Apprentices at the Josie Porter Farm will receive training and practical experience in running and managing a 4th year over 80-member CSA.The farm consists of 48 acres total (5 acres under cultivation, 24 acres pastures, 19 acres forested, wetlands, and creek).Tasks will include field work, harvesting, cultivation, irrigation, care of hens, general farm maintenance and CSA distribution. Apprentices will also learn about crop scheduling, harvest management, and farm equipment care and use. There are opportunities for apprentices to lead educational programs on the farm for school groups and the community, public presentations, workshops and educational displays.We will attempt to expose you as much as possible to the decision-making that goes on at the farm, so that over time you will develop an understanding of the "behind the scenes" processes as well as the hands-on elements of small-scale vegetable production, biodynamics and the CSA model. We will also schedule visits to other local farms and create time for discussing some of the practical concepts of sustainable agriculture By no means are apprenticeships easy. They require hard work and long hours in the field daily, but offer the invaluable benefit of being a part of the inner workings of the farm. Ideal candidates are self-motivated folks looking for agricultural training with a community purpose, and in-the-field training on the details of CSA management .
The Josie Porter Farm is a community based farm located eight miles south of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. We grow over 40 different varieties of vegetables, herbs and flowers on 5 acres. All of the crops we grow are distributed within 50 miles of the farm through our CSA program. In 2010 we will include a farm stand on site. The farm has laying hens and we are looking forward to incorporating honey bee hives into our operation.
