The Farming Connection

Pick a category: (or show all)

2 Intern Positions at Goodwoods Farms

Goodwoods Farms

                                                 Intern Positions:

2 intern positions available June 1 to  Oct. 25th 2009                     

Learn Organic Vegetable Production hands-on

Learn Organic sheep management hands-on

Learn Organic chicken and swine management hands-on

Develop your skills and knowledge with our training programme

Participate in marketing our products at two Farmers’  Markets and our farm gate booth

Applicants need to be fit, have good stamina, be flexible and be a team player.

We are seeking two individuals who have a keen desire to learn about growing food organically. Individuals who are self starters; who are enthusiastic; enjoy meeting new people; curious and open to new ideas. We expect hard work and commitment to our vision of growing and selling the highest quality produce to our community.

The farm: 
Our land encompasses over 170 acres of farmland, wetland and wood­land, located 12 km south from Carleton Place, Ontario. This diverse land includes a 1840s Stone House, natural areas, wetlands, gardens, and other organic agricul­ture activities.

We sell our vegetables from May through to mid-November through a small but growing local CSA. We also sell through two Farmers Markets Saturdays and Sundays, and to local restaurants through Savour Ottawa.  We are going to sell our produce at our on farm booth.

The internship program is part of our plan to produce quality local food.  It consists of a four-acre organic vegetable garden, lamb, pork and free range chicken operation which supplies two area Farmers Markets and local restaurants. We use both manual labour and machinery for our pro­duction. You will have opportunity to prepare the land, plant seedlings, maintain the garden, harvest and prepare produce for market. You will have the opportunity to learn and improve animal husbandry skills. Set up a successful market stall and assist in meeting with our customers to promote our produce and meats.

The family: 
Because of the diverse and manual intensive nature of the farm, the whole family has to work. Furthermore, Keith and Deb are actively involved with the Natural Lamb Association, where they plan to market 900 lambs this year. The farm is an extension of their activism, which focuses on organics and supporting and promoting local food.

Accommodation for interns is in our 1840’s stone farmhouse. Each intern will be provided with their own bedroom but share a bathroom. Meals are shared with the family along with responsibility for food preparation and clean up.

Contact Keith or Deb Salisbury: goodwoodsfarms@xplornet.com or (613) 257-7168.

( Posted in Internships )


Urban agriculture internship

Position: Urban agriculture internship, Kingston. This opportunity is open to anyone keen to learn about urban vegetable cultivation. Some experience/knowledge helpful. Must be a team player. Dates: May-October, or portion thereof. The internship will include training, eating produce, and opportunity to be involved in and learn about educational and food-justice aspects of the local food system. To apply, respond with brief description of past experience, why you want to get involved, and your availablity over the Summer. Contact: 344.0798, or e-mail the.main.street.market@gmail.com

( Posted in Internships, Urban Agriculture )


Farm land, equipment, animals available

Gerrie Baker has asked to send a note around regarding changes to her farming operation just outside of Westport (http://www.rayandgerries.com/).

She’s looking for a home for:
• several beautiful, fluffy cats that are good mousers
• earthworms and castings
• farmhouse and greenhouse for rent or sale either as a parcel or as land and buildings and businesses separately.

You can reach Gerrie at 613-273-7595
or by e-mail gbaker@rideau.net

( Posted in Farmland Available, Other Opportunities )


Share a rototiller?

Greetings to all those in the Sharbot lake, Perth and Arden area
Would you like to share a rototiller? I would. I am not a huge believer in tilling but I know it would be very handy at some points. Through the ” New Farmers Project ” together we could get one! We would need to figure out some details like time sharing, where would it live and what would its transportation  be, could it have a name, like Tilly. But with a few of these details I could put together a proposal and then just maybe if we all wish real hard it would come true.
So if you’re like me and want to till some times but don’t want a tiller all to yourself, lets network.
Drop me an e-mail or give me a call,
Shawn Adrian Cox 
coxhenderson@sympatico.ca
613-531-8492

( Posted in Equipment Sharing Opportunities )


Burt’s Greenhouses Opportunity

Burt’s Greenhouses, 539 Maple Road Odessa, Ontario, K0H2H0, 613-386-3426.
bburt@kingston.net, www.burtsgh.com

We are a Greenhouse operation just north of Odessa near the village of Wilton. We started in 1981 renting a small greenhouse just north of our current location. Three years later we built at our current site.

Our operation has grown to its current size of about 90,000 square feet total growing space split between greenhouses and outdoor heated bed space. We grow a mixture of annuals, perennials, shrubs and vegetable seedlings.

Since 2001 we have been using Biological Pest Control to control insects. This program has been very successful and has resulted in us successfully using Biological Control of Fungus diseases over the last four years.

In 2005 we started a project to build a new biomass heating system for our greenhouses. We are entering our third season operating this system. Over the course of that time we have modified the system to reduce toxic emissions as much as possible. Currently we are experimenting with the production of biochar.

In addition to our greenhouses we have about 100 acres or arable land. The land varies from sand to clay and it is not currently being used. We have plans to seed about 15 acres of switchgrass in the spring of 2009.

Our greenhouse production is seasonal. Currently we would have a use of greenhouse space that would breakdown something like this. January 20%, February 50%, March 95%, April 100%, May 100%, June 80%, July 50%, August 20%, September 20%, October 20%, November 20% and December 20%.

We could entertain any ideas to make use of the underutilized greenhouse space. We have plenty of heating capacity as well although we normally start heating in December for the following spring.

We would be interested in proposals to use the land. Unfortunately if animals were planned there would have to be extensive fence repair done first. We do have some barn space but they are quite poor condition.

We have many tractors ranging up to 55 hp along with most equipment necessary to till land. We even have some IH farmalls with cultivators.

One of the things that we have a strong interest in is finding someone that we might partner with who wanted to do a structured experiment in the agronomic benefits of biochar. Biochar is charcoal that is added to the soil. It offers advantages of high cation exchange capacity along with a high surface area that can help in the growth of beneficial bacterial and fungi. This would involve a # of controlled patches that would be augmented with varying levels (or types) of charcoal and then a crop grown on those plots noting results as the season progresses. We are also interested in doing such experiments with biochar as a greenhouse media.

We are quite open to ideas that anyone might have.

( Posted in Business Opportunities, Farmland Available )


Land Available near Sharbot Lake

Live on the Land….. in the country near Sharbot Lake ( an 8 minute drive south of it…) 1170 Ducharme Rd.
Live in …pay rent of $350.00 for room and house share. (an option is to stay for the summer only or do work in exchange for rent for the summer)
Large house (earthship type ) on 45 acres of land.
Gardening Space Available
Call 613-375-6699
Carol Pepper

( Posted in Farmland Available )


Log in