Apprenticeships are Open!

Interested in Farming?

Our internships provide a unique opportunity for tuition free, paid!, hands on, experiential learning on a working farm. Farm Apprentices have the opportunity to participate in all components and tasks necessary in operating a small farm. Everything from seeding and planting to caring for livestock and selling produce.

Past interns have gone on to pursue a career in farming while others have gone on to pursue careers as educators, chefs, gardeners, therapeutic message, the arts, social workers and even public transit drivers!

Good Rain Farm partners with the Oregon Farm Corps in order to offer this apprenticeship. You must apply through Oregon Farm Corps, selecting Good Rain Farm as a 'Host Farm' you are interested in being placed at. Applications are open typically between January through March. Expect to receive a response sometime in February or March. The Internship begins in April. 

Our curriculum is always evolving and undergoes an annual review which became a habit when we were certified with the Washington State Farm Internship Project. Additionally in partnership with local and regional colleges and universities Apprenticeships may qualify for credits earned towards your education.

More About the Program

Apprenticeships last 8 months, starting in April and ending in November. Apprentices will learn the ins and outs of farm work and gain hands-on experience in a wide variety of tasks. The apprenticeship includes classroom instruction coupled with hands on-learning on topics including crop planning, irrigation, seed saving, and soil fertility.

Weekly farm walks are conducted where everyone will make notes of what needs to be done (watering, planting, harvesting, any repairs) and then generate ideas on how to accomplish these tasks. Additionally, Apprentices will be seeding, transplanting, weeding, and involved in all field and bed prep activities. Apprentices will spend some time with power tools and help out with animal chores. *Everyone is expected to participate to their fullest however, we understand not everyone is comfortable or able to partake in all tasks so certain activities are challenge by choice.

Good Rain Farm aims to provide a farming experience that is inclusive, particularly for women and people of color. Many other groups are underrepresented and this disparity in representation is due to racism (particularly white supremacy), sexism, and classism. Therefore we encourage people of color, women, LGBTQ people, religious minorities, recent immigrants and people from different generational, economic and educational backgrounds to apply. This farm internship program is designed for people with little or no experience farming.

Farm Apprentices rarely work independently and instead spend most of their time being mentored by Farmer Michelle, a white passing Native Sinixt, cis-gender female. Please keep this in mind as to how this may shape your learning experience. Running a farm and an internship program is difficult. Because of this we ask for consistent and committed individuals who show up on-time and are able to communicate well.

Commitment: Four (4), eight (8) hour days per week. Days begin around 7-8 AM and ending around 3:30 - 4:30 PM with a 30 min unpaid lunch and two 15 minute breaks.

Responsibilities:

• Field Work: Most field work at Good Rain Farm is done by hand, and includes seeding, planting, weeding, watering, trellising, harvesting, hauling, washing, and packing produce for sale.

• Animal Care: Watering, feeding, cleaning, and care of rabbits, poultry and farm cat. 

• General Farm Maintenance: Tool and equipment care, farm and property upkeep.

• Summer and Fall tasks will differ, please inquire for more information.

Qualifications:

• Interest in gardening or farming. 

• Ability to lift and carry 50 pounds (communication and creativity encouraged), farm outdoors in all weather conditions and perform the above responsibilities. 

• Active participation, engagement and team-oriented. 

Benefits: This is an paid Apprenticeship, room and board are not provided 

• Hands-on training in small-scale, sustainable farming practices.

• Workshop instruction in sustainable farming practices. Most of which occurs at the beginning and end of the season.

• 1 CSA food share during apprenticeship dates.

About the Hiring Process:

No AI here! At Good Rain Farm, all applications are reviewed by real people, typically by Farmer Michelle herself. Applications are submitted via the Button linked to the Oregon Farm Corps Apprenticeship Application Form above within which you’ll upload your Resume or C.V. and list References. They are then anonymized before they’re rated and ranked in our Hiring Matrix, which is designed using JEDI and HR best practices to minimize both conscious and unconscious bias.

After the ranking process, we contact candidates to schedule interviews, which can be held virtually, by phone, or in person. Candidates who are not moving forward will be notified at this stage. For those advancing, we organize a group site visit and begin checking references. Finally, candidates will either receive invitation to join the apprenticeship cohort or be notified if we will not be extending an invitation to join the apprenticeship cohort. We make every effort to respond to questions, feedback, or concerns; however, we may not always have the capacity to provide such individualized coaching for applicants.