Chelan Valley Botanicals

Last Updated On: January 9th, 2025 at 01:29PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
530 LOWER JOE CREEK RD
MANSON, Washington, 98831

Primary Contact: Seth Christian
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 2067791168
    Email: chelanvalleybotanicals@gmail.com

Website: https://www.chelanvalleybotanicals.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Wildnow Farm and Chelan Valley Botanicals is a family owned and operated farm business on 43 acres that utilizes regenerative agriculture, permaculture & natural farming practices to grow medicinal & culinary herbs, veggies, cut flowers and fruit for our local community and beyond. We create value added products from the herbs we grow for retail and wholesale sales and sell produce at our local farmer's markets and to a few local restaurants. One new area of interest is native plants and we will be starting a large number of native wildflowers from seed and working to propagate native shrubs and trees from soft/hardwood cuttings in 2025. We're located in the beautiful Lake Chelan Valley, in the shadows of the Cascade mountains in North Central Washington State. Our family of 4 left the city with a dream of growing food and medicine and creating a place to practice the three permaculture ethics of earth care, people care, and fair share. Our farm is fallow orchard land that we have coaxed back to health over the last thirteen years. We're entering our 8th season for Chelan Valley Botanicals and 6th growing vegetables for market, so this is a valuable time to help out at a farm that is coming into it's own. A big part of practicing earth care for us is actively working on the restoration and rehabilitation of our land and 2025 brings exciting developments for the farm. We received a 3 year grant through the WA State Department of Ecology & Cascadia Conservation District for a habitat restoration project along the creek that makes up one boundary line of our property. The project will include the removal of invasive species, planting native trees & shrubs and monitoring the project over the course of another full season. We're waiting on a cultural assessment of the site and permits, but planting will commence in the fall of 2025. The farm also received a Pollinator Habitat Kit from the Xerces Society in support of native bumblebees and we planted over 80 native grasses, wildflowers, trees, and shrubs in the fall of 2024 that are preferred forage for our natives pollinators. We are excited to share our knowledge of growing vegetables, flowers and medicinal herbs for market & wholesale production and finding folks interested in helping and learning with us in our farming adventure. If you see yourself going into agriculture or related fields in the future, we'd love to meet you and share what we've learned along the way. We have been hosting work traders and interns for the last 7 years and many of them have gone on to start their own business projects or join farms in their regions and we want that for you too!

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 4/1/25
Internship Ends: 10/31/2024
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: Until filled
Minimum Length of Stay: whole season

Internship Details:

We are looking to hire someone who is motivated, excited to learn, open to working outside in adverse conditions (heat in summer, freezing/wet/cold/windy in spring and fall, etc), and comfortable working alone or with a team. Interns will assist with the day to day operations of the farm beginning March or April 1st and ending October 31st, with flexibility on start & end dates). Tasks will include but not be limited to:

• Seeding, soft/hardwood propagation, transplanting, preparation of potting soil & soil blocks
• Pruning, weeding, mulching, & spreading soil amendments
• Preparing & applying biochar
• Preparing & applying static aerated compost and vermicompost
• Preventative & spot application of organic pesticides as needed
• Installation and use of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems
• Harvest, washing and packing of herbs/vegetables/fruit for weekly farmer’s market & wholesale customers
• Harvest, processing, and packing of culinary & medicinal herbs for farm use and wholesale customers
• Assist with bottling, labeling, and maintenance of CVB inventory
• Set up, operation & cleaning of essential oil still for hydrosol and essential oil production
• Seed saving – including collection, drying, and processing
• Preparing & applying weekly aerated compost tea solutions
• Preparing & applying Korean Natural Farming preparations with application timing based on the nutritive cycle theory
• Stock and set up farmer’s market booth for Thursday market
• Miscellaneous farm tasks as needed/assigned
• Maintain order and cleanliness in shared living and work spaces
• Clean harvest totes and wash/pack area on scheduled days/as needed

We are looking to fill one internship position, with a primary focus on supporting the botanical side of our business. We plan to grow vegetables for personal consumption (including interns) and bring any excess to our customers each week. This is a transitional year for our operation, as we work to streamline our business and place a higher emphasis on the harvesting and processing of herbs and the preparation of value added products.

We are asking for 30 hrs/week, Monday-Thursday. We attend the Thursday farmer’s market in Chelan, so those days will require a longer shift and the remainder of the hours will be split between the other three days. We live in a place with lots of seasonal work during the growing season, so there are ample opportunities to find employment locally if that is of interest.

Educational Opportunities: We will utilize the Internship Curriculum for Food Farmers developed by Bertrand Farms and SARE, with modifications as needed. A mixture of lecture, discussion, assigned reading, student led projects, and experiential learning opportunities will be used to teach farm interns about farming practices and farm enterprise. We are proponents of experiential learning and strongly believe that the best way to learn is through doing.

Skills Desired: Experience with farming, medicinal herbs or land restoration are a plus but not necessary. A willing spirit, an open mind and a tolerance for adverse conditions are all that's required.

Meals: We do not provide meals, but ample produce is available during the growing season and we will assist with staples (flour/oil/root veg/beans/rice/etc) in the spring as things get going.

Stipend: $800/month plus a bonus for completing the whole season

Housing: Yes, we have a 25' travel trailer parked adjacent to our shop with access to a full kitchen and bathroom

Preferred method of Contact: Please email me a letter of introduction & CV to chelanvalleybotanicals@gmail.com