Seeking Part-Time Grazing Apprentice
Medicine Creek Farm is seeking a part-time regenerative grazing apprentice for the 2024 summer season!
We are partnering with the Women, Food & Agriculture Network’s Harvesting Our Potential Program to offer an apprenticeship/mentoring program alongside part-time paid employment.
We are hoping to find someone available for 20 hours/week for 10-14 weeks between June and September.
This might look like 4 hours/week for 5 days a week, including 1 weekend a month; however, we can be flexible with your schedule to a certain degree. If you’re interested but have other things on your plate (days you can’t work, fewer hours available, scheduled vacations), go ahead and apply and we can discuss how we might make it work.
Pay will range between $12-14/hour depending on experience, plus a $750 stipend from WFAN upon successful completion of the program.
Meals will be included and on-farm housing may be available — let’s talk about your needs!
Tasks may include:
Putting up and taking down a lot of temporary electric fence
Moving sheep, cattle, and pigs between paddocks
Filling pig feeders by hand with 5 gallon buckets of organic feed
Moving equipment (water tanks, hoses, mobile shade, mineral feeders) by hand and with a UTV
Feeding, brushing, and caring for 6 livestock guardian dogs
Herding sheep with a border collie puppy-in-training
Livestock husbandry; treating sick or injured animals
Interacting with customers through agritourism; giving tours, making on-farm sales
Garden watering, weeding, planting & harvesting should you be interested
Educational topics covered:
soil health principles - water infiltration, soil tests, mineral profile
adaptive grazing - principles in action, plant identification, livestock nutrition
shepherding basics - parasites, common illnesses, veterinary care, herding dogs
cattle health basics - parasites, common illnesses, veterinary care, low-stress handling
pig health basics - parasites, common illnesses, veterinary care, non-ruminant management
ecosystem health basics - insect and wildlife indicators, pasture diversity, birds, pollinators & predators
livestock guardian dog management - veterinary care, pack dynamics, breed differences, training
business management - record keeping, taxes, cash flow, business plans
direct marketing basics - selling pastured products, website and sales, e-commerce, social media
harvest basics - sorting & loading, working with a butcher, custom vs USDA considerations, regulations
programs & grants - navigating beginning farmer resources (FSA, NRCS, SFA, LSP, MFU, FACT, WFAN…)
agritourism - quality of life considerations, education, community building
Benefits:
pastoral beauty
bird song
starry nights
dog love
eating like a King
Things to consider:
you can’t control animals (they don’t always do what you want them to do)
you can’t control the weather (it will be hot, it will be cold, it might be wet, it might be dry)
there will be poop on your clothes (and you might get it on your hands)
there will be uncertainty
what is certain is that everything dies, eventually
How to apply:
Everybody is more than welcome to apply; we include every body in everybody.
Please poke around our website first to make sure you know what we’re up to here at Medicine Creek Farm. Also read Hannah’s mentor bio on the WFAN website to see if you like our style.
Then, please send an informal email introducing yourself and your interest in the position at hannah@medicinecreekfarm.com. No need for a cover letter; resumes are nice but only if you have it ready to go. Don’t stress about this part.
If it seems like a potential fit, we will ask you to fill out WFAN’s online application. WFAN will schedule a brief interview to explain how their program works. Don’t stress about this part either.
Then we’ll talk specifics about whether it’s going to work for both of us. This will also be informal so let’s just not stress.
If it’s not the right fit this time around, please try to come sometime for a Saturday morning tour and stay in touch. Who knows what the future might bring!
