Help our non-profit farm & orchard and education programs for kids in Bozeman, Montana, USA

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: 1 month or more

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are a four acre non-profit Farm and Orchard right on the edge of Bozeman, along Sourdough Creek. We’re 8 minutes by bicycle to downtown, 7 minutes to the University, 5 minutes to the Bozeman Public Library, 4 minutes to two parks, 3 minutes to the Farmers Market, and just seconds (very literally, just across the street!) to miles of biking, hiking and cross-country ski trails.

    WE ARE CURRENTLY looking for volunteers to join us for the summer. We prefer one month stays or longer, (best is three month stays from mid May (or June) to mid August (or September) or longer), though we will also occasionally consider shorter term help.

    At the FARM we are CURRENTLY working mostly on construction, a little planting and landscaping. Midsummer we may have the opportunity to build or renovate a residence, which would allow Workawayers to learn some electrical, plumbing, framing, concrete work, finish carpentry...everything you need to know to start building their own house or tiny house someday. Our construction is not natural building. Recently, for instance, we built a tiny structure on a dump truck, a ceramics studio, a bridge over our pond, a yoga platform and stone patio. Construction, landscaping, planting (in the spring) and weeding (all the time) are our major projects at the moment. We may also work on curriculum development, additional trees, lavender, hops, grapes and other edibles, raising fish, surely weeding, planting cover crops, grains, and gardens, perhaps fine-tuning the root cellar, terracing berms, landscaping pond and wetland, timber-framing and masonry, restoring a stream bank, perhaps building a sauna, mulching and composting. Oh, and we are always always weeding!

    The Farm

    Our Farm is located on four acres just on the eastern edge of Bozeman, Montana. It is bordered by Sourdough Creek, and includes a pond, greenhouse, classroom and studios, farmhouse, cabin, campers for volunteers, outdoor eating and hang-out area, a newly-planted orchard, several garden plots, tiny house construction site, grape arbor, hugelkultur berms, and pasture/open space for our livestock. The farm is a couple minutes by bike from downtown Bozeman, the public library, Montana State University, the farmers market, a stop for the free bus line, and a few seconds away from miles of biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing trails. Bozeman, in turn, is a few hours away from Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, dozens of hot springs, many Indian Reservations, and numerous National and State Forests and recreation areas.

    Our Mission

    We strive to use the land wisely, grow organic, work toward sustainability and self-sufficiency, eat healthy, experiment with efficient permaculture, agriculture, animal husbandry, and homesteading skills and then demonstrate those skills to kids, families and young adults.

    We are

    We are made up of volunteers, interns, local volunteers, and farm partners. We generally have between two and five volunteers at the farm at any given time.

    Workaway

    At our Farm we work around twenty four hours a week. We aim to undertake tasks efficiently and intensely with only one break for lunch so that we can finish in a very short amount of time. Much of the help here is physically demanding (digging, sawing, using a pick-ax), plenty is tedious (weeding, path making, hand digging and cultivation of gardens), and some requires skill-development and careful attention to detail (construction, milking goats, bottle-feeding lambs and goats).

    A typical communal day has us waking up quite early for chores and meal preparation, eating breakfast on our own, then meeting for an overview of the day's plan. We do a warm up stretching, yoga, and motivation session then begin to work. We may weed gardens or pull seed heads from pasture weeds for an hour or more, then begin individual or small group projects such as hauling wood chips for paths, adding compost to gardens, sanding rough cut boards for construction, building a wall, pouring a concrete footing, mucking out livestock quarters, etcetera. In the middle of the day we eat lunch together. In the afternoon and evening and on our days off, we do our chores and farm projects.

    Our season

    Bozeman has approximately 90 frost-free days (from 15 June to 15 September). March through May we are starting seeds, preparing garden beds, helping goats and sheep to have babies, bottle feeding babies, and working on construction projects. In May and June we are planting our gardens, tending trees, getting our irrigation system fixed-up and running, still bottle feeding babies and working on construction and landscaping projects. In July and August we are tending gardens, taking care of animals, weeding, removing seed heads from weeds, planting cover crops and green manure crops, working on construction and landscaping projects. September through November we are harvesting, saving seeds, preserving vegetables for the winter, still weeding and removing seed heads, planting more perennials, preparing gardens for spring, and still working on construction and landscaping projects. October through May we can finally relax and are hoping to begin taking it easy.

