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www.rainbowheritage.ca
Kylah Dobson & Zach Loeks
81 Stafford Second Line, Cobden, ON K0J 1K0
Thank you for your interest in an organic agriculture
internship with the Rainbow Heritage Garden. We
encourage you to thoroughly read through this information
package to help you decide if what we have to offer and
your expectations are a good match. We are seeking
individuals who have a keen desire to learn about growing
food organically by doing and who are enthusiastic, curious
and open to new ideas. We expect hard work, commitment
to the vision of the RHG, and the ability and desire to work
both individually and as part of a team.
bought the land from Kylah’s father 9 years ago and have
been steadily developing a farm from scratch. Thus far we
have built a 4,800 sq ft barn/wash station, a 640 sq ft
award winning in-ground root cellar, our private family
home, a shared intern kitchen, a private cabin for each
intern, a brand new 700 sq ft yurt for interns (also used 3
weeks of the year for summer camps, and periodically for
workshops), 100+ varieties of fruits, nuts, grapes, berries
and other perennial permaculture plantings, orchards and
forest gardens (commercial production is at different stages
for different crops), 2 irrigation ponds, extensive fertility
improvement to the land, extensive drainage work, 1
greenhouse, 2 large moveable hoop houses, and 3
caterpillar tunnels.
A great deal has happened here in a short time – we are a
working example of how a successful off-grid organic farm
can come to life. We hope you will be inspired by our
endeavors as we hope to be inspired by yours.
Throughout the growing season we have many people
passing through the farm to work and learn including
friends, family, volunteers, CSA members, school groups,
summer camp and workshop participants etc.
Bob Dobson (Kylah’s father) lives and farms the adjacent
200 acres and oversees all farming activities related to his
organic grass-fed beef business (www.dobsonfarm.com).
The Land
The RHG is part of the Dobson Family Farm. Our land
includes over 250 acres of farmland, wetlands, and
woodlands. The Dobson Family has owned the land since
1857. There is tremendous diversity on this land – people,
orchards, buildings, livestock, gardens, environmental
projects, and more. The activities here are likewise diverse.
Who Works on the Farm?
The Rainbow Heritage Garden is owned and operated by a
husband and wife team; Kylah Dobson and Zach Loeks.
We own 50 acres of the farm, 15 of which are used for an
organic market garden. We take 3-4 full-time interns and
have one employee who has been with us for 6 years. We
Our CSA
Our Community Supported Agriculture Program is in it’s 9th
season. In 2014 we distributed 165 weekly CSA baskets to
4 drops (Pembroke, Petawawa, Renfrew & on the farm) to
our local community and we plan approx. the same in
2015. We strive to develop an informed and committed
CSA, with individuals and families joining from all walks of
life. Interns will be involved in growing CSA produce, pickups, drop-offs and our annual CSA open house.
As part of our CSA we also offer an organic sourdough
bread share made by a local farming friend
(www.heathershearth.com).
Off-Grid Farming
We have won two Premier’s Award for Agri-Innovation; the
frist for our unique off-grid energy system (2010), the
second for our commercial in-ground root cellar (2014) that
stores our produce at optimal temperature all year round.
What we Grow
We grow over 200 varieties of vegetables and fruits,
including many heirloom varieties - from purple carrots, to
Italian Red garlic, to micro greens mixes, and heirloom
tomatoes. We grow many tried and true varieties that we
know will prosper given our growing conditions but we also
experiment with new- to-us varieties each year. These are
grown in rotation with cover crops, green manures and
fallow fields on about 15 acres of land. We have been
certified organic by Eco-Cert Canada for 5 years now.
We use many specialized hand tools designed for smallscale organic agriculture. We also use two antique Farm-All
tractors, a new Kubota, and an Allis G Chalmers as well as
some key mechanized tractor equipment that has been
developed for medium scale organic market gardeners.
The tractors help save time with cultivation and other jobs.
