interning at sun one organic

We are always looking for curious, hard working individuals who are passionate about organic agriculture and eager to get their hands dirty. Whether you have extensive farm or garden experience or just a love of fresh food and a passion to learn, we invite you to read on and see if Sun One might be a good fit.

what you will learn

As an intern, you will learn how to perform a variety of farm tasks and experience what daily life is like on a farm. Katherine and Rob have over 20 years of farming experience between them and have a lot of knowledge (and mistakes) to share. But we are also, always, learning and trying new things. This internship is an opportunity to learn both from us and with us.

You will learn the ins and outs of organic no-till agriculture and why we do what we do. Specifically you will help with:

Planting preparation
Seeding up crops, both in the field and greenhouse
Weeding, watering, mulching and otherwise maintaining crops
Harvesting, cleaning and packing produce
Orchard work
Farmer’s market and CSA pick-ups
Field clean-up, farm winterization

This is just a sample of what you may do. Through daily farm work you will get to know the plants we grow and their individual needs as well as the needs of the land and soil. Work varies throughout the season. A full season internship is recommended to experience all aspects of farming throughout the season and see how tasks flow into each other.

Living Situation and Compensation

As intern, you will receive:

Housing provided
All meals and basic necessities (soap, toothpaste, etc) provided
Small living stipend (amount based on experience)
Attendance at NOFA summer conference

We currently have two bedrooms in the main farm house available for interns. You will have your own room with a shared bathroom, kitchen and living space with other housemates. Some meals are communal, other times you're on your own, just depends on the day and the mood.

We also run an on-farm Air BnB so there are often strangers around. Many friends like to stay on farm during the summer so there can be a lot of people around at once. It is essential to be flexible and comfortable with new people.

We are a small farm and able to offer little money which is why we provide housing and food in lieu of high pay. This situation works best for those low/no debt and few financial obligations who really just want to learn. This internship is a learning opportunity, not a full time job and not suitable for those with rent to pay elsewhere or high debt to pay off. We’d love to offer full-time employment for qualified individuals in the near future, but not at this time.

Surrounding Area

Bethlehem is a small, rural town, a 20 min. drive from the nearest towns of any size. There is no bus line in town so having your own vehicle is highly recommended if you want to explore the area. Summers are very busy but we prioritize making time for fun when we can. Within the surrounding area are many beautiful hiking trails and lakes for swimming. If you need a break from the outdoors there are a couple movie theaters, a bowling alley and a roller rink relatively nearby and New Haven has live music regularly. We are about equal distance between Boston and New York City if you feel like venturing into the big city.

Expectations

Interns are expected to work five days a week, roughly 40 hrs. Days off are flexible and can be consecutive or split up but must be during the week. Weekends from June to October we have a CSA pick-up, the farm store open, and a farmers market and interns are expected to help with these operations.

Farming is physically demanding work. You don’t have to be a marathon runner or bodybuilder to do it, but you should have decent stamina and the ability to lift 30lbs. comfortably. This is necessary both for farm efficiency and your own protection. You can seriously injure yourself if you strain your body doing work it isn’t prepared for. Body awareness is essential for this work. Please consider this before applying.

New England is prone to intense and variable weather. Throughout the season we might work through frosts, heatwaves, downpours and wretched humidity. There are also bugs, lots of bugs. And we work through all of it. We try our best to avoid the worst weather but sometimes things just have to get done.

Flexibility and the ability to get along with others are probably the most important attributes for working at Sun One. We have a lot of people around and sharing the space so it’s essential to be comfortable around others and able to cook and be in the same space at the same time. Cleaning up after yourself, doing your own dishes etc., is also essential. Everyone in the household is expected to pitch in to keep the household clean and running smoothly.

Still Interested?

If you still think Sun One is right for you, please fill out the attached questionnaire and email to: sunoneorganicfarm@gmail.com

Please put Intern Application in the Subject line. If you seem like a good fit we will follow up with a Zoom interview and go from there.