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A Farm Apprenticeship
A farm apprenticeship immerses you into a season of training, study and experience in
the environment of a working farm.
You work alongside a farmer in meeting all the needs of production under the constraints of weather, time, and resources. You learn how to work on a farm and how to be a farmer. An apprenticeship is hands-on learning designed to inspire personal exploration into the multifaceted world of small-scale agriculture.
At the Community Supported Garden at La Vista we seek to help those exploring a career in farming, as well as those looking to refine or expand their skills and experience in sustainable agriculture. We offer the opportunity to master the skills of farming and to develop physical stamina and endurance through hands-on work alongside our farmer. We hope to engage and inspire your experience through weekly discussions, classes, and field trips, which collectively cover a host of topics and issues. As an apprentice at La Vista you will be an integral part of all that we do.
The Community Supported Garden at La Vista
We are a 4¼ acre sustainably grown vegetable farm located on the Mississippi River
bluffs just north of St. Louis, MO.
We grow over 60 types of vegetables, herbs, and flowers, serving our CSA of over 180 local families. Our members pick up their fresh produce on-site from our barn distribution room and participate in the farm by volunteering in the fields and on several volunteer committees, including our Board of Directors. We are a project of the Oblate Ecological Initiative, and operate on the property of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, consisting of 255 acres of woods and trails, as well as housing a small community of priests and novices.
Our season straddles the climates of the Midwest and South.
Our spring ranges from hot and dry to cool and moist. Summer trends to the very hot and mostly dry. Autumn is gorgeous, with cooler days, crisp nights, and light rains. We have a longer frost-free season than areas further north and escape the worst heat further south. Our bounty of produce includes outstanding greens in the spring, fabulous tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and basil in summer, and tasty carrots, turnips and spinach in the fall.
We utilize a combination of intensive farming styles.
Our crops are grown in tight rows on four-foot beds, and we maintain fertility through composts, mineral amendments, green manures, and crop rotation. We manage pests through crop rotation, row cover, companion planting, beneficial insects, and organic sprays. We manage weeds both mechanically and by hand. Observation, efficiency and experience, however, are the most vital elements ensuring our sustainability.
About the farmer
Head Farmer Kris Larson came to the CSG at La Vista in 2006 after several years of apprenticing,
training, and managing at other farms. He holds a degree in Natural Resources Planning from Humboldt State University in northern California, where he began volunteering on a small organic vegetable farm along
the Redwood coast. From there he spent two years apprenticing and managing at Horton Road Organics near Eugene, OR, followed by an apprenticeship at the Food Bank Farm in Hadley, MA.
In the year prior to arriving at La Vista, he served as Field Manager at Atlas Farm in South Deerfield, MA. He farms using a combination of styles as well as direct experience of the land and climate at La Vista. He has a wife and son.
About the Program
We offer both a full-season (April 14 – Nov. 14) and a half-season
apprenticeship. Compensation is a $250 per month living stipend, $150 food stipend, and a bonus upon completion of full term. Apprentices also have full access to extra produce from the farm for personal
use.
Housing consists of a room with shared bath and kitchen in the home a local farm
member.
Apprentices receive instruction, training and direct experience in the following areas:
- seed sowing and soil mix making
- greenhouse management
- cultivation and weeding
- transplanting
- crop management: trellising, mulching, feeding
- harvesting of 60 different crops
- washing and preparation of 60 different vegetable crops
- CSA marketing
- on-site produce distribution
- irrigation
- season extension
Apprentices partake in in-depth discussions covering the following topics:
- Foundations of organic agriculture
- Crop and field planning
- Machines and tools on small-scale farm
- Basic soil science
- Beyond "organic": Principles of permaculture, biodynamics and
permanent polyculture
- Land preparation and cultivation
- Small-scale marketing
- Weeds and what they tell you
- Organic pest management
- Organic disease management
- Cover crops and green manures
- Sustainable work techniques
- Basic small-business start-up and management: budgets, records,
legal issues
- Helping others eat the produce and variety of CSA distributions
- Finding opportunities in organic agriculture
Apprentices also benefit from field trips to nearby farms, including other CSA's, specialty farms, orchards, apiaries, and farmers markets. There is also access to a full bed at the farm for growing a personal garden.
Schedules
We strive to provide an intensive experience in meeting the needs of a working farm, while also providing ample personal time for study, reflection, fun, etc. Apprentices are expected to work 5 days a week or 38 hours on farm. Schedules will vary according to weather and farm needs. Weekend work will sometimes be required, but will be offset with days off the following week.
Work days begin as early as 6 a.m. and last 8 hours on average. Lunches are one hour, with at least one 15-minute break.
Apprentices will have a bi-weekly check-in/review meeting with the farmer during which the following weeks will be previewed and planned.
Apprentices are allowed a one-week vacation during the main growing season from June 15 through September 15.
Responsibilities
Apprentices are expected to be attentive to tasks, to follow instructions from farmer, and to make every effort to improve in all areas of farm work. In addition, apprentices will be given sole responsibility (on a limited and rotating basis) over the following areas:
- greenhouse management
- seed sowing
- pest monitoring and management
- side-dressing and fertility management
- irrigation
Apprentices will also rotate through responsibilities including shareroom set-up and break-down, member greeting, and work day coordination.
Apprentices will receive guidance in planning and designing a small-scale farm or farm project and will receive instructive feedback. Resources will be identified to help them achieve their goals.
Requirements of Apprenticeship
The most important requirement of eligibility is a strong interest in small-scale agriculture and desire to learn and improve your personal skills in farming. Past experience is helpful, but it's more important that you are willing and able to commit to the full term of the apprenticeship, have adequate energy and good physical shape, and seek to learn and work as a team. A personal vehicle will benefit your experience by offering easy access to the wide array of social and cultural activities in the St. Louis metro area.
How to Apply
You can apply by filling out and submitting our on-line application or by printing an application and mailing it to CSG at La Vista, 4350 Levis Lane, Godfrey, IL, 62035.
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