NC Apprentice Link

At the request of area farmers, the Organic Growers School has established a program to match NC farmers with prospective apprentices. As a corollary to our CRAFT-WNC farmer training initiaitve, this web page will act as a database of participating farms in North Carolina who are seeking dependable labor. As a farmer, you can create a profile for inclusion in this database. Prospective apprentices can fill out an application/interest form. Then, our office will match apprentice applications with farmer participants, and contact farmers to allow them to follow up with the apprenticeship applicants.

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Apprentices: Click here to fill out an application to work

Farmers: Click here to create your profile!

To continue building our database, we need area farmers to join. If you are seeking apprentices for the 2010 farming season and would like to participate in our matching initiative, fill out a FREE profile.

If you are a farm member or associate farm member of the CRAFT-WNC farmer training initiative, your profile will be processed and included as part of your membership. For more information on CRAFT-WNC, click here. or contact Meredith McKissick at 828.582.5039 or email meredith@organicgrowersschool.org

Join NC Apprentice Link as a Farmer

CODE	COUNTY	REGION	# JOBS	DESCRIPTION	MORE INFO
YAN-001	YANCEY	MOUNTAINS	2	The Camp Celo Farm: providing a beautiful setting for a summer camp and producing much of our food, and providing campers with an opportunity to participate in a working farm. It includes 16 acres made up of woods, pasture, and a large organic vegetable and flower garden. We also keep goats, cows, ponies, rabbits, guinea pigs, and chickens. Our garden produces berries, sweet corn, salad greens, asparagus, tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, peas, and more. The produce is grown for the summer camp kitchen and is also delivered to restaurants, grocery stores, and wholesalers in Asheville, NC, about a one hour drive from Celo.	Click here to view Camp Celo's full profile
MAD-001	MADISON	MOUNTAINS	3	Mountain Harvest Organics is a 130 acre farm located in the Spring Creek community of Madison County, which is northwest of Asheville. Our farm is nestled in a valley shadowed by beautiful Bluff Mountain over which the Appalachian Trail passes. Our location inspires us to use natural farming practices to preserve the beauty for future generations. We have 4 acres in production and we grow a wide variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. We market through a 40 member CSA and sell at the North Asheville Tailgate Market and teh Waynesville Tailgate Market. We also have some livestock (chickens, goats, and horses)and attempt o live as self sufficiently as possible. Our apprenticeship programs offers positions of varying lengths throughout the season.	THESE POSITIONS HAVE BEEN FILLED FOR 2010.
BUN-001	BUNCOMBE	MOUNTAINS	2+	We are looking for two or more interns this season. Work with an herbalist/farmer on a small Certified Naturally Grown Farm in West Asheville, NC. We are located on a beautiful 3 acre property, farming about 2/3 acre. We grow heirloom vegetables, berries, cut flowers, and culinary/medicinal herbs. Value-added products are made weekly including salves, massage oils, tea blends, and other hand made products. We sell our produce and other products at 2-3 farmers markets each Saturday that will require that interns commit to working most Fridays and some Saturday mornings during the season.One intern will focus on the fruit/veggie/flower section of the farm, and the other working more with the herbs and value-added products. This is a great opportunity for anyone living around the Asheville area that would like to learn more about sustainable farming and/or natural medicine.	Click here to view our full profile
MCD-001	MCDOWELL	MOUNTAINS	1+	Crooked Creek Farms is a 21 acre diversified farm outside of Old Fort NC. We are a small family (1 young child) looking to hire one individual, a couple, or a small family either to commute to our farm or live on the property in a camper. We will offer a stipend and can share meals. We raise A-Z vegetables, specialty cut flowers, pastured chickens and grass fed beef. We strive for sustainability and diversity. We market through a CSA, tailgate markets, and wholesale. We also run a farmers cooperative.	THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED FOR 2010
POL-001	POLK	MOUNTAINS	1	Forest Creek Farm and Nursery is a small-scale, diversified, organic family farm. Our mission statement is to “care for the land in a sustainable way, provide food and a way of life for our family, and provide customers with the best-tasting produce and highest quality plants.” We raise vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, fresh cut flowers, small fruits, and transplants. We sell through direct markets such as local tailgate markets and a few restaurants. We are also starting a 5-member monthly CSA program for the 2010 season. We are looking for someone who can not only take initiative and work hard, but who is also interested in the learning about farming on a family scale. Position available April through October, possibly longer.	THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED FOR 2010
