Sustainable Agriculture Summer Internship 2022

Sustainable Agriculture Summer Internship 2022

Join our Internship in Sustainable Agriculture 2022 program for a really special experience of intentional learning and paid farm work at local farms just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Applications are now open and we will interview applicants on a rolling basis until the program is full.

This unique educational internship is anchored by a half-day weekly educational seminar or tour of a local farm on Tuesday afternoons and hands-on learning experiences working in paid farmhand positions on two local farms for 32-40 hours each week.

Our schedule will include:

• Weekly farm tours or seminars on Tuesday afternoon hosted and taught by local farmers with a passion for sustainable agriculture

• 32-40 hours in paid positions at two local farms to maximize exposure to diverse kinds of farm work and experiences

• Areas of practical exposure: organic vegetable production, flower farming, agroforestry, fruit and native perennial nursery

Important details:

• Dates: The program runs 17 weeks from May 2 through August 27. Please note on the application any dates you will be away.

• Pay: Earn an hourly wage working 32-40 hours each week ($1400-$1800/month) between two local farms

• Cost: Free (educational farm tours and seminars are now subsidized by our farm so they are free to you!)

• Housing: On-farm housing is available if desired for a reduced cost ($250/month)

Strong Candidates will:

• Hold a strong interest in a career in sustainable agriculture, land conservation, horticulture, agroforestry, or environmental sustainability

• Have a demonstrated love of spending most of the day outdoors in all kinds of weather

• Be at ease working closely with a small group of other interns, and possibly living together

• Previous farming or gardening experience is not required, but a learning style compatible with both written and verbal forms of instruction is required

• Hold a valid driver’s license and have their own reliable transportation

• Be fully vaccinated against COVID and be committed to following best practices on the farm and at home

Hands-On, Diverse Farm Work

Our farms grow small amounts of many crops, so the work is extremely diverse and full of opportunities to try new things. You’ll get hands-on experience in seeding, greenhouse work, transplanting, trellising and pruning, harvesting, washing & packing, farmer’s market sales, and CSA hosting. You will see the meaningful impact you make in our community as you take crops from seed to table and meet a real need for good food and beautiful flowers and plants, sustainably grown.

Farm Tours & Seminars

Each week we host educational seminars or tour other local farms focused on different opportunities in sustainable agriculture. We have drafted our 2022 Farm Tour schedule and are reaching out to local farms who specialize in the following:

• Greenhouse work & native nursery

• Four season farming

• Community & biodynamic farming

• Greens production

• You-Pick operations

• Flower farming & floral design

• Small dairy & herd share

• Agroforestry

• Agritourism

• Regenerative, rotationally grazed cattle

• Small livestock homesteading

• Small CSA homesteading

• Seed farming

• Nonprofit farming

• Orcharding & commercial permaculture

We'll also share our focused list of favorite books, podcasts, software, and online learning resources. Brines Farm was founded in 2004 and Raindance in 2017 by individuals who believe in the goodness, joy, and meaning of this work. We are very happy to share what we can to empower the next generation of farmers to build a just, equitable, resilient, locally-based food system.

Housing is Available if Desired

Up to three interns may share a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment that is approximately 800 sq ft. Laundry and parking is available nearby. Interns are encouraged to harvest and eat vegetables from the gardens and enjoy flower bouquets. Each intern cohort usually chooses to meal plan and share many of their meals together.

Housing costs in Washtenaw County are high, so we offer this housing to interns for $250/month. We can send you a video tour created by our 2021 interns.

Our farm is 12 minutes from downtown Ann Arbor, home to hundreds of restaurants and great, free summer events every week like the Ann Arbor Summer Festival and the Art Fair. We're 10-15 minutes from Argo Cascades on the Huron River (canoeing, free river tubing), lakes with swimming beaches, hiking trails, and the University’s Arb and the Botanical Gardens. Detroit and even Ontario, Canada is within an hour’s drive of Raindance, and past interns have organized trips together to Lake Michigan, Mackinac Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, and Traverse City.

If the application button gives you trouble, please copy and paste this Google Forms link into your browser: https://forms.gle/19qWuA1ZXASx16bo8.

Who We Are

The Farms

Raindance Organic Farm exists to serve our community by growing great organic produce and cut flowers, and by connecting children and adults with the beauty of nature and the gifts of wellness. Raindance stewards 18 acres and we intensively cultivate 2 acres of certified organic vegetables and cut flowers.

The 2022 season will be our fifth year of certified organic farming just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The heart of the farm is a community supported agriculture (CSA) project that is unique in that members come to the farm and harvest their own shares each week. Our other farm enterprises in 2022 include the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, You-Pick Flower Pass hosting, Cut Flower Bouquet Subscriptions, and weekly deliveries to Argus Farm Stop, our local-farms-only grocery store.

Kristen Muehlhauser founded Raindance in 2017 out of love for gardening with her children and you can read more of her story here.

Brines Farm is a diversified vegetable, fruit, and nut farm operation, and tree & shrub nursery, originally established in 2004. All of our vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, nuts, and tree nursery items are certified USDA Organic, and additionally certified by the Real Organic Project. We offer year-round CSA options and year-round farmers market sales, plus seasonal off-farm/roadside stand sales. We additionally sell trees/shrubs/berries, primarily focused on perennials (native to North America when possible) that can be used for edible landscaping or restorative/regenerative agriculture. Our guiding principles are founded in the science and methods of agroecology, restoration agriculture, and regenerative agriculture. We steward over 90 acres across 2 sites in Webster Township, Washtenaw County, with frontage on Arms Creek, the healthiest tributary in the Huron River watershed.