Type: volunteer position with free rent, more (see below)
Organization: Moon Gravity Farm https://www.facebook.com/MoonGravityFarm
Location: Rossland, West Kootenay / southern British Columbia
APPLY NOW: Goatherd Skibum in the hills of Rossland, BC
Are you passionate about local, ecological farms? Do you want
experience running a small herd of dairy goats and raising a large
flock of laying hens, ducks, and geese?
Do you also love snow and
shredding endless acres of steep-tree pow,
or gliding countless cross-country kilometres? Is the postcard-perfect
town of Rossland, BC, your idea of a great place to spend the winter?
Moon Gravity Farm may be the place for you! We’re looking for an
intern to take the reins in December, 2014, until the beginning of
April. These dates coincide with the ski season at amazing Red
Mountain only five minutes away (or a 45 minute walk/ski)
We’ll trade morning chores before the hill opens plus an evening
check-up after the hill closes for free rent in our biggest bedroom
with our best sunrise view. The next room over is full of every
farming, gardening, permaculture book you can imagine.
Our home is on a quiet street a block from downtown Rossland, with
very little traffic and a broad, sunny view to the south. We’ve got
plenty of fun kitchen gear, washer/dryer, and a dishwasher. High speed
internet and utilities are all included in the deal.
You’ll live with us耀ki patrol gardener Caley, eco animal
farmer
Andrew, and tiny tot Torin. After you’ve learned the ropes, we hope to
get away for a month or two in January and February. During this time,
you’ll inherit our loveable dog Orim and cuddly cat Dorjibolt while
you enjoy an empty house and the wonderful life Rossland offers.
Our farm is on leased property at the edge of town about a ten minute
walk (two minute drive) from our house. Even in the heaviest storms,
Rossland’s snow removal is fantastic and we’ve gone through five
winters with a small two-wheel-drive on winter tires.
Our herd includes six milking does and their eleven doelings and
bucklings. By December, we’ll only milk once per day and the goats
will move into the barn for the winter. We feed them hay, some organic
grains, kelp, and lots of love as their babies grow in their bellies.
Meanwhile, hundreds of chicks will grow into chickens as their momma
hens continue to lay through the winter. You’ll collect eggs and put
them out for sale in our garage as part of the evening check-up.
We’ll dry the does off in January (with lots of milk and cheese to
enjoy for the rest of the winter) and coast until mid-March when the
miracle of birth will be upon us and milking begins again! With
green-up in April, we’ll herd everyone outside and use portable
electric netting to move the goats across the landscape.
If you love the farm and want to take it to the next level, in March
we will be looking for someone wanting to invest more time and effort
into mastering the complex choreography of animals we dance across
spring, summer, and fall pastures. This “next level” position will
give you experience in everything from intensive grazing and pasturing
chickens to running a milkshare. You will return a modest income as
well.
The schedule leaves plenty of time to get a job and work, or ski your
ass off, or many other opportunities. The only restriction is that the
daily routines must be performed like clockwork, no exceptions, even
on Christmas and Ramadan.
The Ideal Candidate
The successful applicant must be extremely responsible and reliable,
since the lives of many beautiful creatures depend on their
conscientious, careful, and competent visits every morning and
evening. Winter chores are easy, but they must be done without fail
and with a keen eye for animal welfare.
The ideal candidate will want to join us at the farm as soon as
possible庸ree
rent in exchange for chores can start as soon as you
arrive.
The ideal candidate has experience working with animals, though this
is not necessary. More importantly, we want our new partner to have an
abiding passion for ecological farming and a strong vision for
humanity’s future of health and abundance in harmony with nature.
We are accepting resumes plus a cover letter to introduce yourself
from now until the end of October. Please include contact information,
references, and relevant experience. We will contact qualified
applicants for interviews.
If interested, please email your resume and a brief covering letter to
Andrew Bennett at:
abies.balsamea@gmail.com