Farmstead Goat Dairy – Mystery Bay Farm

Last Updated On: October 25th, 2024 at 11:34AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
PO Box 285
Nordland, Washington, 98358

Primary Contact: Rachael Van Laanen
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 3607740675
    Email: mysterybayfarm@gmail.com

Website: https://www.mysterybayfarm.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Mystery Bay Farm is a 5 acre family farm on Marrowstone Island. We manage a herd of almost 40 goats on our land as well as neighboring parcels. While the 'farm' is a dairy, making cheese for sale, we are first and foremost a family homestead. We have a big garden, fruit trees, a pond, outdoor solar/wood fired hot tubs, a cob oven and more. We enjoy hanging out here and our kids are a big part of the vibe

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Late Feb 2025
Internship Ends: Oct/Nov 2025
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: Feb 1, 2025
Minimum Length of Stay: 8 months

Internship Details:

An apprentice at Mystery Bay Farm will come away with a diversity of skills which represent the dynamic nature of a working farm. You will learn how to oversee kidding (goat births), the raising of kids, goat milking (by hand and machine) procedures, goat health maintenance and mediation, principals of rotational grazing, pasture management, hay making, cheese making and packaging, overall cheese facility maintenance, basic gardening and the business of selling cheese. We are a family (and often a neighborhood) farm, so apprentice must enjoy young children, curious neighbors and dinner around a fire.
An apprentice will have the opportunity to experience every aspect of our Farmstead Dairy operation- including birthing, milking through the season, goat husbandry, pasture management, hay making, cheese making, business of ‘cheese’, breeding and more. We value teaching the how and why of our systems as a path to resilient competency.

Educational Opportunities: Many other small farms in the area (vegis, blueberries etc.) that can be visited etc. if interested.

Skills Desired: To thrive on the farm one will need to : Enjoy goats and getting to know them Find the routine of farm work satisfying Have the ability to work alone Find pleasure in daily routines that are not 'internet based' Be ok with a shared kitchen area- our barn area is heavily used by our family. (we live here!) Have the ability and motivation to explore our community be it the beaches on Marrowstone Island or other activities off island Genuinely want to learn, through experience, how small farms really work We are a 10 minute drive to the nearest town, but are lucky to have an amazing General Store right at the bottom of our driveway. Some cell phones work here and yes, we have internet, however it is limited to the barn area.

Meals: No

Stipend: Yes

Housing: Yes

Preferred method of Contact: email