Rag & Frass Farm

Last Updated On: November 15th, 2024 at 08:47AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
15176 US Hwy 80
Jeffersonville, Georgia, 31044

Primary Contact: Julia Asherman
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 617-777-0117
    Email: ragandfrassfarm@gmail.com

Website: http://www.ragandfrassfarm.com

Website: http://www.instagram.com/ragandfrassfarm

Internship information

General Farm Description: Rag and Frass Farm is a certified organic veggie and cut flower farm, entering its 12th year of production in rural central Georgia. We farm in the geographic center of the state, in a small town two hours south of Atlanta and two hours from Savannah. We have 3 acres in production on a larger 54 acre slice of country heaven, which includes woods, pond, pasture, and creek. We grow both in open fields and in 5 large high tunnels and are passionate about our soil and crop rotation, preferring a combination of cover cropping, mulching, occultation, no-till, and conscientious tillage to work our land. We are primarily a market farm, selling at 2 farmers markets a week, year round, and through an online store (for pickup and home delivery). We are also part of a small farmer-owned regional food hub cooperative which increases our farming community's access to markets and restaurants. In addition to farmers markets, we have a small roadside stand, sell to local restaurants, and do floral arranging for seasonal events and weddings, though this part of the operation has paused since welcoming our farm baby. The farm was started by Julia, originally from Boston, and was joined 5 years ago by her partner Brandon, originally from San Diego. In 2021 baby Rye was born, and is now a full fledged farm toddler. We love plants, but have plenty of animals too: 2 dogs and 5 cats, laying hens, vermicompost, and bees. We also have (long story) two cows and a donkey, though we are definitely not trying to be in the livestock business. In addition to Julia and Brandon, our crew includes 2 year-round part time folks who have worked with us for 5+ years (Lena and Mindy), and when we are lucky an apprentice turns into a permanent team members (this year we are keeping Morgan!) We have created a worker handbook (available on our website) which goes into great detail about us, our farm, and our expectations. Please read before applying. Application can be found on the website.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: March 1st (ish)
Internship Ends: November 30th (ish)
Number of Internship Available: 1-2
Application Deadline: until positions are filled
Minimum Length of Stay: full season

Internship Details:

Apprenticeship offers immersion in the real day-to-day work and life of our operation. All aspects of farm work and business are covered from production to planning, bookkeeping and finances, marketing and general farm start-up experiences. Apprentices will learn foundations of crop planning, pest and fertility management, food safety, post-harvest handling, greenhouse seeding, propagation, weeding, using tools and equipment, floriculture and soil science. Oh yea, and lots of harvesting. Our goal is to give apprentices accurate expectations and the tools and preparation for a career in farming, whether that is working on established farms or starting your own.

Due to our market and harvest schedule, work is 6 days a week, anywhere from 35-45 hours, sometimes less. Usually Saturday is a half day in addition to a full day off Sunday. Our weekly schedule is a mix of routine and flexibility, with certain days dedicated to harvest and market, others are ‘farm work’ days and tasks vary with the time of year and weather. During summer we often work two-part days with long siesta to avoid the heat.

We work hard, but with purpose and passion, and we have fun too! It is very important that our team is made up of folks who are positive, creative, curious, communicative, reliable, and committed.

If interested, please visit our website at www.ragandfrassfarm.com to read our full Apprenticeship Handbook and find the application link. Handbook and Application here

Educational Opportunities: Most of the education will be hands-on and in the field, with the most gained from engaged and inquisitive people. For apprentices arriving early enough (or who stay on a second year), we love to bring you to local conferences like Georgia Organics. Throughout the season we will do sit-down mini classes on specific topics as they come up and we want to dive deeper. We also have an extensive farming library, and membership and archive access to Growing for Market, The Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, and more. We are well-connected to other farmers around our region, state, and the southeast, and we are members in our local Middle GA Young Farmers Chapter (part of NYFC). We also like to go on farm field trips to visit with our farming friends and check out their farms as the season allows. The handbook covers much of this in detail, but we love our work and believe working on farms is the best way to learn to farm. We expect apprentices to be here to work hard and learn; we are here to operate this farm to its fullest potential and share our skills with future farmers. We also believe learning to farm is a process that takes years (or a lifetime), it is impossible to learn it all in one season.

Skills Desired: We don't require farm experience but require that apprentices have a serious interest in farming as a career. We value determination, grit, self-motivation, positive attitudes, humor, creativity, responsibility, communication, and willingness to set sweaty and dirty! Physical strength is an asset but more important is positive attitude, teamwork, and mental stamina! We are very committed to our farm and this process and hope applicants have realistic expectations of farm work and a commitment to fulfilling their apprenticeship, if selected. We are looking to hire people who can commit to the full season and not leave us hanging when it gets hots, and are very open to offering second seasons (with accompanying significant pay and responsibility increases) to really special folks.

Meals: Yes, most food (lots of farm veggies and some staples) is provided! We keep a very well-stocked farm kitchen and eat a lot of veggies from the farm. Depending on the crew and vibes, meals may be communal or independent, or both. Dinner is often together with rotating cooks, but this is up to the group. We also have access to great farm products (meat, dairy, fruit, etc.) from farming friends and the market. Please see handbook for full details.

Stipend: Apprentices will be paid $1600/month to offset any personal costs you may have while learning and working on the farm, in addition to room, board, and utilities. We offer a week's paid vacation in August, and significant discretionary bonuses upon completion of the full season.

Housing: Yes. The 'farmhouse' is not a house but an old fixer-upper brick motel, built in the 1940's. "Very rustic" private rooms are available, equipped with AC, wifi, modest furnishings. Shared bathroom with composting toilet (not gross!), lovely private shower in greenhouse with hot water (very pleasant), shared full kitchen and living room. We have WiFi, laundry on-site, plenty of parking. Julia and Brandon and baby Rye live in small house next door to farm, having recently moved from the motel. The accommodations are humble but nice, somewhere between glamping and cozy squatting. Our farm was started from almost nothing but cheap land, old vandalized buildings, determination and grit-- the accommodations reflect this history but we have also come a long way since the early years!

Preferred method of Contact: email