[Scpg] Mano Farm seeks Intern/Apprentice

[Justin Huhn]

*Mano Farm Seeks An Intern/Apprentice for Late Summer & Early Autumn 2011*

Mano Farm is a 1.3-acre plot of land operated by Justin Huhn and Quin Shakra
in the Meiners Oaks neighborhood of Ojai, California. We grow annual
vegetables, seed crops, and both medicinal and culinary herbs and sell them
through our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where individuals
and families commit to supporting the farm on a seasonal basis in exchange
for a weekly share of whatever the farm is growing.

*We’re presently seeking an intern/apprentice to join us on the farm for
stays of four to six weeks.* *The ideal candidate will have a serious
interest in learning to practice small-scale, ecological farming. Prior
experience is not required, but a passion for learning is essential. *Our
farming methodology emphasizes human labor and hand tools as primary energy
inputs. The broad-fork/U-bar, wheel hoe, stirrup hoe/hula hoe, cobra
head/hook weeder and Earthway direct seeder are critical tools that we use
to cultivate a series of permanent beds that comprise the bulk of our
farmland. We also have a 40-tree edible food forest, with many of the trees
in their first year of growth. We aim to improve the overall health and
fertility of the farm’s soil through the additions of compost, cover
cropping, crop rotations, and amendments of our custom organic fertilizer
blend.

Apprentices who stay with us will be involved in learning both the
generalities and idiosyncrasies of bed cultivation and planting, harvesting
(we pick vegetables for our CSA every Sunday, and for local restaurants and
grocery stores sporadically throughout the week), weeding, irrigation setup
and maintenance, trapping (we have persistent gopher and ground squirrel
predation on our crops), and last but not least, seed saving. This summer
(2011) we have made the first gestures toward beginning a seed business —
All Good Things Organic Seeds — that will sell the farm’s open-pollinated
seed crops. We’ve also been doing a lot of food preservation (canning,
lacto-fermentation, et al.) with the surplus food that comes from our
fields, so there is the potential to learn about that as well. This autumn
(2011) we will be preparing about a third of our field to plant allium crops
— garlic, onions, and leeks.

We have the greatest need for an apprentice for the month of October,
although are also accepting applications for late August and September. For
living accommodations we can offer a tent/tent space (the weather will still
be quite nice during this period of time), access to our communal yurt,
bathroom / shower, and outdoor kitchen. For food, we offer daily meals
composed of bulk organic grains, legumes, oils, and the farm’s fresh
vegetables (whatever is in season or storage!). We largely eat a
vegetarian/vegan diet, but this choice is not ideologically driven. For
instance, we eat chicken that comes a small-scale chicken operation on the
front of our land and have diary to bolster our nutrition.

Only one of us has a truck, but there are bikes around, and most of Ojai
(including a local grocery store and café) is accessible via bicycle.

A willingness to integrate into our work rhythms and the exigencies of farm
life are absolutely essential for participation on the land. Other skills
that are crucially important for having a healthy and successful experience
here are: 1) focus 2) self-motivation, 3) the willingness to take initiative
to take on new tasks, 4) the ability to work both independently and in
groups, and lastly, 5) a willingness to be flexible. Our farming doesn’t
operate on a set amount of “work hours”; it is woven intimately into how we
live our lives and determined by the environment around us (day length,
temperature, etc.). We need folks who are readily able to adapt to these
fluctuations and plug into new projects as necessary. **

With that said, we are not martinets and are well aware of the physically
and sometimes emotionally draining aspects of what we’re doing. We strongly
value leisure time as well as personal solitude and showing care for others.
We understand these to be vitally integral to our farming practice. We each
take days off every week, and strongly believe in supporting the personal
health and well being of each other. Cooking is an important facet of this.
We share a lot of meals together, and regularly express awe at the flavors
and nutrition that exists in our lives.

If you are interested in joining us, please email manofarmers at gmail.com and
offer a brief statement of interest (this can also include biographical
information), along with a list of any unique skills and specific desires
you have for your time on our farm.


Thanks so much for your interest!

-Quin and Justin


-- 
Mano Farm  http://www.manofarm.org
805-758-3184

Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has
been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed
there, and I am prepared to expect wonders.
- Henry David Thoreau
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