Adamah Farm Apprentice

The Associated and its Agencies•Canaan, CT

54d•Onsite

About The Position

The Adamah Farming Fellowship is a program of the national Jewish environmental organization, Adamah. Adamah is in the deep connection between people and planet, Adam and Adamah. The mission of the national organization is to create vibrant Jewish life in deep connection with the earth, catalyzing culture change and systemic change through immersive retreats, Jewish environmental education, leadership development, and climate action. The mission of the farm and fellowship is to cultivate the soil and the soul to produce food through regenerative farming and to build Jewish intentional community on the land. Adamah Apprentices support farm production at the Adamah Fellowship in Falls Village, CT. The fellowship is a three-month residential program for young adults building Jewish community on the land. Apprentices are paid staff with experience in agriculture who work with the Adamah Farm Director to lead fellows in farm production. The apprenticeship runs from April-November at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT. Compensation includes full-time minimum hourly wage plus free onsite housing and utilities, food from the farm and access to educational opportunities. Experiential education is at the core of what we do at Adamah. Apprentices can expect impromptu discussions about soil management while weeding, about lactobacilli while pounding sauerkraut, or about rotational grazing and parasite load while mucking the barn. Apprentices will have access to Adamah programming which includes several classes a week, avodat lev, community gatherings, and some retreats at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. Apprentices will be allowed time off from farm work as desired to attend field walks with the Mid-Hudson Valley Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training or other technical assistance providers throughout the season. Apprentices will also meet with the Farm Director throughout the season to discuss their learning goals.

Requirements

Experience with farm work
Experience with experiential education
Excellent problem solving and project management skills
Teaching and leadership skills
Experience holding complex details
Punctuality and reliability
Adaptability and flexibility as plans shift depending on farm conditions and community needs
Ability to connect with a wide range of personalities
Desire and skills to be in community
Excellent communication skills and the ability to articulate needs while keeping the needs of others in mind. Farms are composites of many moving parts and they involve a lot of communication. As a residential community working in informal education, our farm requires even more communication than most.

Nice To Haves

Ideal candidates will have a positive attitude, a love of manual labor, a passion for regenerative farming and food systems, a sense of humor, and will feel moved by the sight of rotting food waste mixed with manure and straw.

Responsibilities

leading Adamah fellows in daily farm tasks including but not limited to planting, harvesting, bed-prep, weeding, mulching, wash-and-pack, and delivery
holding the details and complexity of accomplishing projects from start to finish while maintaining the farm as a resonant learning space for fellows
participating in some of the Adamah programming when the fellowship is in session including our morning prayer service and Adamah sharing circles
supporting hospitality departments at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center when needed
supporting our homestead scale livestock, markets, onsite educational programming, and other Adamah farm endeavors when needed
engaging in the community with commitment, responsibility and leadership.