Company description Wayward Goose Farm is a small sustainable dairy farm in the Indian River valley of beautiful south western Vermont, owned and operated by Dan and Laurie Brooks. Our 25 registered Jersey cows produce high quality milk which is purchased by our partner farm and next door neighbors at Consider Bardwell Farm where it is made into their aged, raw milk cheese. We also sell raw milk here on the farm in our small store, located in an annex of our milking parlor. We have a very loyal customer base! Although we are not certified organic, our farming practices are organic. Animal welfare, sustainability, and soil health are the core of our farming practices and we strive for quality milk over quantity. That means that herd health
and comfort as well as nutrition are of utmost importance. Our farm is grass based and intensely managed pastures form the basis of our cows' nutrition, coupled with organic hay from Consider Bardwell Farm's lush fields that we are lucky to be able to cooperatively harvest and share.  In 2013 Wayward Goose Farm and Consider Bardwell Farm were co recipients of the Vermont Sustainable Farm of the Year award, given annually by NOFA Vermont, in recognition of our shared farming practices. In June 2016 Wayward Goose Farm and Consider Bardwell Farm hosted a pasture school sponsored by UVM and NOFA which featured pasture specialist and author Sarah Flack. This school highlighted the co-grazing practices developed by Dan and Peter Brooks (our son), farm manager of Consider Bardwell. Internship description We are currently seeking a hard working and enthusiastic farming intern for a position that will begin May 15, 2017 and will end August  15, 2017.  In addition to assisting in most aspects of the farm's management, the intern will eventually be taking on daily milking chores, including feeding and barn cleaning. This position is an opportunity for anyone who is truly interested in the nuts and bolts of  a small scale, sustainable, cow dairy. Interested applicants can check out our farm on Instagram (@waywardgoosefarm) and Facebook. The intern can expect to gain hands on experience in:

• pasture management, proper fencing techniques, rotational grazing, and all other aspects of grazing including grass identification, invasive species management, and assessing soil health. 
• learning about the complexities of proper nutrition for each and every cow, which varies depending on each cow's stage in lactation, age, weight, etc.
• the nutrition of dry cows (those not yet lactating). This area is vitally important and their needs are different than that of lactating cows.
• the care and feeding of calves.
• heat detection and artificial insemination, if interested.
• procedures for proper handling of milk, including best practices for producing and selling raw milk.
• importance of and practice in manure management.
• milk house sanitation practices for pre and post milking. 
• value of cow foot health and care, including assisting the hoof trimmer during his annual visit.
• overall cow health including how to assess, when/how to treat, possibly assisting births, when to call the vet.
• operating a skid steer. 

Skills desired: Prior experience is not necessary as we will train the right candidate. However, ability to perform hard physical labor is a must. Intern must also realize that where there is milk, there is meat and accept the fact that our bull calves are humanely raised for veal. This is a vital part of our farm's business and our humanely raised veal is a highly sought after commodity in NYC. He/she must have a good work ethic and be willing to work fairly long hours in sometimes nasty weather conditions. He/she must be able to work independently, have a desire to learn and to ask questions! A good sense of humor helps too! Above all, the intern must be able to handle the realities of a real, working dairy farm which may include tough decisions such as culling cows.

Educational opportunities: The intern will be thrust into the hardcore reality of what life on a small, sustainable dairy farm is like.  One of our jobs as stewards of the land and our animals is educating the public regarding our practices as well as answering general farm related questions. Our intern will have an opportunity to interact with visitors to the farm who may be unfamiliar with dairying and this can be as educational and eye opening as anything! 

The intern will have lots of opportunity to interact with and learn from the amazing and hardworking young farmers at neighboring Consider Bardwell Farm. As their partner farm and grazing collaborators, we communicate almost daily, especially as the weather turns warm in the spring and the pastures start growing. This is a vital part of our farming practices and the experience from just this aspect of the internship will be invaluable to anyone who is interested in learning about grass based dairying.
 
Having grown up on  his family's 5th generation dairy farm in central NYS, Dan has lifelong experiential knowledge in all aspects of dairying. Our intern will have access to Dan's vast array of knowledge in everything from dairy farming to forestry! 

We will be happy to provide references from past interns to interested candidates.

Housing/stipend: $100 a week stipend is provided for food, along with our fresh, raw milk, and eggs when the hens start laying in the spring. Intern will have 2 days off per week. Housing is provided in a fully furnished studio apartment, which is located above our attached 3 car garage. There is a kitchenette and full bath. NO smoking please. We are located in a very rural area so applicant should have a car, but there are many opportunities for outdoor minded folks, including bird watching, hiking, skiing, biking, etc. The 20 mile D & H rail trail runs right through our back yard and provides a perfect place for cross country skiing, biking, walking and running. Compensation this position is : stipend / non-monetary compensation
Application instructions DeadlineMay 01, 2017 Attachment click here to download the attached document.