Here is some information regarding organic farming internship opportunities in Ontario. These are full time seasonal positions. More details about the various farms involved are listed below. This information was put together by CRAFT SW Ontario; their website is www.craftontario.ca.
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 just want to learn some foodgrowing and handson skills that can be applied in other
careers and lifestyles, 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 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 handson experience. 165 summer and 100 winter
CSA shares. We provide an intensive worktolearn experience that will get you familiar with all
aspects of running an organic vegetable farm, from planning to field work to customer service.
Everdale (Two internship locations: Hillsburgh (rural) and Toronto (urban))
Everdale is CRAFT’s only tuitionbased 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 onfarm 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 biweekly field trips,
workshops and handson farm training; teamoriented farming. 1 km from Guelph.12 years ofinternship experience.
The Living Centre
We use the practices of ecology, forest gardening and Permaculture. Offers positions to two
experienced organic gardeners for a period of 5 to 6 months from May to early October.
The Living Centre Forest Garden interns are given leadership responsibility. Focusing Forest
garden projects, maintaining and managing garden activities and playing a supportive role in the education of others during our Forest Gardening trainings. Our internship program includes
attending all Forest Gardening training intensives.
ManoRun Farm
40 acre farm operating a 120 member CSA, going to 2 Farmers Market 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.
Mapleton's Organic Dairy
400 acre certified organic dairy farm located 25 min NW of Elora. We milk 75 cows, raise laying hens, broilers, pigs, sheep, goats and turkeys. We have an onfarm processing facility where we make ice cream and yogurt. Our farm is open to the public and we run a number of events and tours.
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 who are 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. 2014 positions filled.
Orchard Hill Farm
Horsepowered CSA for 200 members with on farm pickups 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,
grassfed beef, freerange 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!
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 notforprofit org. focusing on community building.
Whole Circle Farm
Biodynamic, 9 acres mixed veggies and yearround greens for a 46 week CSA & yearround
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 smallscale agricultural production. The CRAFT program offers onfarm 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 or to apply, visit: http://www.craftontario.ca