Our market garden is one of a handful in North America
operating almost exclusively with renewable energy. We
rely on solar, geothermal and gravity-fed energy. All of our
vegetables and fruits are stored in a huge, in- ground root
cellar that was designed in partnership with a team at
Whole Farm Services in Vermont
(www.wholefarmservices.com). We received a community
grant from the Carrot Cache fund to help finance this
project (www.carrotcache.com). Throughout your stay you
will learn an immense amount about living and farming offgrid. All energy use on the farm is considered, from flicking
on a light, to fuel in our tractors.
Farmer’s Markets
We attend the Carp Farmer’s Market on Saturday’s (about
15 mins east of Ottawa) from the end of May- Oct. Market
days start as early as 5 am and can go as late as 5 pm.
Carp is one of the busiest markets in Eastern Ontario. Over
the years we have developed a strong clientele of repeat
customers as well as a rapport of respect amongst our
fellow vendors. We expect interns to uphold our image of
cleanliness, high quality organic produce and excellent
customer service while maintaining fast paced customer
turnover and sales.
Special Events
Workshops: In 2014 we hosted 3 highly successful full-day
workshops on the following topics: Off-Grid Living, Growing
Organic Garlic & Root Cellaring. The tuition for each is
about $100. These are held on Sunday’s. Interns are
granted free tuition to workshops. Attendance is optional
and workshop hours do not count towards work hours.
We’ll be hosing 3-5 workshops in 2015 (dates & topics
TBA).
On-Farm Markets: we host a number of on-farm events
throughout the year (mostly in winter) in which we invite
other local organic vendors to participate and sell (coffee
roasters, bakers, ice cream makers etc). In 2014 we held 5
markets. 2015 dates TBA.
that determines the overall success of market garden
businesses.
Over the years we have developed mechanisms for
achieving optimal efficiency on and off the farm – from
planting garlic to setting up our booth at market. Every time
you learn something new on the farm efficiency will be
discussed and practiced. You will be encouraged to offer
feedback on how to make further improvements. You can
also be prepared for the work to be educational, deeply
meaningful and rewarding in ways you can’t always predict.
We try to balance the hard work with basic lessons on
organic agriculture, running an off-grid commercial farm,
involvement in the CSA and farmer’s markets, team
building, and eating great tasting fresh organic meals. Your
primary involvement will be in all activities related to market
gardening, however, at different times of the year (mostly
spring and fall) you will also have the opportunity to be
involved first had in our many permaculture projects.
The timeline of our 2015 internship is:
May 4 – November 6.
Work Schedule
We do our best to stick to a consistent schedule, however,
because we work with the season, the circumstances and
the weather, working hours need to be somewhat flexible.
Interns work an average of 45 hrs/wk. Work days are
shorter in the spring and late fall and longer in the summer
(mid-May through mid-Sept). A typical workday is 7 am–
5:30pm, Mon–Fri, with a 1.5 hour lunch. These hours
include attending our Saturday market once a month and
helping with on-farm events and workshops. Otherwise,
you have Saturday’s & Sunday’s off. There will be a
rotating chore schedule for routine light tasks like turning
irrigation on/off for every day of the week.
How will the internship work? And what to expect....
Working on a farm is physically and emotionally
demanding, often repetitive, and fast paced work. One
must be prepared to work hard, sweat and have sore
muscles. We work in ALL weather conditions. You can
expect blazing hot days under the sun with a shovel and
rocky dry soil. You can expect cold rainy days on your
knees in puddles transplanting seedlings. You will get dirty
every day. There will be times of serenity and times of
frantic rush. You will question the daily activities and
wonder why anyone wants to farm. You will be surprised
how fast we work on the farm. It may take you several
weeks or even a month to achieve this pace. It is this pace
In extreme weather (heat, rain etc.) we may start/end the
day early/late and take a shorter or longer lunch break.
Interns are expected to be ready to work at the designated
time with ample drinking water and snacks to see them
through main meals. Being late for work wastes everyone’s
time and does not make for a good start to the day.
Sick time: Everyone gets sick on occasion. Sick people
shouldn’t work. We allow for 2 sick days throughout the
growing season. You need to make up time for any lost
work beyond 2 sick days. If you are sick for more than 5
days over the season we need to revisit the work contract.
Any vacation days you take for weddings, holidays etc.
must be made up.
