Troon Farm Apprenticeship

Last Updated On: March 10th, 2026 at 11:50AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
1475 Kubli Rd
Grants Pass, Oregon, 97527

Primary Contact: Avry Miller
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 5035773579
    Email: avry@oregonfarmcorps.org

Website: https://www.oregonfarmcorps.org/host-farms/troon

Internship information

General Farm Description: Troon Vineyard is located on the Kubli Bench, high above the Applegate River in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon. Troon Vineyard is a biodiverse farm of ~100 acres that includes cider apples, a permaculture-style food forest, vegetable and herb gardens, re-wilded honey bees, sheep, chickens, dogs, wildlife, humans and, of course, grapevines planted on about half of the total acreage. We are located 20 minutes from Grants Pass and 30 minutes from Jacksonville, OR where you will find groceries, dining, and small town amenities. Troon’s farm team (seven full-time employees plus one apprentice) manages 61 acres of crop production - 45 acres of winegrapes (with support from a vineyard mgmt company), 2.5 acres of cider apples, 1.5 acres of gardens plus food forest, 4.5 acres of hay, and sheep and chickens that rotationally graze pastures. The garden work is almost entirely done by hand due to limited tractor access. We strive for 100% no-till, although undervine cultivation occurs within the vineyards. Every fall, we plant cover crops across the entire farm, continuing to diversify, building soil health and feeding wildlife. Troon wines are sold on-site in our tasting room and distributed nationally. Our produce is sold to local chefs and restaurants. We work primarily with Chef Carl Krauss (Wilder Cooking) who prepares meals for guests in our tasting room kitchen every Sunday, year round. Additionally, he preserves, ferments, and adds value to our produce, providing terroir-driven dining experiences. Lastly, we sell our produce in an on-site farm stand, which is especially busy on Sundays when we host a farmer’s market at Troon, featuring other farmers, artisans and vendors.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: ASAP
Internship Ends: November
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: April 1, 2026
Minimum Length of Stay: 500 hours / Full Season

Internship Details:

Our Apprentice’s main focus will be supporting production of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers from our various gardens and food forest on 1.5 intensively managed acres. These tasks include seed saving and sowing, to bed preparation, transplanting, trellising, irrigation, weeding, fertilization, pruning, thinning, dead-heading, pest control, harvest and processing/packing.

Apprentices will receive training in gardening, fruit orchard management, continual development of a permaculture food forest, irrigation installation and maintenance, livestock husbandry, post-harvest value-added product development, biodynamic preparation making and application, compost building and turning, native plants / biodiversity, and other special projects.

This position will start out Monday-Friday for a couple of weeks, to support a thorough onboarding and acclimatization period. Once the apprentice is fully trained, they will be moved to a Sunday-Thursday schedule. After the dedicated training period, the Apprentice will also be responsible for the greenhouse, livestock and poultry care on Sundays, allowing the rest of the farm team one day off. As Sundays are the day we host a market on-site, this is an opportunity for mentorship in marketing and sales, VIP engagement, and a more complete picture of a vertically integrated business.

Farm design and plans are provided by the director of agriculture, which are performed by the rest of the farm team. Garett provides ultimate oversight and accountability for all aspects of agriculture, as well as the primary training and onboarding of all new staff. Weekly farm team meetings where the week’s priorities and plans are discussed. Farm managers are available for additional meetings and/or field walks throughout the week, and prioritize holding space for improving our apprentice’s experience. Instructions on new or specific tasks are given on a daily basis (or as needed).

Troon’s Safety Committee has created and enacted a Heat Illness Prevention Plan and Wildfire smoke plan, ensuring all employees – but especially those who work outdoors in the field – are safe during the most challenging environmental conditions. We provide several temperature controlled spaces to escape smoke and heat, including their own apprentice quarters.

Educational Opportunities: As part of Oregon Farm Corps' Farmer Training Program Apprenticeship we coordinate a series of educational events including farm tours, classes, and discussion groups for aspiring and beginning farmers including the Apprentices at our partner Host Farms and partner farmer training programs participants. The event series runs between April and October each year, lining up with a majority of our Apprenticeship position start and end dates. The Event Series is designed as an introduction to sustainable and regenerative farming production concepts and practices as well as food system and equity topics. There is a fee for the event series of $600 but scholarships are available. Learn more herehttps://www.oregonfarmcorps.org/event-series

Skills Desired: Interest in learning and working.

Meals: access to extra produce is available

Stipend: $15-$16/HR with housing $19-$20/HR no housing Paid as W2 employees

Housing: On-site housing is located in our “Solar Barn”. Fully permitted and ADA-approved, construction was completed in early 2025. The fully temperature controlled common area has a kitchen for food preparation, a lounge area with TV and couches, a pantry, and storage closet for personal belongings. There are two bathrooms and three bedrooms that can accommodate up to five interns, although we do not expect to ever house more than four at once; we expect our vineyard harvest interns will overlap with the Apprentice but strive to give our Apprentice the private bedroom. Wifi is available, The farm team shares this common area during break times. As such, a weekly chores rotation was created for the Apprentice/Interns and farmers all share the responsibility of cleaning the shared space. No pets or overnight guests are allowed, we will review other Solar Barn House Rules if an offer is made. Sharing the land is Troon’s Director of Agriculture, his partner and their toddler son. We enjoy cultivating community by sharing good food and our favorite local experiences.

Preferred method of Contact: email / website