Careers in WWOOFing?

Hello all!

I am currently an undergrad studying geography/environmental studies at my local university. I'm planning on WWOOFing for the very first time this summer and excited to finally get some hands on experience. I love organic farming, eating locally grown produce, and going to farmers markets. Interacting and getting to know the people who dedicate their time and love to growing our food is something I am very passionate about. Now my question is, how can I make WWOOFing/farming my career? Yeah, I know that I could just travel from farm to farm, but I would like something more concrete. Would starting my own farm be my best option? Also, I would like to possibly start, work with, and/or help organize farmers markets. Any suggestion on how to go about doing that?

Thanks,
Dan

Daniel Fulford wrote:Hello all!

I am currently an undergrad studying geography/environmental studies at my local university. I'm planning on WWOOFing for the very first time this summer and excited to finally get some hands on experience. I love organic farming, eating locally grown produce, and going to farmers markets. Interacting and getting to know the people who dedicate their time and love to growing our food is something I am very passionate about. Now my question is, how can I make WWOOFing/farming my career? Yeah, I know that I could just travel from farm to farm, but I would like something more concrete. Would starting my own farm be my best option? Also, I would like to possibly start, work with, and/or help organize farmers markets. Any suggestion on how to go about doing that?

Thanks,
Dan

You've really just got to work your way up as with most service-oriented work. You can work with these small-farms
and if they like you with time, you tend to receive stipends..From there, a wage, then up the ladder. Get the membership
and call a bunch of farms you're interested in. You can receive a small stipend weekly if you suggest it from time to time,
it really depends on your situation. I ask for a stipend (to work extra hours) so I can use the money to travel once I've
fulfilled a stint of time at said farm.

Much thanks Living Wind. Happy holidays.

Daniel,

I would like to suggest attra.org and helpx.net to you. At attra you will find organic farming apprenticeships/internships. These may be a better step for you than wwoofing, if a career is what you're hoping to find. Wwoofing, in my opinion, is a wonderful way to gain exposure. If you want to start earning an income and working your way up in the field of farming, I think an apprenticeship is in order. My perspective is as a several year wwoofer/intern/apprentice/volunteer and the son of a landowner. For aspiring farmers, access to land is almost as critical as education. With an apprenticeship or three under your belt, you may find yourself in the position to buddy up to a senior farming couple with no heirs who are looking for a young person(s) to move in and eventually take over their operation. I strongly encourage you to attend educational events if you have the opportunity. ACRES USA has a conference every year which you can volunteer for in exchange for the conference fee. There are work-trade and by-donation PDCs. You will find organizations such as CRAFT, university-based education programs, and npo's in cities where you can receive free education.

Good luck!

-Greg

Greg,

Wow, thank you very much for sharing with me those great resources (especially attra)!

Of course! I wish you good luck!

We are WWOOF hosts if you want to come to France

I'm going to look up attra as we're really in need of some folk who have slightly more comittment than the usual WWOOFer (no offense to serious folk, but we've had lots of folk who just want a free place to stay and eat)

Interestingly, Joel Salatin recommends NOT to have land, at least not to own it - renting he reckons makes more business sense.

Blast - attra doesn't cover our area

What a great service that www.attra.org site is for people wanting to become sustainable farmers in North America! Unfortunately I'm down Australia way so it doesn't service us. Does anyone know if there's anything similar for us down here?

Alison Freeth-Thomas wrote:We are WWOOF hosts if you want to come to France

I'm going to look up attra as we're really in need of some folk who have slightly more comittment than the usual WWOOFer (no offense to serious folk, but we've had lots of folk who just want a free place to stay and eat)

Interestingly, Joel Salatin recommends NOT to have land, at least not to own it - renting he reckons makes more business sense.

you may discover some interesting tips on this link
http://theruminant.ca/2012/02/05/seven-axioms-farmers-use-to-justify-crappy-compensation-for-their-apprentices/

I don't take offense, but I have seen how easy is to turn a motivated volunteer into an upset person.
By the way I had my own small building company and except rare people that needed to replace I have managed to keep a happy team.
Make en effort my friend I know you want and can do it !)
1) not more then 4 hours per day
2) give them not less then 45$ per week (specially if their work is worth the 1500$ you are not willing to pay)
3) make en effort to teach them sounding knowledge

goodfoodjobs.com (are we allowed to post direct links on this forum?) is another great resource I've recently encountered. As per the original poster's request: they do post market coordinator positions. Any position related to food, even remotely, is allowed on the site. Plenty of internships and apprenticeships.