    What sort of volunteer does well at the farm.

    We have had many great volunteers. Some have come to us with skills and experience with farming and construction and many have not. We are constantly trying to figure out who does well here and who does not. This is important to us because volunteers who are ill-suited to us may leave with a bad feeling about farming, about our farm, and about permaculture. Also, when volunteers leave before completing their agreed-upon stint this leaves us in a bad position and may hurt group morale. So, we want all our volunteers to be enriched and satisfied with their experience here.

    The following seem to be characteristics of volunteers who are happy with their experience: they come here prepared to really work (not only, for instance, to see Montana or get a free place to stay for a few months); they enjoy hard work; they know what farm and homesteading work entails; perhaps they have worked on a farm or at a very demanding job before; they are not afraid to get dirty, to sweat, to have their muscles ache after work; they are willing to ask their supervisor for special accommodations in case they are feeling overworked; they are generally positive people; they understand and accept that there might be a better, more efficient, quicker way to do chores and they strive to find that way; they are willing to try anything; they want to learn as much as possible; they realize a certain amount of drudgery and repetition may be required at a farm; they are willing to do monotonous tasks such as hauling wood-chips or weeding for (occasionally) several hours a day; they are flexible enough to accept when conditions are not as they expected them to be; they can deal with working very quickly and efficiently for eight hours, three days a week, and then to do their relaxing after chores and work.

    What we don't do

    We try to make the farm a healthy place and a model for our visiting children and families. We do not allow smoking, alcohol, or drug use on the farm. Any parties end at dusk.  We also want to insure our safety by not having any fires, candles or incense in campers, and to never leave appliances – except the refrigerator – plugged in in our summer kitchen.

    Progress so far

    We began in 2013. Since then we have built a greenhouse, chicken coop, livestock quarters, outdoor pavilion for volunteers, grape arbor, and pond, erected grain bins, set-up campers for volunteers, built a classroom and studio building, installed a septic system, renovated a cabin, constructed a farmhouse, planted an orchard, several gardens, raised beds, and herb gardens, planted 1500+ perennial edibles, restored 300 feet of stream bank, built-up several hugelkultur berms, raised many great goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and pigs, designed and constructed a masonry heater, built a few art studios, built a tiny structure on a dump-truck, eradicated numerous noxious weeds, taught groups of children about permaculture and homesteading, and started the Bozeman Seed Exchange.

    Progress Still to come

    We have many projects still in the pipeline. Though most likely we will only tackle one project per summer, probably another ceramics studio. We would also like to erect one or more tiny houses, a straw-bale livestock house, improve our pavilion and outdoor eating area, plant more perennial crops such as grapes, lavender, and more fruits and berries, eradicate more weeds, build more paths, erect two or three more grain bins, build another greenhouse, construct a second masonry heater, raise more animals, expand our permaculture and homesteading classes for kids and families, create an atmosphere conducive to hard work on the one hand and artistic endeavors on the other, and perhaps to establish an international component where we can bring our labor and skills to other countries.

    What you should bring

    Though we have some of these items for you to use, it is best if you bring the following with you to the Farm: Hardwearing gloves (one pair for every two weeks you will be here), sun hat, clothing appropriate for the season, work boots, a bicycle, medications, sunscreen, bedding, toiletries, a swimsuit for the hot springs, enough clothes so that you only need to do laundry once or twice a month, a water bottle big enough to carry a half day's worth of water, and a thermos or insulated mug if you want coffee or tea with you when you help.

