Company description

Quail Hill Farm operates on 30 acres on a larger 220 acre agricultural reserve in Amagansett, NY on the East End of Long Island. With a total of 9 farmers, we grow for a highly unique pick-your-own Summer CSA, a Winter CSA, farmers markets, and wholesale to local restaurants. We are also expanding our food access programming by building on a fully-funded large-format CSA through a local partner organization, sliding scale CSA pricing and a new gleaning program for local food pantries. We grow over 60 types of vegetables and more than 500 varieties of vegetables, herbs and cut flowers. Quail Hill Farm began in 1990, and its apprenticeship program has grown along with the farming operation since its founding. As a stewardship project of the Peconic Land Trust, Quail Hill Farm is at a unique intersection of community farming and land conservation work.

The goal of the Quail Hill Farm apprenticeship is for beginning farmers to develop their farm management skills and understanding of organic farm systems. Over the course of nine months, we develop individualized learning goals and provide coaching and mentorship to help apprentices meet those goals. We envision this position as bridging the gap that commonly exists between first or second year farm apprenticeships and the skills required for more advanced farm positions.

Internship description

Quail Hill Farm seeks up to four advanced apprentices for the 2024 season, which will be our 35th year of Community Supported Agriculture in Amagansett. Throughout the season, apprentices gain a solid foundation on many diverse skills that are both specific to our operations at QHF, as well as skills with broader application to one’s farming career: from tractor operation, managing a pick-your-own CSA, propagation and waterwheel transplanting, flower arrangement, harvest coordination and post-harvest handling, apprentices work closely with managers and fellow farmers to make progress on individual learning goals.

Educational Opportunities:

Through our unique rotations system, apprentices cycle through leadership and management of most of the essential systems of our farm, including: propagation, water wheel transplanting, PYO CSA management, harvest coordination, post-harvest handling and marketing, and cut flower harvest and arranging. Apprentices will learn and execute a wide range of tractor work, typically walking away with 50-100 hours of operational time.

In addition to working on our 30 acre farm, apprentices will receive paid instruction through classroom-based learning (from Quail Hill Farm staff, Peconic Land Trust staff, and local and regional leaders in farming and food systems work).

Topic areas include:

• Soil science
• Plant nutrition
• Botany
• Crop planning
• Pest & Disease Management
• Self care for farmers
• Tractor mechanics, maintenance, safety
• Farm Finance and Business planning
• Grant Writing
• Cover Crops
• Easements and land acquisition
• Herbalism
• Field Production skills
• Racial equity and food justice

Compensation:

• Wage of $16 per hour
• Monthly cellphone reimbursement ($30/month)
• $300 educational stipend (reimbursable)
• Overtime paid out over 40 hours per week worked
• 40 hours of paid personal time
• 40 hours of paid sick time
• Free shared housing off-site
• Free vegetables, flowers, and herbs

Read more about the apprenticeship and see the full job description here.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline