2026 Summer Farming Internship – Gaining Ground
Last Updated On: December 9th, 2025 at 09:33AM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:341 Virginia Road
Concord, Massachusetts, 01742
Primary Contact: Mark Congdon
Secondary Contact: Allison Goodwin
Primary Phone:
Type: Office
Number: 9786106086
Email: mark@gainingground.org
Secondary Phone
Type: Office
Number: 9786106086
Email: allison@gainingground.org
Email: allison@gainingground.org
Website: https://gainingground.org/our-story/summer-internship-program/
Website: https://gainingground.org
Internship information
General Farm Description: Gaining Ground is a non-profit, no-till organic farm in Concord, MA that grows fresh produce exclusively for donation to food pantries, shelters, meal programs and schools in the Greater Boston area. We welcome nearly 4,000 volunteers each season to help us increase equitable access to healthy, sustainably grown produce.CRAFT Member Farm? Yes
Internship Starts: early June 2026
Internship Ends: late August 2026
Number of Internship Available: 3
Application Deadline: February 10, 2026
Minimum Length of Stay: 2 months
Internship Details:
Gaining Ground is a non-profit, no-till, organic farm located in Concord, Massachusetts. At our flagship farm and satellite fields we actively cultivate 6 acres of land to grow over 50 varieties of vegetables, fruit, herbs, and flowers in fields interspersed with perennial hedgerows. We produce for 18 hunger relief organizations with the help of a community of volunteers and donate 100% of the food we grow. In the 2024 growing season we grew over 137,000 pounds of produce, supplying more than 2,100 food-insecure households each week in the Greater Boston region. We welcomed over 3,800 volunteers of all ages and abilities to the farm last season.
We seek to welcome 2-3 college/university students to participate in our Summer Internship Program for the 2026 growing season. We’re looking for candidates with the desire to learn innovative systems to sustainably farm within our changing climate. They will learn from our professional farm team, working alongside thousands of volunteers, to support hunger relief in the greater Boston region. Our curriculum includes hands-on training and classroom workshops with the opportunity for personalized areas of focus. This program will run from early June to late August 2026 on a 40 hours per week, Tuesday through Saturday schedule.
Responsibilities and Expectations:
- Work alongside our experienced farmers to learn all aspects of the farm including: greenhouse seeding, transplanting, high tunnel work, field preparation, composting, mulching, cultivation, harvest, and pest management.
- Assist our farmers with leading volunteer groups each week. This includes corporate groups, school groups, faith-based organizations, and individuals from the community. Our farmers educate volunteers about our growing practices, mission, and food security initiatives while working alongside them in the field.
- Willingness to participate in administered educational farming workshops.
- Willingness to attend educational field trips to partner organizations as well as other local farms for e-mass CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) workshops.
- Willingness to give and receive feedback in the field and during scheduled check-ins.
Qualifications:
- Positive and compassionate attitude
- Desire to learn and be curious
- Excellent work ethic, reliability, and punctuality
- Willingness to work outside in all types of weather conditions
- Interest in and/or experience with no-till farming practices
- Ability to work on a team and independently
- Ability to work with volunteer groups of all ages and abilities on a regular basis
- Comfort interacting with an engaged board of directors and our 18 partner organizations
- Ability to lift 30-40 pounds and perform repetitive physically taxing tasks
- Satisfactory background and reference checks
- A valid driver’s license
- Cell phone communication
- Reliable transportation to the farm
Educational Opportunities: We’re looking for candidates with the desire to learn innovative systems to sustainably farm within our changing climate. They will learn from our professional farm team, working alongside thousands of volunteers, to support hunger relief in the greater Boston region. Our curriculum includes hands-on training and classroom workshops with the opportunity for personalized areas of focus.
Skills Desired: No experience is necessary. We do, however, require: Positive and compassionate attitude Desire to learn and be curious Excellent work ethic, reliability, and punctuality Willingness to work outside in all types of weather conditions Interest in and/or experience with no-till farming practices Ability to work on a team and independently Ability to work with volunteer groups of all ages and abilities on a regular basis Comfort interacting with an engaged board of directors and our 18 partner organizations Ability to lift 30-40 pounds and perform repetitive physically taxing tasks Satisfactory background and reference checks A valid driver’s license Cell phone communication Reliable transportation to the farm
Meals: One-hour meal breaks are provided each day, but interns are expected to bring and/or prepare their own meals.
Stipend: Our Summer Internship Program is an unpaid internship in which the applicants are expected to be compensated through their college’s internship stipend or other educational support funding. (Most local colleges and universities in the Boston area have internship support programs; interested students should contact their school’s career office for further details on available funding.)
Housing: Please note that we are unable to provide housing as part of this program. Having your own means of transportation (car or bike) is strongly encouraged, as we are unfortunately not located close to public transport stops.
Preferred method of Contact: Email