    Challenges

    There are many challenges on a farm in general, farming in Montana, and specifically volunteering here. You may have to be in cold, rainy, snowy, and muddy weather; you will have lots of hard tasks; you will share housing in small campers; there will be limited shower availability; there is no laundry facility; we have neighbors who are sometimes ornery; you will be supervised by a bit of a workaholic micro-manager ;-) ; you will face "best practices" established by previous volunteers so that you will be expected to do each task faster, smarter, safer, more responsibly, and more efficiently than you would expect; you will need to come to our farm ready to create a community with other volunteers and to plan activities for your days and evenings off; and there will likely be other challenges as well.

    What you will learn

    When you stay long enough at our farm you will learn some or most of the following construction skills, how to use power tools, how to measure and plan for a construction job, how to pour concrete, weeding and weed management, general labor skills, gardening, orchard care, beekeeping skills, basic homesteading, animal care, cheese making, goat milking, sausage making, animal slaughtering, landscaping basics, pond management, tree planting and care, minor veterinary, and other skills.

    Food

    We will provide you with staple foods from which you will prepare meals for yourself and the group. We do not generally provide snack or junk foods but instead provide the healthy basics such as dried beans, oats, rice, meat - including meat from our farm animals, cheese, vegetables, bread, milk, yogurt, nuts, vegetables, and fruits. We eat lunch together each communal work day (3x per week). Breakfast is on your own and extremely basic (oats, eggs, bread, fruit) but lunch is more elaborate. We encourage each person to cook a lunch a week for the crew. Dinner is on your own, with staples and other basic ingredients we provide.

    A few notes:

    1) We do have an indoor shower but we try hard to use it sparingly, only for short showers and only two or three times a week per Volunteer, 2) our accommodations are small campers which are almost always shared (2 to 4 volunteers per camper), or hammock spots, or sleeping platforms, 3) we work hard and try to work efficiently – even if it’s only for 20 to 24 hours a week (it can be exhausting for those days! ((I am, ahem, a micromanager and task-master when it comes to farm and construction work. I also get a bit tunnel visioned during the workaway-day and concentrate primarily on how we can get as much quality work done as possible. Fair warning!) 4) we are constantly changing and (hopefully) improving our farm; sometimes things are messy, in transition, rough, etcetera!, 5) we are not experts and are learning right alongside our volunteers! 6) Winter, spring, and fall work can be cold and miserable sometimes and we can only afford to heat the campers or other accommodations when people are in them and using them (Plus, we are also trying to encourage permaculture practices such as sustainability and a near zero carbon footprint)… We do not heat campers in the summer, though nights can get cold. 7) If you stay with us in the winter you will definitely be cold at times and you will need lots of blankets and sleeping bags and winter clothing in order to keep somewhat warm, 8) We do not have laundry facilities or WIFI in the accommodations or on the farm, 9) We take commitments seriously so if you commit to come to the farm for a month, for instance, we really need you to stay the entire time (otherwise we will be short-handed and unable to find a replacement volunteer), 10) If you commit, start workawaying, then have any issues with the help or the farm, we ask that you not quit early but instead bring those up to us right away so we can work with you on them. 11) If you understand these notes and still are interested in volunteering here, then great! If some of these notes worry you then that is fine also and we might be a better fit once we are past our growing pains and have more amenities! 12) Many of our educational opportunities are after-hours and do not count as work hours. So, to get the most out of your experience you should plan to spend more than 25 hours per week engaged with activities. 13) :-)  Thanks!

    TO APPLY: Please fill out the following Application & Questionnaire and send it on to us!

    Volunteer Application & Questionnaire:

    Personal Information
    Full Name
    Date of Birth
    Phone #
    Permanent Mailing Address
    Email address

    Emergency Contact Information
    Full Name
    Relationship to Applicant
    Phone #
    Email address

