It is a dream of mine to have land and start our own farm. I didn’t have a lot of hands-on experience, which I knew would be critical to starting my own business, so last year I sought out a local farm – but which one? I actually discovered it while at brunch!
A poster for Radical Roots’ CSA program caught my eye on the bulletin board at Little Grill Collective, a local restaurant. I decided to look up the farm to see if I could simply ask them for guidance or if I could volunteer for a few days or something. Upon searching their website, I learned they were a family-owned, organic vegetable and herb farm on 5 acres and I discovered that they have an 8 month apprentice program already set up!
It was the perfect program for me as I didn’t feel comfortable contacting farms for work with the tiny amount of experience I had. This program already assumed that you were at the very beginning of your farming journey, which was ideal for me. They take on 5 apprentices each year and the program begins on March 1st, but it was the end of March when I found out about it. Luckily, it stated on their website that they took applications on a rolling basis, which gave me the confidence to apply. I received a message back that they still had room for another apprentice and that I could come to the farm for a working interview.
I talk a little bit about how everything went during the interview and the rest of the season in the video clips I put together in the “Farm Diaries” video below.
The season ended in October and we had a little graduation party. I quickly put together a video compiling all of the pictures and video clips taken by me and the other apprentices, as well as those taken by a professional photographer. It gives a glimpse into what the experience was like for us in 2018.
I had an amazing spring/summer/fall working on the farm! I’m proud of all of my hard work and enjoyed bonding each day with a group of strangers that became friends. It was a great learning experience on my journey to my own farm someday. I’ll never forget it, but I’m glad I documented it!
Thanks for reading!
-Rebecca
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