Internships

ZJ Farm is seeking interns who are interested in developing a hands-on understanding of the work and practice of community supported agriculture. Responsibilities include involvement in all aspects of our diverse organic family farm operation with an emphasis on vegetable production: weeding, planting, harvesting, soil preparation, pest management, and irrigation.

Desired Skills:

To be successful at this job you must be hardworking and dependable. It is preferable that you have an interest in environmental stewardship and/or sustainability, and food politics/local foods. Experience in plants, gardening, marketing would be helpful, but not required. You must have a fun-loving attitude and the ability to work with a diverse group of people. You must be an energetic and efficient worker. You must be able to work outside in summer conditions.

Hours: Monday through Friday, 7:30am – 1:30 pm (20 hours per week minimum)

Early June through end of August preferred minimum.

Stipend: Our base wage is $8.00 per hour.

Housing/Transportation: Must have own transportation. We do not provide housing but there is ample housing available in the surrounding communities of Solon, Mount Vernon and Lisbon.

Meals: Workers are responsible for their own snacks and meals. Farm vegetables are always available for their use.

Preferred method Of Contact: By Email localharvestcsa@southslope.net

To apply for this position please send resume and cover letter that briefly touches upon what interests you about our program.

Opportunities for learning at ZJ Farm include:

1. Vegetable production, harvest, post-harvest handling, and distribution to CSA families. (Includes growing our own transplants andlimited hoop house production.)

2. On-Farm educational programming- work with young people (elementary through college age) who visit and volunteer to promote understanding regarding where food comes from and their role as leaders. Tours, work projects, and conversations about consumption are central to communicating
what we do.

3. Care and management of a forty-ewe sheep flock (plus lambs).

4. Community interaction- Visitors and volunteers are a regular part of our CSA community, so the interactions and building of relationships is critical. The creation and maintenance of a community of support is both a priority for our values and a necessary element in our survival.

5. On-farm research trials- As active members of Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), we regularly participate in research trials.

6. Other opportunities include PFI field days, farm tours and speaking engagements, and networking with other CSAs and interns.