Farm Internship Opportunities
For the 2008 growing season, Matthew and I loved being able to work along with many eager and willing Farm Interns throughout the season. We had a couple handfuls of devoted and hard working individuals that were able to take part in the hands-on learning, and the hard work that occurs daily on a working organic produce farm.
Our goal again for the 2009 growing season will be to offer an open door to our farm's daily working processes to any interested local individuals, universities, local high schools, or non-profit organizations, as to allow interested organizations or individuals the opportunity to apply science to the broad array of farm applications and also to allow great "hands-on" working experience on a certified organic produce farm.
Our season runs from March through November, but there are opportunities for interns by the first of February and on. In fact, here soon on January 23rd-28th, we will be planting over 100 varieties of fruit trees, cane berry bushes, and blueberry bushes, so we will be in need of a few helping hands. We will be calling out to our former 2008 interns and for any interested 2009 interns. This would be a great time to contact us to see if you might indeed enjoy interning and then coming on out to help in our tree and berry bush planting festival as well! Planting is always one of the greatest parts and one of the most important parts of the life cycle of a plant.
In the late winter and early spring, a lot of planting is occurring...Seed potatoes, asparagus, and strawberries will all be going into the ground in March, and these type of plantings are great ways to get some hands on experience and to be in the out of doors. 
We would prefer to have a couple more handfuls of interns on a weekly basis in 2009, that could work anywhere from 1-3 days a week. By being an intern, you would be getting great experience, plus, depending on the intern's work hours/season commitment, an equivalent of free organic produce, gas stipend of $12.50, and a lunch meal. We are also interested in a couple of intern/farm workers, that are full season commiters, and have wonderful work skill and ethic and either related farming experience, or an extreme passion for organic farming.
To receive more specific information about this opportunity and to get a better understanding of the type of farm work you would be doing, please contact us, and continue to read below.
Detailed Farm Intern/Work Information
First off, thank you for your interest in Arugula’s Star of Neal Family Farms, internship opportunity for the 2009 season. We are already underway doing TN organic cost share/grant infrastructure projects, spreading rock minerals, collecting forest organic matter/soil, mixing on-farm potting soil mix for early season transplanting, ordering seed, and getting geared up for our fruit tree, cane, and bush plantings. Our Potato, Strawberry, and asparagus plantings will soon be coming up as well. As the 2009 season progresses, internship roles will change, as do all seasons. Other farm tasks could consists of hand-turning green cover crops into the soil, spreading green plant manures & kelp meal, hand cultivation and weeding, gathering and harvesting produce, building compost, rinsing & storing produce, spreading and fluffing hay/straw mulch, helping in the weekly produce harvests and gatherings for CSA orders, taking plant brix readings by using a refractometer, and helping in infrastructure projects.
We like to let our interns know that there will always be something for you to actively be doing, which therefore increases your opportunity to raise your capacity of knowledge about organic vegetable farming. We can also direct one towards scientific farming literature that will enhance ones organic farming learning processes.
Matthew and I are the core of our small working organic vegetable farm, so we have to problem solve, actively participate in scientific principles, make observational recordings and journal notes, follow the moon and earth’s cycle through celestial constellations, and do all the above farm tasks, so we as well are learning on a daily basis.
Our farm is an outdoor and beautiful working environment. We love what we do here and can only hope that an intern will as well. Nonetheless, most farming tasks are related to manual labor, so please keep this is mind if you are still trying to decide if this opportunity is fitted to your liking. We will let you as an intern know what to expect, as far as farm tasks, for each up and coming week, so you can prepare yourself accordingly. Weather is always changing, so you can expect a full range from Cold to very Hot temperatures throughout a working season.
As was mentioned on the web-page, depending on your commitment, amount of hours, and days per week, you will be compensated by the certified organic produce and herbs that we grow here, an intern gas stipend, and farm meals. We have not yet decided the exact days a week that we will be open for interns, but generally this is very flexible. Nonetheless we do know Mondays and Tuesdays will be two open days that we will for sure be needing interns, as we might add one to two more days during a working week as well.
As we assume, you have read over all the information about Arugula’s Star of Neal Family Farms on our web-site, and in-turn have expressed an interest in being a part of our work here.
We like to ask everyone that has an interest in being a farm intern to fill out the below questionnaire, in order for us to know a little more about you. Do not feel overwhelmed or intimidated by the below form, you can make answers as simple or as precisely detailed as you choose. After review, we will be contacting you very soon to set up a time for an on-farm interview, and to speak more about how we can work together in the 2009 season. Intern opportunities are available come the end of January 2009, and will continue through the rest of the 2009 season.
Arugula’s Star of Neal Family Farms, L.P. 2009 Internship Questionnaire
1.Name:
2.Address:
3.Contact phone:
4.Age:
5.Are you limited to certain types of manual/physical labor or temperatures?
6.Are you currently working on a farm?
7.If you are in School or University,..Where,..and What are you Studying?
8.Do you have an understanding of what Organic Farming embodies?
9.How did you come to find out about our farm internship opportunity?
10.Do you enjoy the out of doors?
11. How many hours a day and days a week do you prefer to work?
(This can be a range or average or you can also be very specific on what day or days)
12.What month would you prefer to start your internship?
13. A brief explanation on why you are interested in our organic
farm internship opportunity?
14.List any prior experience that you feel is relevant, or
anything you feel would be great for us to
know about you.
15.What farm-tasks would you look most forward to, or do you
have a specific subject/interest
that you would like to learn about and participate in the most?
Again, thanks so much for your interest and for taking the time to pursue something of great cause.
Allison and Matthew Neal
Arugula’s Star of Neal Family Farms, L.P.
6624 Leipers Creek Road
Columbia, TN 38401
931-682-3314