Big Leaf – River Run Farm
Last Updated On: June 2nd, 2025 at 02:58PM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:2800 WOODCOCK RD
Sequim, Washington, 98382
Primary Contact: Noah Bresler
Primary Phone:
Type: Cell
Number: 3608080268
Email: noahsb@gmail.com
Website: https://www.riverrun.farm/
Internship information
General Farm Description: Join us in our very first year, and help us build our new agricultural non-profit into something that makes a meaningful difference for farmers and consumers alike! You will be one of a small group of interns working to help piece together an organization that works on behalf of small farmers, analyzing regenerative agriculture systems and how they affect crop quality. We will host you here on our mid-scale organic vegetable farm, for an immersive educational experience: studying and actively participating in the plant growth process, designing trials, collecting data, and growing food all while working to build the foundations of our fledgling non-profit.CRAFT Member Farm? No
Internship Starts: Late June- Early September
Internship Ends: Early September or Late October
Number of Internship Available: 3
Application Deadline: June 14th
Minimum Length of Stay: 10 weeks
Internship Details:
Big Leaf Project- Intern Description
Are you called towards working with plants, soil, and thinking critically about how we produce food? Do you want an educational experience where you are not a passive learner, but using your talents and intuitions to help others and make an impactful contribution to our food system? We are looking for someone who is familiar with regenerative agriculture and wants to put their drive and skills to work. Our work this summer will revolve around establishing on farm planting and fertilizing trials to help farmers adopt practical solutions that they can integrate in their operations. This is a start-up organization. But we are not one that has its sights set on making money, or bringing an innovative product to market. We want to be an organization that acts on behalf of farmers, working to take small steps to improve our food supply in a way that benefits the land, the farmer, the consumer, and our local community.
You may apply for one of two different internship opportunities. One position is designed as a 4 month program (June-October), with exact arrival and departure dates being flexible. The other position is a short 10 week summer intensive (late June-early September). Both groups will work together for the 10 week period. Of course, the longer position is designed to have additional time to go deeper into your study and lay the groundwork for our project’s future.. When you apply please specify which position you are applying for. Also in your application email please give us a short explanation of your interest in our program, what your recent focus has been, and what you are wanting to do in the near future.
Our average day will be structured around our garden scale experiments. That means we will be gardening (hand-scale) using a few different methods. We will have test plots to monitor plant growth responses from our various production techniques, as well as how various fertilizers and biologicals affect plant growth. All of this will require both hands in the soil type work, and using in field monitoring devices to collect and record crop health data. While you will spend a lot of time outside working, there will also be time in the classroom, learning to use a microscope, working on independent projects, and once/week doing a mentor-led academic deep dive on a topic.
Please keep in mind: We are a working farm, and we are at the moment completely self-funded. This program is designed to provide an educational experience, but our learning structure revolves around you having the capacity to stay focused on our collective work, without a teacher constantly present. You will have a program coordinator, but much of the work and learning will be done alone. You will learn through your contribution to the larger project, and from our experience this will provide a welcome change of pace from what most of our learning institutions provide. We don’t yet have any fancy buildings or sophisticated laboratories. We are building our vision slowly from what we have access to here on the farm. If you need detailed structure to thrive you are unlikely to find it here. If you are self-directed, self-motivated, and can work creatively with a little direction and structure, you will likely find the space you need to thrive. For the right person, this will be an educational experience of a lifetime.
Our host farm, River Run Farm in Sequim, WA will provide housing. We will not charge for the summer program, but we will not provide a wage or a stipend. Of course you will have free access to the farm’s vegetable bounty, but you must be in a financial position to support your personal expense independently. When our organization is more established in the near future we plan to offer opportunities to interns that have no savings of financial support. But this season we are self-funded and will need applicants who have the financial flexibility to work without income.
Please check out River Run Farm’s website to better understand our Farm operation. The Big Leaf Project (our new non-profit) will rent space from River Run and work in parallel with River Run Farm’s farm crew. We are working on a Big Leaf Project website, but haven’t yet posted one. Please reach out to Noah for more information. He can be emailed at noahsb@riverrun.farm.
To apply, please email Noah with a short explanation of your interest in our program, your recent focus (work/studies), and what you are wanting to do with your life in the near future. Thank you for your interest!
Educational Opportunities: Yes, this is an opportunity very focused on education and research!
Skills Desired: Applicants who are strongly drawn to working within agriculture, who are well organized, and academically oriented.
Meals: No
Stipend: No, only housing.
Housing: Yes
Preferred method of Contact: Email
