ALM Organic Farm - Apprenticeships

Organic Farming Apprenticeship

ALM has had a formal apprenticeship program for over 15 years. We usually take on 3 full time apprentices each year from late February or early March through to the end of October. We are full for 2007 but you may apply for 2008.

You can download a bibliography of books on organic farming which we recommend by clicking on the following View Our Farming bibliography (Acrobat Format) | Get Acrobat Reader

What you will get from an apprenticeship at our farm?

Apprentices learn how to grow, harvest, market and preserve vegetables, herbs, flowers and seeds. There are also a number of other tasks that we work on such as raising chickens for eggs and pigs for meat; natural building, baking bread, making beer, and preserving our fruit, herbs and vegetables. You will have a chance to participate in learning these skills, and we can tailor your apprenticeship to focus in on any one of them.

One apprentice each season has the option of a natural building focus. That person will still be part of food production but spend a large amount of time on building projects. Although it depends on the project, these are some of the things you will learn:

Stone and other foundations
Making and building with cob
Lightclay construction
Clay brick making
Woodworking: post and beam, framing, doors and windows, finishing, roofing
Natural plasters and sculpting

Everybody goes on a walkabout each week to review all the work on the farm and then plan out our individual tasks for the week. Much of our work is done in groups of two or more. The farm gets many visitors for you to interact with.

Each month you will have three different opportunities to learn about organic farming at other farms:

apprentice enrichment days - Once a month apprentices receive instruction in a major farming topic such as composting, record keeping, marketing, propagation, or seed saving, at one of the established farmers in our area. It is a chance for you to meet other aprpentices and farmers and see how other farms operate.
Canadian Organic Growers - Vancouver Island Chapter meetings. These take place on the 3rd Thursday of the month at different farms. The meetings include a farm tour, discussion of a topic by the host farmer, and discussion of farm issues and event.
Visiting days - Once a month we try to visit a farm, garden, or natural building project in the area that is of particular interest to individual apprentices on our farm.

Other formal training: Funds and time are set aside for you to attend workshops or conferences of your choice during the season. The farm has an excellent library and subscribes to various farming journals. You will be encouraged to write articles for local and national organic farming journals.

What will be expected of you?

Apprentices are expected to work between 40 and 48 hours each week, going to market every other week on Saturday. The work is varied but can be stressful because there is always more work to do than time to do it, particularly in the spring during planting season. You will be expected to work until the work is done on harvest days, sometimes in the rain and cold. You will be expected to becoming more and more efficient and responsible for various aspects of the farm.
Each apprentices takes on a particular crop as a focus. You will be expected to learn that crops thoroughly. You will also be in charge of one or two greenhouses.
As well, you are asked to manage one one of our three main markets - either the box program, the farmers’ markets, or the restaurant trade.
You will have daily chores caring for farm animals and seedlings.
If your focus is natural building, you will be responsible for organizing materials for workshops; researching and designing a future natural building project; and contributing to whatever project is currently being undertaken by the farm.

What will you receive in return?

In addition to learning a great deal, you will be treated with respect, housed well and fed extremely well.
Housing and food - We have a cob house, a trailer, and rooms in the farm house for each of the apprentices. We each take turn cooking lunch but have breakfast and dinner on our own. The farm purchases such items as oil, flours, rice, beans, raisins, etc. in bulk; we always have some fresh vegetables and fresh eggs available.
Stipend - apprentices receive $100 per month to purchase other food items they need. Laundry and long distance telephone is provided. Appprentices also receive graduated stipend, starting at $100 per month and increasing $50 per month to a maximum of $300 per month. A $500 bonus is offered at the end of the season for apprentices who complete their contract.