Clark Fork Organics

Number of Workers Sought

2

Type of Farm

Vegetable

Marketing Strategy

Farm Stand, Restaurant, Wholesale

Paid

Yes

Pay Rate

$325/week, housing, dinner M-F and produce.

What are the dates of your position?

May to end of Sept or mid Oct

Are you open to shorter periods of employment or do you prefer that workers stay the full season?

Shorter periods of employment possible, Prefer full season

Housing

Yes

Explain the room and board arrangements or describe options in your area

We have 3 little cabins, insulated and finished nicely, a room in our barn and a small but nice wooden trailer. Interns have a separate kitchen in another outbuilding. There is a bathroom and shower just inside the main house and an outdoor shower. This bathroom is for the interns, so you won't be colliding with our family.

We provide the evening meal at the end of the day on work days. Interns can also eat vegetables and sometimes, eggs from the farm.

Please share three things you think people should know about living with you.

We enjoy having interns share our weekday meals and we are close to town. The living spaces are separate enough so you can be by yourself, but it's nice when interns all get along. You will share outdoor kitchen space on weekends and for weekday breakfast and lunch.

Describe yourself, your family, background, farming experience, philosophy, goals and interests

This coming season will be the 31th year for Clark Fork Organics. I graduated from Dartmouth College and went to work in NYC then Boston. I realized I needed to be outside doing something physical and something I felt was important. I quit my job and began farming more than 30 years ago at a research farm called The New Alchemy Institute on Cape Cod. From there I went to Santa Cruz and attended the Agroecology Program where I met Josh. Josh taught at the University of Montana and ran the student farm program called PEAS. Recently he switched careers and is now a county commissioner in Missoula. My goal for this year is to have a happy group of interns who work hard and all get along! We have a new farm stand that has taken off. We are putting more and more effort into the farm stand. Last year that included a flower CSA which I plan to continue.

Describe the physical setting of your farm and the nature of the community in which you live

Our farm is located close to Missoula, about a 20 minute bike ride. We are also on a bus line that goes downtown in a few minutes and is now free. It only goes by once an hour though. We are close to 2 rivers and a quick bike ride from some good swimming spots. There is a lot of hiking, camping, rock climbing, hot springs and boating nearby as well as for weekend adventures. Missoula is a fun University town with a lot going on and fabulous hiking nearby.

Describe your farm operation

Clark Fork Organics is a family farm. We grow mixed vegetables on 8 acres. This year we will sell to a few restaurants, and at our farmstand. We grow a wide variety of market vegetables and our specialties are salad mix, loose leaf arugula, baby kale, fennel, bunched greens and many other crops. Our farm is located on the outskirts of Missoula MT, a beautiful progressive small city in the rocky mountains.

Describe the work to be performed by applicant

Interns will do greenhouse work, then begin transplanting seedlings, moving irrigation pipe, weeding and harvesting. In the heat of the season we harvest four to five days a week. As we switch our focus to expanding our farmstand, we will be harvesting a bit less and really be able to weed and keep the farm beautiful. Interns work five days a week, Monday - Friday. This year we may have one intern a week take off days during the week and keep the farmstand stocked on the weekends. Interns deliver produce to restaurants and if interested can be contact person for a restaurant account.

What do you expect of a worker?

A strong work ethic and sincere desire to do this kind of work for the summer are required. Past farm experience is not. To do this work you must be a hardy person able to work in inclement weather, or the hot sun. The hours are often long, but the work is rewarding and you can learn a ton, everything from marketing to tractor work. You need to be emotionally flexible, even- keeled, and fine working alone at times and with others too.

Describe the learning and educational opportunities available to a worker

We can connect interns to the small but tight organic farming community here. We can schedule informal field trips. We have lots of books and are excited to talk about farming. The opportunities for learning are great, you need only to be open, observant and patient. It will be overwhelming at first, but in a fairly short time you will understand how it all fits together.

Are you a full-time farmer?

Yes

Currently Hiring

No, not at this time. Please check back next season!

Do you have a website, social media account, or job posting anywhere else?

Yes

Online Listing URL

https://www.facebook.com/clarkforkorganics/, https://www.instagram.com/clarkforkorganics/,https://www.instagram.com/clarkforkorganics/