Become an Organic Farmer

In 2025, for the second year, EarthDance is offering TWO apprenticeships!

Applications submitted by December 15, 2024 will be given priority consideration.

Or, learn more about the 10-week Summer Farm & Garden Apprenticeship by reading on, and sign up here to be the first to know when applications go live in early 2025!

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Watch the video below to see and hear from the 2024 Full Season and Summer Apprentices.

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Full Season Farm Apprenticeship

Are you someone who wants to grow food? Do you long to tend to the earth, connect with kind, knowledgeable people, and live deeply in community with others while building healthy soil and sharing food?

If you’re ready to dig all the way into a complete growing season of regenerative farming and food-sharing at EarthDance Organic Farm School, learning and working with our amazing farmer educators on soil that has given life as operational organic farmland since 1883, learn more about our 10-month, paid, Full Season Farm Apprenticeship!

There are 2 spots available annually, so this is a highly competitive program. While previous farming experience is not necessary, some growing experience and exploration into these topics before the apprenticeship is helpful. We are looking for individuals who are serious about exploring a career in agriculture in some capacity.

2025 Full Season Farm Apprentices will work with our team on the following types of activities, on a diversity of both perennial and annual crops: 

• Greenhouse production
• Transplanting
• High tunnel growing
• Soil fertility
• Compost making
• Bed prep
• Cover cropping
• Plant care – including pest management via organically-approved spray & biological controls
• Harvest
• Fruit tree pruning and care
• Selling and sharing our harvest via wholesale sales and retail at the Pay What You Can Farm Stand, and at the Ferguson Farmers Market
• Participate in educational opportunities throughout the season on topics like soil health, raising chickens, fermentation & pickling, herbalism, mushroom production, and more
• Participate in youth and community programming, such as hosting summer campers on the farm, leading tours, or helping with events or outreach activities.
• Regenerative farming theory and practices
• Small-scale agroforestry theory and practices
• Crop planning

2025 EarthDance Full Season Farm Apprentices will participate in some online learning, including our 5-week Spring Training for Gardeners course (unless they’re already graduates of that program).

By the end of the Full Season Farm Apprenticeship, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skill set to work entry level positions in the agricultural industry and or start a small-scale food production operation like a community or school garden.

EarthDance invites anyone serious about a career in regenerative agriculture to learn and work with our farm team for the length of the full growing season. PRIORITY WILL BE GIVEN TO APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED BY DECEMBER 15TH, 2024. 2025 Full Season Farm Apprentices will join the farm team March 4 – December 20, 2025, working with them from greenhouse seed sowing through all of the ensuing seasons and into the crop planning process for 2026.

Full Season Farm Apprenticeship FAQ

What is the pay? $15 per hour, paid through EarthDance’s payroll system monthly via direct deposit.

Are there benefits? Benefits include health care reimbursement of $175 per month (upon request), one week (30 hours) of paid time off, five paid holidays, and weekly farm shares.

What is the schedule? Full season farm apprentices will work the farm team schedule up to 30 hours per week. The program runs March – December, and the schedule is generally Tuesday – Saturday, 7am-4pm, with hours varying according to weather, with up to two weekends per month to work the Pay What You Can Farm Stand and Ferguson Farmers Market.

What are the requirements? Some market gardening and/or farming experience is strongly preferred. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and must demonstrate eligibility to work in the United States.

What can I expect from the interview process? Qualified candidates will be scheduled for zoom interview. If selected for the second round, candidates will complete a self-assessment and a (group) working interview.

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Summer Farm & Garden Apprenticeship

Do you want to immerse yourself in learning organic techniques for a summer and walk away feeling confident growing organic produce?

If so, you may be the perfect fit for the Summer Farm & Garden Apprenticeship! This program is designed for those with a strong interest in farming, gardening, and food justice who want to engage themselves in the day-to-day operations of an organic farm school. 

Summer Apprentices will be immersed in all areas of crop production at EarthDance. This includes greenhouse seeding and propagation, sowing and transplanting, preparing fields for planting, crop cultivation and maintenance, disease and pest control, harvesting, washing and packing produce. The Apprenticeship includes learning the sales and distribution components of our work as well, and therefore will include learning about and working at our Pay What You Can Farm Stand and sliding sale booth at the Ferguson Farmers Market. Summer Apprentices will also have the opportunity to participate in youth and community programming, such as hosting summer campers on the farm, leading tours, or helping with events or outreach activities. By the end of the summer, Summer Apprentices will walk away feeling confident growing organic produce and engaging in creating a more just food system.