Housing is provided on the farm in a shared house with private bedrooms, laundry facilities, internet, two bathrooms and a communal kitchen. (Also, Rappahannock County is fairly rural - we highly recommend you bring a car.)"
Preferred method of Contact: Email Stacey for an application. We schedule interviews after receiving a completed application