Are you interested in being a part of SFO?  We are looking for two interns for the 2011 season, starting in March and ending in October.

Spencer Fruit Organics, Wenatchee's original organic farm, is now accepting applications for the 2011 internship program.  The season runs from March to October.  We will host up to three interns this coming season.

The basis of our program is learning how to make a comfortable living as a small family farmer.  Emphasis is focused on efficient use of the body and mind as a means to free up time for celebration and play.

Housing:  Will be provided in the bus, the yurt, or the TiPi! 

Meals:  Breakfast and lunch are provided and shared.  Food is 95%+ homegrown, local, and organic.

Stipend:  Each intern will receive $100 per week.  Qualified individuals may opt to stay on and become part of a longer term vision with wages and vested interest. 

Hours:  6 hours a day five days a week with few exceptions.

Costs:  Work hard play hard.

Topics covered in the program include:

Fruit Production
Over 100 varieties of perennial fruits are now in production

Vegetable Production
A wide variety of vegetables will be grown from seed

Greenhouse Production
3000 square feet of greenhouse vegetables, a propagation house and cold frames will be utilized

Composting
Why and how to. It all starts here.

Animal Husbandry
Chickens, pigs, goats. How to nurture them A to Z.
Understanding birth and death, saying our prayers.

Marketing
Local markets, how to feed the neighbors.

Wild Crafting
Identification and use of native plants.

Herbs
Medicinal and culinary herbs will be grown and processed.

Storage and Food Processing
Preservation, canning, drying, freezing, fermentation, juicing, jams, sauces, wine and beermaking, cheesemaking, and other value added products.

Research and Development
Spencer Fruit Organics has, over the years, developed and refined a number of pest and nutrient management techniques that are commonly used in large scale commercial production throughout the world today.  Interns may choose to be involved in ongoing research through on farm field trials and collaboration with university researchers.

Play
Pedal, paddle, ski, sweat lodge, drum and dance, homegrown music, recording studio, art studio.

The Farm
Now in its fifth generation is located at 800 feet elevation overlooking the Columbia River near Wenatchee Washington, the geographic center of Washington State.  There are 6 acres in crops making this the smallest successful farm in the region.  The farm is currently home to 24 people of various histories and beliefs.

The Area
The confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee River watersheds is highly diverse in flora, fauna, and people.  From the farm you can visit rugged, snow peaked mountains, cactus sage desert  and old growth forest—all in the same day.  Home to deer, coyote, bear, turkey, eagle, osprey, an occasional moose, and the largest elk herd in the western U.S.  (Or, you could take the bus to town and interact with some of the funniest looking people you could possibly imagine).

Spencer Fruit Organics has hosted farmers and students from nine countries in addition to many interns from the United States.
Though the owners are white trash locavore green necks, we hold no bias in regard to history, socioeconomic background, religion, or dietary preferences.
We are indian, redneck, liberal, conservative, new age, mexican hobo spiritualists, drum thumpin' hippies.  So if you feel you won't fit in, we will just love you more.

Bruce Spencer, owner and founder of SFO in its current incarnation, has made his living on this land for 33 years.  He has worked, studied, and consulted in over a dozen countries, is licensed both state wide and nationally as a consultant for fruit, vegetable, and livestock production.  He has served on the technical advisory board for the National Organic Program helping to set worldwide standards for organic certification.  He currently flies in the treetops well below the radar and strives to be a better drummer.

Click here for the internship application.

Contact
Spencer Fruit Organics
P.O. Box 68
Malaga WA
98828
grace@spencerfruitorganics.com
509.888.2076