Valley Flora Apprenticeship

Last Updated On: February 5th, 2026 at 01:43PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
94938 Floras Creek Rd
Langlois, Oregon, 97450

Primary Contact: Oregon Farm Corps
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 5035773579
    Email: avry@oregonfarmcorps.org

Website: https://www.oregonfarmcorps.org/host-farms/valley-flora

Website: https://www.valleyflorafarm.com/

Internship information

General Farm Description: Valley Flora is a highly diversified fresh produce farm located 2 miles outside of the small town of Langlois (population 300) on the beautiful southern Oregon coast. The farm is deeply dedicated to ecological, climate-forward farming principles and practices, and we play a central role in our local food system in this rural corner of the state. Our crew is tight-knit and hard-working, and we strive to create a fun and supportive workplace for everyone here. Valley Flora Farm encompasses 90 acres in a beautiful, quiet river valley, 4 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Of that acreage, 40 acres are upland forest, 30 acres are in pasture, and the remaining 20 acres is rich river bottomland where we cultivate all of our row crops and orchard crops. The farm is nestled in a special microclimate where cool-weather crops thrive, but where we also have enough summer warmth to grow eggplant, sweet corn, peppers, and tomatoes outdoors - in spite of our proximity to the ocean. It’s a lovely climate to work and play in. The farm is surrounded by natural beauty, with numerous coastal rivers running undammed from the coast range to the sea; uncrowded beaches; wild dunes and forests. The farm is 20 minutes from the picturesque coastal towns of Port Orford (to the south) and Bandon (to the north). We’re five miles from Floras Lake, an epicenter of kite and wind-surfing. There is also nearby mountain biking, surfing, hiking, fishing, and horseback riding. Floras Creek, which runs the entire length of the farm, offers numerous summertime swimming holes and wintertime salmon spawning grounds. Valley Flora’s production is highly diversified, and so is our marketing. We distribute our food via four distinct sales channels: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA): Valley Flora operates a 140-member CSA from June through December during our main season, and a 70+ member winter CSA from January to May. We participate in the Double Up Food Bucks program to help break down barriers to fresh produce in our low income community. Farmstand & U-Pick: We have a bustling onsite farmstand that’s open from May to December, and a busy strawberry and flower u-pick that’s open to the public from June through October. Direct Sales: We harvest and pack orders for local stores, co-ops, and restaurants year-round. Foodbanks: Thanks to an Oregon Foodbank grant and some long-standing local partnerships, we distribute produce to four local foodbanks and community fridges every week.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 5/01/2026
Internship Ends: 12/15/2026
Number of Internship Available: 1 FULL TIME (40+ hrs/week)
Application Deadline: 03/15/2026
Minimum Length of Stay: 500 hours / Full Season

Internship Details:

The Oregon Farm Corps Apprenticeship Program offers paid, immersive, hands-on farming experience designed to equip participants with practical skills and foundational knowledge in regenerative and sustainable agriculture. While working at one of our partner Host Farms, beginning farmers gain valuable, on-the-ground experience in agricultural operations that provide for their local communities while caring for the land. In addition to their on-farm experience, Apprentices will participate in a series of classes, farm tours, and discussion circles focused on sustainable agriculture and food system topics.

Every person at Valley Flora is a crucial, invaluable part of our team. We all work hard, with the crew usually putting in 8-10 hours per day during our summer peak. Apprentices typically start in May and work full-time through October with us. By the end of October things ease up a bit and we sometimes reduce hours slightly for November and December.

At Valley Flora, we “train-by-doing” and there is education built into every day, particularly when new employees are diving into a task for the first time. We always try to ensure that our crew members feel confident and capable before being set loose on a project. New employees spend a lot of time working alongside our seasoned crew to learn the ins and outs of everything we do.

Because the farm’s production and marketing are so diverse, our daily to-do lists are ever-changing and multifaceted, which helps mix up the physical and mental demands of the job. That said, it is very physical work with certain intense seasonal peaks (for instance, harvesting the heavy storage crops of fall, or the constant weekly transplanting of spring/early summer). To help build strength and physical health, we train our employees not only in farming techniques, but also in proper body mechanics (we are fans of a set of body weight exercises called Foundation Training to keep our backs healthy and strong).

