Anderson Valley Community Farms

Boonville, CA 95415

andersonvalleycommunityfarm@gmail.com

(707) 391-9422

Farm Description

Anderson Valley Community Farms is a new cooperative farming endeavor. We are adjacent to downtown Boonville, CA on fifty beautiful acres, with pasture, gardens, and an orchard. Boonville is a fairly remote small town twenty-eight miles from the Pacific Ocean on Hwy 128 and two and a half hours north of San Francisco. A cute and funky tourist stop in the rural Anderson Valley area, Boonville has cafes, restaurants,a brewery, and numerous wine tasting rooms -- all a short walk from the farm. Further down the valley, there are swim spots on the Navarro River beneath old growth redwoods.

The founding impetus of our endeavor is the belief [SH1] that the modern food system is destroying the environment, making people sick, and threatening our future food security. The mission is to create for the local community a stable, “closed system” farm that will produce food for the people around us and be a learning center for sustainable agriculture.

 We are a CSA farm and produce consciously uncertified organic food including veggies, fruits, grain, eggs, heritage chickens, turkeys, ducks, dairy goats, sheep and swine, cultured vegetables, and herbs.

Apprenticeship and Volunteer Opportunities:

Volunteer live work positions are available on an ongoing basis with a minimum stay of 3 weeks. Commitment of 5 days a week from 7:30 AM-1PM. 3 meals  and snack are provided on work days.  Educational focused work opportunities available in the PM.  Small pay in to share meals on off days. Housing for short term positions is tent camping with shared community living facilities.

Full Season Apprenticeship:

Apprenticeship Begins (has begun!): March 1^st 2013          

Apprenticeship Ends:  November 1^st 2013

Number of Apprentices: One position is still open

Application deadline: Open until filled

Minimum Length of Stay: Until Nov. 1

 

Meals

The farm provides basic staple cooking ingredients (i.e. grains, beans, oils, etc.) in addition to produce, meat, dairy, and eggs from the farm. Three meals are prepared and shared by the crew each day. We eat meat and dairy and are not able to accommodate dietary restrictions. We strongly value organic, wholesome, non-gmo food on our farm and in our meals.

Skills Desired

We are looking for people with at least three months agriculture experience, but would prefer someone who has completed a full season of farming. An interest in a career in sustainable agriculture, or an interest to make farming a lifelong lifestyle is essential. A desire to work long days in the sun and live and eat communally with an awesome dedicated crew is essential. We are looking for people eager to participate in all aspects of farm work, including field work, animal care, slaughter and processing of meat animals, maintenance and infrastructure projects, cooking, household chores, and interacting with customers and members. Workers may not drink alcohol or use drugs of any kind during the workday.

 Educational Opportunities

We are passionate about passing on our knowledge to others and learning from their experience. We offer practical and academic instruction in structured and unstructured formats. We have a small library covering a wide range of topics relating to sustainable agriculture.

 While the majority of work hours are occupied with vegetable production our farm does provide opportunities to participate in and learn the following skills: Nursery/greenhouse production, organic diverse vegetable production, biodynamic farming practices, composting, carpentry, row-crop irrigation, seed-saving, haymaking, rotational grazing/pasture management, livestock nutrition, low-stress livestock management, sheep shearing, sheep handling, dairy goat husbandry, livestock guardian dog management, lambing, kidding, breeding, pastured poultry management, farm business planning and management, herbal medicine, livestock and poultry slaughter and processing, cheese making, food preservation, and beer/cider making.

Stipend:  Yes.

 Housing

We have a large camper van available for an apprentices to live in, they are cozy, comfortable and private, and have lighting, but no water or electricity. We have a separate shower with gas heat and two composting toilets. The whole crew shares the kitchen/office/dining area, and there is additional lounge space with sofas and electricity in a restored vintage airstream trailer.

Apprenticeship Details

We are looking for people to work five days a week, not more than fifty hours/week. Days off are flexible. We will provide three meals a day, numerous educational opportunities, and the opportunity to participate in every aspect of farm life, the fun stuff and the difficult stuff. The Anderson Valley is a wonderful and generous community with a lot to offer young people. We like to have a good time, we work hard, and we care deeply about the land, our animals, and our community.

Best method of contact

Please email a resume with a professional reference and an email with a little about yourself and your agriculture experience.