Grassward Dairy

Last Updated On: July 31st, 2024 at 08:49AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
39030 Griggs Drive
Lebanon, Oregon, 97355

Primary Contact: Aimee Marciniak
Primary Phone:
    Type: Home
    Number: 541.936.9697
    Email: grassward.dairy@gmail.com

Website: https://instagram.com/grassward.dairy

Internship information

General Farm Description: Farmstead microdairy currently milking 9 cows and grazing about 30 animals on 80 acres. We are passionate about delicious, high-quality dairy; humane treatment of animals; ethical land use; and regenerative agriculture. We have been dairying for 10 years; last winter we purchased an 80 acre farm and are beyond excited to commit to this land! We are a microdairy preparing to be a commercial creamery. We do weekly deliveries of raw milk, yogurt, fresh cheeses and butter (and beef twice each year) through a herdshare, a consumer-direct sales model. We welcome you to join us on our microdairy, a type of farm that is almost extinct in modern agriculture - milking 250 cows is now considered a small dairy and milking 5,000 with robots is standard. We currently milk 8 cows once a day and supply about 75 families in our herdshare every week.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Next opening December; flexible and always planning for the future!
Internship Ends: Flexible and negotiable
Number of Internship Available: 1-2
Application Deadline: ASAP
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 months

Internship Details:

Dairying is incredibly rewarding – interacting with the land and animals and eating the amazing products of our labor. We are dedicated to regenerative agriculture and attention to detail in order to provide ourselves and our herdshare community with delicious, high quality, artisanal food. Attention to detail is one of the important skills you will use and practice here!

Interns will gain hands-on experience in the areas of pasture management and renovation, management intensive grazing, natural resource management, animal health and husbandry, raising youngstock, milking cows, cheesemaking, business planning, marketing and more.

Chores/work sessions are 7am to noon and 4 to 6pm. Additionally, we all pitch in on a rotating dinner and dishes schedule.

6.5 hours work trade for room, board and education; diet is mostly farm food, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and veg from the land; we trade with other local producers.
We eat the highest quality, humanely- and ethically-raised, local and seasonal food from small producers. Please no special diets.

Educational Opportunities: Interns will gain hands-on experience in the areas of pasture management and renovation, management intensive grazing, natural resource management, animal health and husbandry, raising youngstock, milking cows, cheesemaking, business planning, marketing and more.

Skills Desired: You will need sturdy shoes and good communication skills - we will happily orient you to farming duties.

Meals: Yes. Diet is mostly farm food, including meat, fish, eggs, dairy and veg from the land; we trade with other local producers. We eat the highest quality, humanely- and ethically-raised, local and seasonal food from small producers. Please no special diets.

Stipend: Yes; negotiable.

Housing: Yes; private room in separate intern & WWOOFer house.

Preferred method of Contact: email or phone