The Chronicle Herald – Nova Scotia, Canada
By BILL SPURR Features Writer
Program offers apprentices a chance to try their hand at growing organic
Quickly dispelling any romantic notions in a room of university students considering becoming a farmer’s apprentice, Rowena Hopkins warned of the necessity of being open minded.
“One of the farms I worked on, I had to get used to pooping in a bucket because the farmer used it as compost,” Hopkins said. “Also, be patient. They aren’t going to let you drive the tractor the first day.”
In a room that probably contained all the rubber boots being worn on the Dalhousie University campus that day, a seminar hosted by the Atlantic Canada Organic Regional Network brought together organic farmers who have room for apprentices and people interested in learning how to work the land.
“My family has a farming background . . . but by the time I came along, farms were being sold and it just didn’t seem like the way to make a living. I’ve still always had this attachment to it in my mind, but could never really figure out how to make it a reality,” said a woman who didn’t want to give her name because her boss doesn’t know she’s considering a career change.
“What I’d like personally is to have some land and be able to live sustainably, to be able to support myself, possibly my family, have gardens and at least be able to produce enough food to take care of ourselves.
“So I’m looking at apprenticeships to get an idea of the bigger picture, thinking I’ll find out a lot of interesting things and it might be a whole new life for me.”
Under its new Grow a Farmer program, an online directory found at acornorganic.org, the network helps facilitate agreements between the dozens of organic farms in the Maritimes offering apprenticeships and people who want to sign up. Apprentices can expect accommodations, meals, quality education, time off and some sort of stipend. They can also expect to work hard and spend time being dirty in exchange for the knowledge they glean.
Apprenticeships offer highly variable experiences and while it doesn’t offer a diploma, Hopkins, the executive director of Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia, said internship is a much less risky proposition than spending money on agricultural college.
“You’re not going to come out with a large debt that you have to work for a pesticide company to pay off,” she said.
The organic wares of the Four Seasons Farm in Maitland are well known to patrons of the Halifax Seaport Farmers Market. Four Seasons operator Owen Roberts said they can have four to six apprentices on the farm at any given time. While a two month stay is average, he said an apprentice who stays around from March to November would be ideal.
“They do everything involved with growing organic vegetables and herbs, from beginning to end,” said Roberts. “On our farm, they get treated pretty good. They have a really comfortable place to live, good food to eat and we make an effort to teach them as much as we can. And they work hard for us.”
The Bruce Family Farm, outside Bridgetown, has been in existence since 1788 and was certified organic in 1996. A sixth-generation farmer, Danny Bruce produces organic beef, rabbits, chicken, eggs and produce. He said having an apprentice around isn’t about cheap labour.
“I have a lot of things going on and I love to share with people who want to learn,” Bruce said. “There’s an exchange there that’s very important to me.”
