Locations: across Southwestern Ontario / near Guelph, Kitchener, London…
If you’re ready for a full, hands-on experience that will immerse you in
ecological farming then you’ve come to the right place. CRAFT Ontario is your
gateway to a farming internship experience that will change your life. Whether
your dream is to have your own organic farm one day or you just want to learn
some food-growing and hands-on skills that can be applied in other parts of
your life, a farming internship is a powerful experience that will
equip you
with the tools and insights to make a real difference in the world.
Each CRAFT farm operates independently and offers its own internship with
individualized agreements around such things as living and eating arrangements,
stipends, work hours, and training methods. For more details see the farm
descriptions below and contact individual farms directly to apply or ask
further questions.
Cedar Down Farm
Cedar Down Farm offers a positive and challenging internship position for an
individual who is keen to learn how to market garden through hands-on
experience. 185 summer and 100 winter CSA shares. We provide an intensive
work-to-learn experience that will get you familiar with all aspects of running
an organic vegetable farm, from planning to field work to customer service.
Creek Shore Farm
5 acres of land. We sell primarily through our summer and winter CSA programs,
as well as at a farmers’ market and farm gate sales. You will have
opportunities to spend time learning and doing field work, including planting,
weeding, harvesting and soil management. Our farm relies heavily on equipment,
much of it custom built or modified.
Everdale (Two internship locations): Hillsburgh (rural) and Toronto (urban)
Everdale is CRAFT’s only tuition-based internship. We follow an intensive
training curriculum that includes project work, field trips, and seminars as
well as experiential learning on our diverse farm. The Rural and Urban SFC
programs both include seminars, field trips and project work, as well as
on-farm training days.
Fertile Ground CSA
5 acres certified organic vegetables near Waterloo. 100+ member CSA &
farmers’ market with a focus on community-building and participation. Small
flock of laying hens and beehives.
Fiddle Foot Farm
5 acre CSA & market garden, organic and biodynamic principles &
practices, mixed livestock, season extension. Scenic Niagara Escarpment
location, north of Orangeville.
Ignatius Farm CSA
250 member vegetable CSA, structured education program including bi-weekly
field trips, workshops and hands-on farm training. Team-oriented farming. 1 km
from Guelph. 12 years of internship experience.
Kawthoolei Farm Organics
10 acre certified organic farm, 40 minutes from Stratford and London, growing a
variety of vegetables and fruits including cranberries and sprouts. Some value
added products. Direct sales via three markets in Stratford and London, plus a
few restaurants and retail stores. Offering one intern position for a single
person or a couple who are willing to come for the same conditions as one.
Kolapore Gardens
A biologically intensive market garden producing top quality, nutrient dense
vegetables and herbs for the local communities. We are located next to a
provincial park and plenty of wild forests and creeks. Summer & winter CSA,
plus markets. Can share knowledge on crop rotation, business planning &
soil care among other skills.
ManoRun Farm
40 acre farm operating a 120 member CSA, going to 2 Farmers Markets and
offering an expanded education program that includes vegetable production,
animal husbandry, food preservation, tours of local farms and one day per week
to work on your chosen intern farm focus.
Marvellous Edibles Farm
We are looking for 3 interns who share our philosophy of accessible and
affordable food and who will be involved in every aspect of our farming
operation, from seed starting, planting out, irrigation, weeding, harvesting, post
harvest care, marketing and preserving the excess harvest. For those interested
we are happy to mentor the business side of farming, and what it takes to own
and run a small farm without having to work out of the farm.
Meeting Place Organic Farm
100 acre farm near Lucknow; Horse powered mixed livestock operation, small
apple orchard, retails freezer meats by seasonal home delivery; Certified
organic.
Orchard Hill Farm
Horse-powered CSA for 200 members with on farm pick-ups only. We are happy to
share the
lessons of our 30 years of farming and to teach the many skills (from crop
planning on paper, through field and garden work, to harvest and marketing)
that young farmers require to get started on their own.
Persephone Market Garden
50+ member CSA. We practice intensive crop rotation, relay cropping and
intercropping and our fertility management is based on integration with
livestock (sheep, horses and laying hens), as well as cover crops.
Plan B Organic Farms
50 acres of Certified Organic mixed veggies, 5 greenhouses for season
extension. We also harvest from a 4 acre organic vineyard, for our 500 + member
CSA and 3 weekly farmers’ markets. Located in rural part of Hamilton.
Reroot Organic Farm
Certified organic 100 share vegetable CSA and farmers’ markets, pastured pork
and poultry, grass-fed beef, free-range laying hens and small apiary.
Saugeen River CSA
Saugeen River CSA: 80 acre Biodynamic farm. Six acre garden powered mostly by
draft horses, for CSA and Market. Small herd of Highland cattle, pigs,
chickens, ducks and a good time for all!
Seilern Farm
Free-Range, Pasture Raised, GMO free, transitioning Organic Heritage Pork,
Turkey and Chicken.
Shared Harvest Community Farm and Education Centre
7 acres mixed veggies, 32 week 80 member CSA, Dufferin Grove Farmers Market,
certified kitchen, canning, fermenting food, chickens, community education
centre, stilt walkers, greenhouse and not-for-profit org. Focusing on community
building.
Whole Circle Farm
Biodynamic, 9 acres mixed veggies and year-round greens for a 46 week CSA &
year-round markets. Flour, maple syrup, cows, pigs, chickens and a highly
respected education program.
What is CRAFT Ontario?
CRAFT (Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training) is a collaboration
of organic and biodynamic farms whose aim is to provide opportunities for
interns to learn more about sustainable small-scale agricultural production.
The CRAFT program offers on-farm training to the interns of all regional CRAFT
farms. Monthly CRAFT field days include a potluck lunch, a group activity, a
workshop, and a field tour.
For more information, visit: http://www.craftsouthwestontario.ca
To apply, please contact individual farms directly.