The stipend is not intended to compensate for labour at an
hourly rate. It is a token of our thanks for your work barter
with us in exchange for room, board and education.
Learning
The majority of the skills, knowledge and perspectives
interns gain about organic agriculture at the RHG are
through experiential learning. At the beginning of the
season we will go over the many aspects of organic
agriculture that you will learn about throughout the season
and how both the farmers and the interns can help facilitate
an effective and efficient learning process. You will be
given an ‘inventory’ of 20 skills to be gained over the
course of the season. Each skill has an accompanying
handout. Interns will be expected to keep a simple record
using the inventory template provided. Many of these skills
will be taught in the first several months and will then be
repeated throughout the season.
At the RHG you will learn new information about growing
and marketing local food and putting new skills to practice
while reflecting upon the experience. Our internship offers
learning in many ways. We encourage this learning through
the following:
Reflecting: Every morning the farm team gathers for 15
mins to outline the day ahead. Interns are encouraged to
be observant, and to offer feedback and input based on
their in-field discoveries.
Straight-Talk: Biweekly, we have team meetings which
include opportunities for receiving and offering friendly
feedback about our work together, which improves the
quality of everything we do.
Applied Learning and Mentoring: Biweekly, interns will
go on a farm walk with the farmer and assist in setting
priorities for the next week through making informed
observations.
Stipend, Room & Board, Food
You will receive $100/wk (AFTER taxes). The stipend is
paid Friday afternoons in cash. The gardens are yours for
the picking though we do ask that you not take the very
‘firsts’ of the season which are often our best sources of
income for the farm. You will likely eat more beautiful
organic vegetables during your stay on our farm than you
have ever eaten before : ).
The stipend is commensurate with experience. A higher
stipend is available for those with at least one year
experience on an organic market garden.
Skill building: Opportunities abound to gain concrete
skills. These include seedling production, bed preparation,
pest & weed management, transplanting, harvesting, post
harvest handling, working with volunteers and the public,
marketing, overseeing CSA distribution, braiding garlic, and
much, much more. You will not walk away from this (or
any) internship as an expert farmer. To be a farmer is to
make a commitment to life long learning. However, you will
walk away with a great primer in sustainable organic
market gardening and a good idea of whether or not you’d
like to pursue farming as a career.
Education Days: Approximately 1 day/month we visit
another organic farm that is a member of the CRAFT
alliance. We usually do a tour, sometimes a work bee, and
celebrate together (typically over music, a potluck, and a
bonfire).
will be expected to take on more responsibility, and
integrate more skilled tasks into their daily activities.
Self-Directed Learning: It is recommended that all interns
have their own up- to-date copy of The Organic Grower by
Elliot Coleman Please read it before the internship begins.
It is a great primer to your experience on our farm and will
be an invaluable reference to use throughout the season.
Interns also have access to our extensive on farm library,
which is continually being updated.. We encourage you to
do lots of supplemental reading to help you ask informed
questions about your specific interests.
Opportunities abound to ask lots of questions; at market,
car rides, over meals, in the field while working etc. By
making keen observations in combination with reading,
working, and learning on the farm you will gain an immense
background on the inner workings of organic agriculture
systems.
One of the great joys of participating in the farming
community is learning about the diversity of methods and
techniques used by farmers. Farmers use many different
strategies to reach a similar goal. This is often due to
differences in soil fertility, local climatic conditions, regional
pests and diseases; the demands of local markets, life
circumstances and a whole lot more!
Interns are encouraged to offer feedback and suggestions
from experiences on other farms and their extracurricular
readings; however, we ask that you respect the decisions
we make in relation to our operation.
The farmers love being out in the field, and we spend the
majority of our time in the field, but we also have other
responsibilities that enable us to run the whole farm system
and thus will not always be with you. Sometimes you will be
working independently, others times with the whole farm
team. Zach is the Farm Manager and oversees all things
related to growing and building on the farm, Kylah is the
Intern Coordinator and generally oversees all things related
to CSA, marketing, accounting, book keeping etc. You will
spend time learning and working with both of us throughout
the season.