Apprentices work as a member of the field crew on all manner of tasks that are part of operating a diversified produce farm:

• Daily harvest for our 140-member CSA, farmstand, and direct sale accounts. The farm grows over 100 different crops, each requiring its own technique, tools, and skill set for harvest. Valley Flora has a long-standing reputation for high quality produce and we strive to uphold that. We’re sticklers for quality and consistency, so Apprentices are taught standard bunch size, standard weight, and quality control for every single crop in ever-changing conditions. We need Apprentices to achieve these quality standards while moving as efficiently and quickly as possible. It’s a steep and challenging learning curve that requires keen attention to detail, awareness of pacing, fast and nimble hands, and a willingness to accept and integrate constructive feedback throughout the season. We are at core a lean commercial operation (not a hobby farm), and hustle is part of every single day.

• Post-harvest handling: Apprentices are part of processing and packing the 100+ crops we harvest for four distinct sales channels, including CSA, farmstand, direct sales and foodbanks. Similar to harvest, the wash/packout process is distinct and unique for each crop and it changes with each season, as well as with daily weather conditions. Apprentices will learn post-harvest handling skills that rely on our dunk tank, wash table, sorting tables, dry curing room, and three climate-controlled walk-in coolers. You’ll learn to use various scales, different wash techniques, specific packout systems, and be trained in the selection of appropriate packaging materials, standards, and organization. Everyone receives annual food safety training.

• Weekly Fieldwork: These tasks include transplanting, fertilizing, trellising, mowing, weed control, pest management, irrigation, and plant care. Apprentices will be trained in operating the equipment necessary to perform these tasks safely and efficiently, including mowers, weedeaters, wheel hoes, oscillating stirrup hoes, collinear hoes, Japanese hand weeders, drop spreader, flame weeder, pressure washer, and hand trucks. Other than our delivery van, all our farm vehicles have manual transmissions so Apprentices will learn to drive stick if they don’t already know how.

• Weekly Delivery:  Apprentices will be trained to safely load, drive and complete our delivery route in our Sprinter van (weekly deliveries to wholesale customers and CSA pickup sites).

• U-Pick Management. Apprentices will be responsible for overseeing flower and strawberry u-pick operations one or two days/week. This includes setting up the u-pick stand, communicating and interacting with customers to orient them to the u-pick, answering questions, and being the public face of the farm.

• Farmstand Management: The Apprentice might help manage our biweekly farmstand, including packing orders, setting up the farmstand display, selling produce, and tending the till. Our farmstand manager is a very public-facing role, involving lots of interaction with the public.

Educational Opportunities: EDUCATIONAL EVENTS Apprentices join other beginning farmers for an Educational Event Series facilitated by Oregon Farm Corps. The full event series includes: Online classes and discussions focused on foundational sustainable agriculture concepts, skills, and the food system, with topics including Decolonizing Agriculture, Soil Health, Farmworker Justice and Disease Management. 7-11 in-person farm tours which showcase practical skills and individual farmers’ stories and provide insight into diverse production and marketing systems. OFC strives to make all educational events inclusive and welcoming to people from all backgrounds and identities. Classes, tours, and discussions are led by Oregon Farm Corps staff, agricultural professionals, and expert farmworkers/farmers. For more information on these events, please visit our event series page and 2026 class schedule outline.

Skills Desired: Farming can be likened to an endurance sport that has some sprinting thrown into the mix (except our “sporting event” happens every day for a solid 8 months of the year). We try to cultivate physical and mental strength amongst our team so that we can “do hard things.” We are looking for someone who is up to this challenge

Meals: no

Stipend: We work closely with our local Small Business Development Center, which offers a three month On-the-Job Training wage subsidy for new hires. Applicants who qualify for that program will start at $15/hour. Otherwise, new hires typically start at the local minimum wage (currently $14.05/hour), with a wage reevaluation after the first month to assess the possibility of a performance-based raise. All employees have access to farm produce, and between June and December get a weekly CSA share from the farm, valued at $1000+/season. Employees also have unlimited access to “house” produce (seconds or grade B produce that doesn’t meet our sales standards), as well as gleaning opportunities throughout the season. For employees who complete the entire season we give out an end-of-year bonus, calculated based on the farm’s profitability and the number of hours worked. The farm will also reimburse half of an Apprentice’s RFC tuition if they complete the season. Local housing options are somewhat limited, however we are well-networked in the community so it’s very possible that we could help a new employee find housing if on-farm housing is not available. There is limited cell service at the farm, depending on the cell carrier. We have Wi-Fi that is available to everyone on the farm.

Housing: we may have housing connections but not specifically offered on-farm

Preferred method of Contact: Email