Turkey Foot Farm

Last Updated On: enero 3rd, 2023 at 07:48AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
15210 BEAR CAMP LN NW
Mount Savage, Maryland, 21545-1218

Primary Contact: Ian Cheek
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 443-717-1233
    Email: turkeyfootfarmmd@gmail.com

Website: https://www.facebook.com/turkeyfootfarmmd

Internship information

General Farm Description: My wife and I run a small, diversified farm in western Maryland and are heading into our 3rd season. We have a 1/4-acre market garden that includes vegetables, cut flowers, raspberries and blueberries. We grow shiitake, oyster, and chestnut mushrooms and have a young apple, peach and cherry orchard that may give us a small first harvest this season. We also have a growing flock of registered Katahdin hair sheep that we rotationally graze around the farm with our guardian dog. We practice stockpiling pasture and winter graze with a future goal of feeding little to no hay to the flock. Pastured broiler chickens will be a new addition to the farm this season. The rolling and steep hills of the farm lend themselves to grazing which is our primary land use. The farm was reverting back to forest and much of the existing infrastructure was failing or absent upon our arrival, building infrastructure is a big part of our day-to-day activities.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: On or after April 1
Internship Ends: Flexible within November
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: April 15
Minimum Length of Stay: 3 months

Internship Details:

This position requires a self-directed individual(s) who are able to work on their own, but also as a team. We like to complete projects together whenever possible, but are willing to offer folks leadership roles with tasks and enterprises on the farm under the right circumstances. We ask for you to work on average 40 hours per week, depending on time of year and workload. Farm tasks include rotating sheep with polynet fencing, data collection for National Sheep Improvement Program, broiler chicken chores and slaughter, harvesting vegetables, berries, flowers and mushrooms for farmers market and restaurant orders, weeding, seeding, transplanting, planting orchard and other perennial crops, harvesting apples, inoculating mushroom logs, and firewood. Some major infrastructure projects include building perimeter fence, water infrastructure, land clearing, building a greenhouse, tearing down dilapidated buildings, and building sheep handling facilities. As a young farm our day to day is filled with hands on and variable projects.

Educational Opportunities: Intensive rotational grazing with electric fence, animal husbandry, natural vegetable production and irrigation, fruit orchard care and harvest, food preservation, whole hog butchery and smoking, chicken slaughter and packing, sourdough bread production, chainsaw work and tree felling, tractor work, welding, machine maintenance, and carpentry. Opportunity to try out your own enterprise and visit other local farms.

Skills Desired: Carpentry and mechanic skills desired but not required. Baking and culinary interests appreciated. Flexibility, the willingness to learn and a positive attitude are all that is required.

Meals: Yes, meals will be shared/provided. Cooking and cleaning tasks are shared.

Stipend: Yes

Housing: Yes

Preferred method of Contact: email