Become an Organic Farmer

In 2024, EarthDance is offering TWO apprenticeships!

All 2024 positions are filled. Click here to read a little bit about the 2024 Apprentices.

To be the first to learn of next year’s Full Season Farm Apprenticeship and Summer Farm & Garden Apprenticeship opportunities, sign up here.

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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!

Now, in 2024, for the first time in our history, EarthDance is offering a fully paid, 10-month Farm Apprenticeship, engaging participants in this work for 30 hours per week for the full spectrum of seasons. We believe this model to be more aligned with our mission, and we can’t wait to work and learn together with you.

There are 2 spots available annually, so this is anticipated to be 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.

2024 Full Season Farm Apprentices are working 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
• Participating 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

2024 EarthDance Full Season Farm Apprentices 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.

Two apprentices have joined the farm team since mid-March, and work with them from greenhouse seed sowing through all of the ensuing seasons and into the crop planning process for 2025.

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, hours may vary according to weather, with up to two weekends per month to work the Pay What You Can Farm Stand and Ferguson Farmers Market.

March only: Monday – Friday, 7am-4pm

April – November: Tuesday – Saturday, 7am-4pm

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, they will complete a self-assessment and a (group) working interview.  Candidates will be notified in late February.

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2024 Full Season Farm Apprenticeship.

Email me when the 2025 Apprenticeship applications goes live!

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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.