Troy Community Farm Interns

Intern Application

Download the 2012 Intern Application.

What do they do?

Farm interns work in every aspect of vegetable production on our certified organic urban farm including:

• Growing seedlings in our passive solar greenhouse
• Planting bed preparation
• Seeding and transplanting
• Mulching, trellising, and pruning
• Weeding
• Composting
• Harvest and post-harvest handling
• Marketing the crop through our CSA and on-site farmstand

Farm interns also participate in numerous educational activities:

Intern Classes – Formal classes provide more detail and depth on topics we discuss in the field as well as introduce new topics not covered in a typical workday. The class series also includes a field trip to a nearby farm. See the 2012 Intern Class Schedule.

Weekly Field Tour – Interns and farmers tour the field every Monday morning to make a priority task list for the week and to examine crops. We discuss management techniques and note how our previous management decisions are effecting crops.

Intern Focus Areas – Interns take on one or two special tasks for the year including sprouts, herbs, irrigation, and/or vermicomposting.  See the 2012 Intern Focus Area options.

Intern Training Manual – Interns receive a detailed training manual which they use as a reference while working at the farm and as a lasting resource once they leave. The manual includes the full farm crop plan.

Supervision and Management – As interns learn and become proficient in farm tasks they take on instruction and supervision of worker shares, volunteers, and students who work on the farm throughout the season. Teaching others helps to cement interns’ understanding and skills.

Intern Solo Week – The third week of October is the intern solo week. Interns take full responsibility for managing the field crew, harvesting, and delivering the final CSA share. This "farm test" is always an exciting finale to the year.

Why do they love it?

Interns walk away with knowledge, skills, fond memories, and new perspectives on life. Read what interns have to say about their experiences on the farm:

"When I started my internship at Troy Community Farm this season, I did have a couple of years experience working on other vegetable CSA farms. I had come to love being outdoors and growing vegetables, and I knew I wanted to farm. But it is a different animal to work at a farm solely as an employee. The things I wanted to know, like the behind the scenes work, looking at the farm as a whole from before the season started until the beds were cleared in the fall, could not be answered readily at those farms. So I was very excited that I was offered the internship at Troy Community Farm.  From the first day I knew this was the place I needed to be."

– Kara Sparks, 2011

"I now feel like I have a base of knowledge that in future seasons can be expanded and built on more easily, as I won’t be trying to synthesize everything from square one.  I can’t imagine a better farmer to learn from and I truly appreciate your meticulous approach to everything from planning to execution."

– Laura Jasiczek, 2010 & 2011

"I had an absolutely wonderful internship experience.  I learned a tremendous amount, enjoyed myself, and feel so lucky to have had the chance to be part of the farm this season.  Thank you for all you did to make the internship so productive and fun, and especially for how seriously you take intern education."

– Meghan Morris, 2010

"I am so thankful that I was able to be part of such an exciting and innovative farm this summer, working with an incredible crew and learning from two gifted farmers and teachers.  I can see why so many interns come back to visit or to become worker-shares—Troy Community Farm is a special place."  

– Megan Bjella, 2010

"Being offered and accepting this position has been one the greatest experiences I've had. Working with everyone on the farm has only made me want to pursue farming further and I would do this over in a heartbeat because of how positive everything was for me."

– Brian Danhoff, 2009

"I found that the internship offered a number of challenges, all of which helped me grow not only as a potential farmer but also as a leader, effective communicator, and member of a community."

– Alex Lyon, 2009

"As a lover of the land, of growing life, and manual labor, I now have a new five-year plan to own or rent land with the intent of direct-market, organic farming, possibly with a future in CSA."

– Gini Knight, 2008 & 2009 (now operates Sweet Magnolia Farm in Marshall, WI) 

"I learned that there is a lot more to farming than romance. Working at Troy, I gained a more clear-eyed perspective of what it really means to be a farmer... a sweaty, sore, stressed, and sleep-deprived farmer. I learned that while reality may not live up to the romance, it's still pretty good."

– Lisa DiPietro, 2008

"Claire and Jake have been incredible role models for me as I imagine having my own farm and having the many responsibilities that this dynamic duo own up so dutifully."

– Eva Denny, 2007

"There is something extremely satisfying about completing a job on the farm. Whether it is weeding, planting, or harvesting, there is always some sort of product. You can always see the difference you made."

– Rachel Hart, 2007

"I feel privileged to have worked with Claire. She is a great teacher. She is patient with questions, cares about her students, and is demanding and unwavering in her expectations."

– Kevin Coleman, 2005

"One of the things I wanted to experience most on the farm, was just working outside. I worked under whatever weather the sky had to offer that day. I listened to the breeze. I felt the hot sun on my back. I dug, scraped, plucked, bent, squatted, and hauled. I got dirty. I worked hard. When I got home, I always felt so satisfied."

– Cassie Nolterwyss, 2004 & 2005 (now operates Primrose Community Farm in Cross Plains, WI)

"The experience and involvement I had at Troy was truly one of a kind. In the end it became a whole body experience... something I physically enjoyed, nutritionally benefited from, and something that motivated me to learn more about urban agriculture."

– Ingrid Remak, 2004