Herbalism Farm Internship – Kern Family Farm

Last Updated On: December 5th, 2024 at 04:55PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
Rural Route Mammoth Pool Road
North Fork Ca, California, 93643

Primary Contact: Becca Kern
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 2532266350
    Email: becca719@gmail.com

Website: https://www.kernfamilyfarm.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Our farm and homestead is entirely off the grid and continuously strives towards being self sustaining. We’re set on 80 acres of stunning land in the Sierra national forest and overlook the San Joaquin river. We farm regionally appropriate vegetables, fruit, flowers, and herbs on three acres of land comprising over 40 terraced fields, 7 hoophouses, and two acres of orchards and vines. We raise chickens and goats, and practice holistic grazing of our land with our goat herd and chicken flock, as well as regenerative forest management using animals, tools, and fire. We also offer a 9-month herbal medicine program and host an internship program here on the farm.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: February 20, 2025
Internship Ends: November 25, 2025
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: February 15, 2025
Minimum Length of Stay: 9 months

Internship Details:

Our herbalism internship is similar to our general farm internship, with the addition of our herbalism interns spending 1-2 of days per week working alongside Becca, our herb grower and teacher in our herbalism programs, to tend the herb fields, harvest herbs, process herbs into herbal medicine products, and assist in running our herbalism programs. This internship is offered to 1-3 interns per year and runs from mid-February through mid-November. Herbalism interns are expected to also help prepare for and attend all of the herb program sessions, which run two weekends per month from March through November. This is a busy yet deeply fulfilling internship in which you’ll learn a full spectrum of skills in herbalism, organic farming, sustainable agriculture, and holding on-farm community classes.

Interns and apprentices live and work on the farm, experiencing the many facets of our diverse organic operation. The communal work day is 8Am – 12PM where everything from weeding and soil cultivation, bed preparation, planting, transplanting, seed saving and a myriad of other farm based tasks are performed. We harvest on Mondays and Thursdays delivering to our many restaurant partners in the local town of Oakhurst. With community being one of the pillars of our farm, we are involved in many other off farm events and activities and our team are highly encouraged to volunteer their time to attend and assist. The rhythm of the farm varies with the seasons. From June through October, the days are very long, often with more tasks to complete than there is time to get them done! Vegetable production on the farm is in full swing in the summer months. It gets hot here in the summer, but we can always cool down in the creek that runs through the farm.

Educational Opportunities: Herbalism, medicinal plant growing, herbal medicine making, holistic health, organic farming, regenerative farming, holistic grazing, chicken raising, goat herd, small group course management, community events

Skills Desired: entry level skills or experience are okay, any gardening/farming/herbalism skills are welcome

Meals: Yes

Stipend: No

Housing: Yes

Preferred method of Contact: Email