Broadfork Farm

Last Updated On: November 1st, 2023 at 01:13PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
9501 Deer Range Rd
Moseley, Virginia, 23120

Primary Contact: Janet Aardema
Secondary Contact: Dan Gagnon

Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 804-337-6540
    Email: info@broadforkfarm.net

Secondary Phone
    Type: -----
    Number: 804-335-5344
    Email:

Website: https://www.broadforkfarm.net

Internship information

General Farm Description: Broadfork Farm is a small, intentionally multi-generational, family operated, full time Certified Naturally Grown vegetable farm (plus a part time old-world style woodfired bakery specializing in Organic, naturally leavened bread). Since 2011, we have intensively cultivated just a few acres in order to grow abundant food for our nearby community, whom we reach through our 200-member Farm Share, on-site FarmStand, Saturday farmers’ market, and select grocery stores. We grow 70 different crops each season. We use only biological/ecological farming methods – no chemical fertilizers or pesticides ever. We love delicious, nutritious food, and we love community. We combine these passions through our vibrant, fun-loving, and very hard-working farm business. We live with our four children on our farm, a quarter of our Farm Share members pick up their shares at our farm, and we host numerous events throughout each season. We are an oasis of old tyme, rural goodness…right on the outskirts of suburbia, and in close proximity to the city of Richmond and all the cultural opportunities it offers. We are a welcoming business, committed to embracing diversity of ancestry, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and ability. We welcome applications from those that also embrace this diversity. Farm owners/operators Dan and Janet have (in addition to 30+ years combined experience with biological farming) extensive backgrounds in biology, education, and business management, providing a well-rounded experience for motivated new organic farmers. We love organic food, positive people, and the satisfaction of honest, hard work.

CRAFT Member Farm? Yes

Internship Starts: as soon as possible
Internship Ends: 11-21-2023
Number of Internship Available: 6
Application Deadline: 01-20-2023 for this round of interviews
Minimum Length of Stay: 3 months

Internship Details:

We seek hard-working and enthusiastic individuals to join us in farming this piece of land. We love great food, healthy soil, engaging our brains and bodies at the same time, and farming with people who share the same joys. We offer a full time position through November 21, 40 hours/week, Monday through Friday, plus a share of Saturday morning farmers’ market shifts, and housing in a gorgeous, newly built house surrounded by our abundant fields of vegetables and flowers that you’re helping to tend.

An average day on the farm has about 8-9 of us here working. We keep our staff members’ work days to 8 hours.

We offer the opportunity to learn deeply while working; we extensively teach and mentor while training and orienting our staff to the tasks and philosophies used here.

Two staff members learn and mix sourdough bread in our FarmStead Bakery here on the farm once per week.

You will actively participate in:
– Crop planning
– Soil test analyzing and relevant soil amending
– Seed starting & greenhouse propagation
– High tunnel and greenhouse growing; Season extension
– Transplanting and direct seeding more than 50 different crops
– Permanent raised bed management
– Irrigation and related management, drip tape and wobblers
– Intensive crop-management and rotation in a double & triple cropping bed system
– Analyzing & managing crops for nutrient density
– Harvest & Post-harvest handling
– Direct marketing products (through Farm Share plus online, an on-site FarmStand, and physical farmers’ market)
– Business strategies for small, diversified, organic vegetable farm providing a living for a family, including start-up logistics and growth considerations
…and more, experiencing the distinct seasons of a farm year in the central VA climate.

More about us…

We are professional but not corporate.
We teach and guide through gentle and patient explanation, but we also show how and when to move fast.
We are soil nerds and business nerds. We’ll show you how to be smart about both.
We stress kindness above most all else.
We’re a family friendly farm and business.
We are a strictly no-smoking, no-vaping, no-illegal drugs farm. (Participation in any of these on the farm results in immediate termination.)

What our Alumni say:

“Dan and Janet *want* you to ask questions AND want to be sure you understand the answer. Other bosses of mine haven’t felt this way, which made it hard to learn.”

“Janet and Dan want you to understand the “Why?” behind the farming concepts and decisions they are teaching you.”

“I’m so grateful for everything you all taught me. I came here hungry for information and you all delivered. I can’t wait to keep building on this foundation of knowledge and also to share info and skills with others.”

“Dan and Janet think and process differently from each other. I was glad to have each of them and their different styles because it worked different parts of my brain.”

Educational Opportunities: We extensively teach and mentor while training and orienting staff members to the tasks and philosophies used here. We examine more deeply the complicated subjects. We also provide resource binders of critical material. We provide 2-4 field trips to other similar-but-different farms during the fall in order to learn from other farms’ examples. The season ends around Thanksgiving, celebrating all that has been learned and accomplished over the season. You will participate in: – Crop planning – Soil test analyzing and relevant soil amending – Seed starting & greenhouse propagation – High tunnel and greenhouse growing; Season extension – Transplanting and direct seeding more than 50 different crops – Permanent raised bed management – Irrigation and related management, drip tape and wobblers – Intensive crop-management and rotation in a double & triple cropping bed system – Analyzing & managing crops for nutrient density – Harvest & Post-harvest handling – Direct marketing products (through Farm Share plus online and physical farmers’ markets) – Business strategies for small, diversified, organic vegetable farm providing a living for a young family, including start-up logistics and growth considerations …and more, experiencing the distinct seasons of a farm year in the central VA climate. We also utilize Value-added production via Hearth Baked Bread in our Bakery, and two members of our Farm Crew learn about and participate in this process.

Skills Desired: Requirements for all Farmers at our farm: – Ability to lift and carry 50 pounds, repeatedly squat and bend, moving your body in a coordinated fashion most if not all of the day, regardless of weather. (But we adjust schedule and task list as able to avoid the very worst weather. We are practical people.) – Relevant farm work experience preferred. – Must be able to follow directions well and balance ‘carefully-enough’ with ‘quickly-enough’ in a fast paced and varied environment. (We move a lot of plants, compost, vegetables, crates, bins, and hoses! Farm staff need to be able to use their bodies and their minds to carry out these movements.) – Valid driver’s license, clean driving record, and ability to participate in delivery and distribution of vegetables and bread as needed. – Interest in and commitment to learning deeply about organic, regenerative, diversified vegetable farming and engaging in the sometimes difficult but always rewarding work of stewarding land and growing food (and flowers). – Willingness to care for your physical self in order to stay fueled, hydrated, and protected from the sun. Willingness to care for your mental and spiritual self in order to be both a healthy individual and a healthy member of our farm staff community. – Willingness to be detached from your phone during farm work. (No phones on your person during work time.) – Enthusiasm to work with and around a group of people of diverse ages and backgrounds, including children, middle-aged people, and senior citizens and be a caring member of our farm staff community. – Must commit to always cleaning up after yourself. – We are a strictly non-smoking/non-vaping/illegal-drug-free farm. No smoking here, ever, of anything. (Participation in any of those on the farm = immediate termination.) - No previous farm experience required. - We are a strictly non-smoking/non-vaping/illegal-drug-free farm. No smoking here, ever, of anything. (Participation in any of those on the farm = immediate termination.)

Meals: Free farm food. Group meals are not required but are encouraged as desired and determined by the community of staff living together.

Stipend: $15-18/hour depending on experience

Housing: Furnished housing available for $500/month in a brand new, beautiful house with heat, a/c, and wifi, surrounded by our abundant fields of vegetables and flowers. House is completely furnished, including kitchen supplies, and shared with other Farm Crew members. Basics such as cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and even flour are provided. Linens and towels are provided for anyone that needs them.

Preferred method of Contact: email