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Work exchange at family farm in Sierra national forest, California

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Exchange hours per day
4
Accomodation Provided
Yes
Meals Included
Vegetables or Fruits Provided
Minimum Commitment (In Days)
60
Types of Help & Learning Opportunities
Farm Help, Gardening & Planting

About Kern Family Farm:

Located in the breathtaking Sierra National Forest, Kern Family Farm operates as a fully self-sustaining homestead, completely off the grid. Spread across 80 acres of picturesque land overlooking the San Joaquin River, they are dedicated to achieving self-sufficiency in all aspects of their operations.

On their farm, they cultivate a diverse array of regionally suitable crops, including vegetables, fruits, flowers, and herbs. With over 40 terraced fields, seven hoophouses, and two acres of orchards and vineyards, they are committed to sustainable agricultural practices.

In addition to growing crops, Kern Family Farm raises chickens and goats, utilizing holistic grazing methods to manage their land. They also implement regenerative forest management techniques, employing animals, tools, and controlled burns to maintain the health of their forested areas.

Furthermore, Kern Family Farm offers educational opportunities such as a 9-month herbal medicine program and an internship program, providing hands-on learning experiences for those interested in sustainable farming practices.

Work Exchange Opportunities in California at Kern Family Farm:

Internship & apprenticeship details:
Interns and apprentices live and work on the farm, experiencing the many facets of our diverse organic operation. The communal work day is 8Am – 12PM where everything from weeding and soil cultivation, bed preparation, planting, transplanting, seed saving and a myriad of other farm based tasks are performed. We harvest on Mondays and Thursdays delivering to our many restaurant partners in the local town of Oakhurst. With community being one of the pillars of our farm, we are involved in many other off farm events and activities and our team are highly encouraged to volunteer their time to attend and assist. We ask our interns to volunteer weekly with the off-farm school garden project which we run on Fridays at North Fork Elementary. The rhythm of the farm varies with the seasons. From June through October, the days are very long, often with more tasks to complete than there is time to get them done! Vegetable production on the farm is in full swing in the summer months. It gets hot here in the summer, but we can always cool down in the creek that runs through the farm.

Living with us:
We provide housing by way of RV’s, cabins, and a cobb house, the best of which is designated for our long term apprentices. Our team is expected to prepare their own meals from food we supply, except for lunch on work days where we take turns preparing a big meal for the crew in our home. Since we only ask for a 17 hour a week work/trade for room and board, cleaning of personal and communal living spaces is also expected in off-work hours. Located in the Sierra National Forest, there are a myriad of great hiking trails running in, through and off the farm. The Saganaw Creek runs along the edge of the farm, all summer long in good years, and provides many great spots to cool off from the summer heat! Note that there is a lot of walking up and down rugged hillsides when working on our property; it’s a great place to build up fitness but if you’ve not done much walking then you should be prepared to have sore legs for a few weeks while your body adapts to the landscape. We’re also located only a short distance from the entrance to Yosemite, and the Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Parks. Please also note there are lots of cats and dogs around, so if you have strong allergies to furry critters, this might not be the place for you.

Internships:
We have had over 600 “WWOOF” interns work with us on the farm over the past 15 years. In exchange for 17 hours of work room and board is provided. Interns are not required to have any farming experience, though we require those a minimum commitment of 2 months (with an initial 2 week trial period) as we are most interested in working with those that want to get a feel for sustainable agriculture. Afternoons and weekends are free time, though there are always projects interns are welcome to get involved in.

Herbalism internships:
Our herbalism internship is similar to our general farm internship, with the addition of our herbalism interns spending 1-2 of days per week working alongside Becca, our herb grower and teacher in our herbalism programs, to tend the herb fields, harvest herbs, process herbs into herbal medicine products, and assist in running our herbalism programs. This internship is offered to 1-3 interns per year and runs from mid-February through mid-November. Herbalism interns are expected to also help prepare for and attend all of the herb program sessions, which run two weekends per month from March through November. This is a busy yet deeply fulfilling internship in which you’ll learn a full spectrum of skills in herbalism, organic farming, sustainable agriculture, and holding on-farm community classes.

Apprenticeship:
Our farm apprenticeships are perfect for those who’ve had some farming experience and are looking to take that next step with more responsibilities, while gaining the skills and education to further their careers in sustainable agriculture. Apprentices are expected to work in the afternoons, where our interns are not, taking on more responsibilities on the farm. We look for longer term commitment, a minimum of one year which is necessary to experience all four seasons of the farm. In this role, you will recieve additional education from farmers Aaron and Becca as you dive into the afternoon work together.

Benefits of the role:
Your experience will directly reflect the amount of effort you put into your time here. We’re delighted that many of the folks that have come through our farm have gone on to do great things in the world of sustainable agriculture and herbalism. As an apprentice you’ll learn our methods of regenerative & biologically intensive market gardening, and get the chance to be involved in all of the areas of our farm operation, learning and gaining experience in crop planning, soil cultivation, irrigation, holistic management, operating machinery, green building, attending farmers markets and potentially assisting in our store the Gnarly Carrot. As your knowledge and skills progress there will also be opportunities to lead our crew. We provide educational components by organizing field trips to local farms and operators, provide time and space for discussions on sustainable agriculture, and other training sessions that can be tailored to your interests; learning to drive the tractor or working with our goat herd and chicken flock, for example. Our goal is to support and nurture your understanding, skills, and appreciation for local, sustainable agriculture and to provide opportunities for growth and hands on experience. We have a very wide experience base, but our strongest points of knowledge we can share are:

Homesteading -No-till -Agroecology -Permaculture – Alternative energies (our farm is entirely off grid) – Passive solar building designs – Irrigation strategies in the mountains – Holistic grazing – Green building & Construction – On-farm community classes – School garden education – Small scale diverse farming – Greenhouse production – Herbalism – Organic medicinal herb growing – Distillation

Explore further by visiting the website link below.