JOH-001	JOHNSTON	PIEDMONT	1	TayLee Organics is a newly formed USDA certified organic farm providing CSA memberships to local residents. We offer a variety of fresh produce, along with free-range eggs and other food items. We are willing to teach someone our organic growing methods, as well as the business behind building an organic farm, i.e., marketing, accounting, delivering, customer service, etc. We are looking for someone who has a desire to learn the organic trade, has a strong work ethic, dependable, honest, punctual and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Laziness is not appreciated here nor will it be tolerated. We are fun-loving and enjoy our work, but because we have to answer to our members, we must work first and play later. Therefore, we need someone who is serious minded. If this description fits you, please feel free to apply.	Click here to view our full profile
HAW-001	TENNESSEE-HAWKINS CO.	TENNESSEE	1	JEM farms is a certified organic enterprise that produces organic eggs, and a diverse range of organic produce. Some of our product is perennial (asparagus, raspberries) and we strive to offer a full range of product during the growing season. We have season extension opportunities with out 100' hoop house. We also grow for our animals (blue hubbard squash, sunflowers and millet) and market some meat locally. We raise pastured poultry, woodland pigs, and a few goats. We share our farm with an assortment of rescued dogs, a couple cats, and a five-year-old field hand. We consider ourselves as a work in progress and welcome your input on improving our operation.	Click here to view our full profile
BUN-002	BUNCOMBE	MOUNTAINS	2+	The Lord's Acre is a new and exciting faith garden project made possible by community volunteers. Last year we grew three tons of produce on 1/4 acre of newly tilled soil. This year we plan to expand to a half acre. All organically grown produce is given away freely to those in need. Our first commitment is to Food For Fairview food pantry 1/2 mile down the road. Additional food is given to The Welcome Table in Black Mountain or is gleaned by The Society of St. Andrews. We intend to expand our recipients this year as we expand the garden. Our two head gardeners have 50 years of gardening experience between them and both were head research gardeners for The Mother Earth News magazine. Apprentices will be living, learning and eating with them. People of all beliefs are welcome to volunteer or seek appenticeships.	THESE POSITION HAVE BEEN FILLED FOR 2010.
IRE-001	IREDELL	PIEDMONT	1	We're looking for an apprentice to work with us (part- or full-time) this summer, possibly starting this spring or extending through the fall. What we primarily have to offer is the opportunity to experience/try out our kind of farm life and learn the things we do. We make our living farming, but we're also homesteaders, and our farm is highly diversified, so we can offer learning opportunities in lots of areas.	Click here to view our full profile
MAD-002	MADISON	MOUNTAINS	1	OFFGRID HOMESTEAD BEEKEEPING INTERN/APPRENTICE WANTED A.S.A.Y (as soon as yesterday!) We run 50 to 100 hives and need help with all aspects of managing bees for honey production, pollination, pollen collection, and value added bee products. We also run a small but growing beekeeping supply company. Gardens, greenhouse, chickens, and a variety of local farm enterprises to visit nearby www.wildmountainbees.com	Click here to view our full profile
BUN-003	BUNCOMBE	MOUNTAINS	1	We are a ten acre family farm in Leicester, North Carolina, founded in1987. Since then we have grown certified organic produce as well as ornamentals, mushrooms, and Christmas trees. We grow about thirty varieties of seasonal produce. A main focus is early season tomatoes, lettuce, and greens. We are about 20 minutes from Asheville. We pay an hourly wage but most of our workers come to us to learn farming. We do not have housing on the farm. Karen, Liz and Tom operate the farm with the help of a small crew of farm apprentices that come to the farm two days a week for a total of about 12 hours. Training the next generation of farmers is one of our principal objectives. More detail is available at our site www.thatchmorefarm.wordpress.com.	THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED FOR 2010.
YAN-002	YANCEY	MOUNTAINS	1	Mountain Farm is a 24-acre blueberry, lavender and dairy goat farm. Interns will learn how to milk/take care of dairy goats, care for our other farm animals, prune, weed, harvest, cultivate our plants, make our goat milk soap/other products, work on an agritourism farm [must be comfortable with the public], go to workshops/shows/other farms for 40 hrs/week in exchange for room and board in a cabin by the pond with 2 other interns and a $300/month food stipend + CSA portion. Must be 25 or older with own transportation	Click here to view our full profile