Stephen Leslie touring Fellows at Cedar Mountain Farm

Are you interested in community living and sustainable local farming practices?

We offer an in-depth apprenticeship for those specifically interested in taking up sustainable farming as a livelihood, with a particular emphasis on learning to farm with draft horses. In addition, apprentices engage with market gardening, dairy production, and community living. The time commitment can range from one season to two years.

Apprenticeships are comprised of trainings and practical work experience that balance the interests of the individual apprentices with the needs of the farm and community. The curriculum includes basic studies of:

Kerry Gewalt and horse plowing

• soil science
• botany
• livestock health and nutrition
• whole farm planning
• farm finance
• marketing

Areas of expertise to be covered include:

• draft horse basics
• horse-powered CSA market garden
• green house management
• small-scale dairy production
• cheesemaking
• pasture management
• hay making
• forestry and woodlot management

Apprentices will be expected to work on the farm and in community projects for 35 hours in a five-day week. Course work will be in addition to this. Occasional work on weekends will be requested during haymaking and other busy harvest times.

Because of the unique setting of Cedar Mountain Farm in the Cobb Hill Cohousing village, the apprenticeship is more than simply a farm apprenticeship; it is a “sustainability apprenticeship.” Apprentices will be engaged in the community life of Cobb Hill, both in helping to sustain the physical plant (stacking wood, shoveling walks, collecting eggs, working in the sugar bush, and related work.) and through participation in meals, meetings, and recreational activities. The apprenticeship utilizes the collective wealth of combined experience and know-how at the Cobb Hill ecovillage.

All apprentices will receive room and board at or near Cobb Hill. A tuition fee is required to cover the curriculum and the hands-on training on the farm. A monthly stipend will be provided based on prior experience.

Contact Stephen Leslie for more information.