The learning curve for an intern is steep. At the beginningeverything is new and may take a few tries to get it right. As
the season progresses, the rhythm of the farm becomes
familiar and takes less effort. Later in the season interns
RHG Farm Standards
There will be no use of recreational drugs on the farm. Use
of recreational drugs on the property is cause for
immediate dismissal. Alcohol consumption is permitted, in
moderation, outside of work hours. Smoking is not
permitted anywhere on the property as smokers are
susceptible to spreading tobacco mosaic virus, which is
detrimental to fellow nightshades such as tomatoes.
Maintaining a high standard of cleanliness of work areas
and common spaces is expected, for the health, safety,
and enjoyment of all.
The RHG is many things to many people: home, office,
CSA distribution site, apple orchard, market garden,
community gathering spot, livestock ranch, residence etc.
We are part of a larger community and are often featured in
the local media. Thus we need to act with politeness,
professionalism and respect with individuals who are
working, living, and/or visiting the farm. Noise levels need
to respect the different uses of the property. As an intern
you represent the RHG to our CSA shareholders and
farmer’s market customers so please be helpful, friendly,
and wear a clean shirt when dealing with the public.
Visitors
We like having folks join in the farm activities. Please let us
know at least one week in advance so we can incorporate
them into the work schedule accordingly. Guests staying on
the farm on work days must be working guests. You are
responsible for ensuring your guest does not interfere with
the quality and pace of farm activities. Please remember
that if having visitors on the farm interferes with work, it
may be more appropriate for them to visit on your day(s)
off.
You are responsible for your own transportation to and
from the farm on your days off, for medical appointments,
doing errands, and all other comings and goings during
your farm stay.
Living & Eating
We have three newly constructed, fully insulated, private
cabins. They have sleeping lofts and a living space below
with lots of windows for natural light. We also have one
retro trailer in excellent condition. We also have a newly
constructed outhouse and outdoor shower for intern use.
Be prepared for temperatures to drop below 0 degrees in
the early spring and late fall. Bring a well- insulated
sleeping bag and extra blankets. If you get cold in your
insulated cabin you can also sleep in the yurt (insulated
with a fire place). We do have laundry facilities, but it
cannot support muddy farm clothes so you can choose to
‘pre-rinse’ the mud off or use the laundry mat in the nearby
town (Pembroke – 15 mins away).
In addition to the above there is a bonfire pit, and many
other quaint areas on the farm to relax and enjoy. We
encourage you to explore and become familiar with the
land and it’s many inhabitants.
Living on the farm is a comfortable yet somewhat rustic
experience and is not suitable for someone who needs or
expects all of the comforts or amenities of living in a house.
Depending on your lifestyle the amenities provided should
help keep your living expenses pretty low.
Food
Interns are welcome to use vegetables from the garden
that are in abundance. We grow over 200 varieties so there
is no shortage of selection. Please do not eat any ‘firsts’ of
the season. It is the firsts of the season and often the
vegetables that are just beginning to bear fruit from which
we make the majority of our income. You are responsible
for purchasing all other food items you need. The farm
team eats at least 2 meals together each week – it is the
responsibility of the interns to cook one of these meals and
the farmers the other.
Items you are required to have on the farm with you:
A reminder...
- A functional watch
- A head lamp
- Work clothes for all weather (including rain coat, rain
pants and rain boots)
- Thermal underwear tops and bottoms
- Steel toe boots
- Several pairs of work gloves (for warm and cool weather)
- Wide brim hat, warm wool hat
- Linens, blankets, pillow and towels
- Bug spray and sunblock
- Notebook and pen for taking field notes
- Up-to-date tetanus shot
- Well insulated warm sleeping bag and extra blankets
- Anything else you think you will need to enjoy living and
working on an off-grid farm for seven months
Farms are constantly evolving. We try our best to stick with
what is written in this package. If any great changes need
to be made prospective interns will be contacted.
assess if an internship in organic agriculture at the
Rainbow Heritage Garden is appropriate for you. If so we
look forward
to hearing from you. Please direct any inquiries to the
contact listed below.
Thank you for your interest.
Serious applicants should send a short CV and a letter of
interest to the attention of:
Kylah Dobson
rainbowheritage@gmail.com
For further questions please email or call 613 646 7428.