    Health insurance company
    Policy
    Effective date

    1. Why are you interested here and the tasks we will be doing this coming season?
    2. What are you hoping to learn and do during your stay on our farm?
    3. What dates are you applying for?
    4. Do you have any transportation needs for arrival/departure?
    5. Do you have any health issues or physical injuries (e.g. back or knee problems, a hernia), that will affect your ability to perform strenuous tasks?
    6. Do you smoke?
    7. We occasionally process chickens, goats, sheep, and rabbits on-farm. Are you comfortable with humane slaughter and meat consumption, even if you are not yourself a meat-eater?
    8. Do you have any questions or additional needs that you would like to have answered or addressed during the application process?
    9. What skills do you have?
    10. What have you done at previous jobs?
    11. What are your hobbies?
    12. Have you ever lived communally before, somewhat 'off the grid', in a small camper, for an extended period?
    13. What else would you like us to know about you?
    14. Do you have any special dietary restrictions?
    15. Have you read our entire profile?
    16. Have you read all the references we have on our wwoofusa.org profile? (You should! They are all instructive, both the good ones and the bad...)
    17. If an intern/volunteer leaves the farm before their agreed-upon time is up it can be traumatic for the farm and for you and for the morale of the team. After reading our profile and references, why do you think you will be able to stick it out for the dates you suggested above? If things are not as you hoped they would be are you willing to discuss the issue with us so that we may help solve the problem(s)?
    18. Do you think that you've read enough about this place to understand the difficulties and challenges of farming, of working here in particular, and of having a pretty tough supervisor? :-)
    19. And understanding these difficulties and challenges do you still want to apply to workaway at here? Y / N If so, why?
    20. Please provide at least one reference (but preferably three) who can vouch for the quality of your work and the strength of your character.

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    We have a great variety of volunteers. You can't help but learn about other cultures, farm culture, and learn new skills!

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

    This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

  • Help

    Help

    Help with building projects: The vast majority of our tasks will be in construction and landscaping this year. We need help with finishing off the studio building and the farmhouse. We are hoping to use 1/4 of the studio building as a classroom to teach permaculture and other skills to kids (and adults), and to rent a few spaces to artists (so that we can make a little money and be able to buy materials to finish it and to finish our farm-house someday). It will be awesome space someday and I need help making it that way. The farmhouse will be awesome someday as well. They both will take insulation (sprayed in by a company and then blown in by us), wiring, plumbing, install of some sort of heat (haven’t chosen the type yet), drywall (heavy and I can’t lift it!), wainscot (which will be fun installing), trim (also fun!), perhaps an acid stain on the concrete floors (I’ve never done one yet, should be awesome!), perhaps a breathable clay plaster on the walls above the wainscot (also something I’ve never done but am excited to try), and a few more details we’ll need to take care of.

    Other chores: Beyond the building, we’ll need help planning for the spring planting, selecting seed, starting seed in the greenhouse or under lights (April), choosing new livestock to raise (goats, sheep, ducks, etcetera), building housing for pigs, planning and making contacts for teaching permaculture to elementary and middle school kids, deciding on a curriculum for permaculture classes, outfitting the classroom (white board, chalk-board, planting table, desks, etc.), planning and implementing a seed exchange (Bozeman doesn’t have one yet) and seed library (also missing from this great town that really deserves one), planning a second greenhouse (to be ‘heated’ by groundwater, in part), maybe building a third greenhouse, building cold-frames for starting plants, disassembling four grain bins in Idaho and transporting them here then re-erecting them, building two grain bins into a wood and metal shop, finishing off a root cellar, feeding and caring for animals (goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, pigs, lambs, etcetera), finding contacts at the university and perhaps youth probation (to start a farming/mentoring program for at-risk kids). Whew, lots of things to do, but fun!*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Intermediate
    French: Intermediate
    Italian: Intermediate
    Thai: Intermediate
    Korean: Beginner
    Romanian: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    I love all languages but have a goal to have a working knowledge of at least all Romance Languages. Portuguese and Esperanto are next! Plus my wife is Thai so I'm trying to learn that!

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Accommodations are in campers in the middle of the farm. We have an indoor and an outdoor shower. The outdoor shower is a solar (black bag) hung in an outdoor shower enclosure (a shed made for showers).

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    Bozeman is in the best part of Montana (we think) and is close to many Native American reservations, national parks (including Yellowstone and Glacier), and great outdoor activities, hot springs (six which are two hours or so from the farm), etcetera. There is free public transportation in town and we are near bus stops, not far from the interstate, and a short drive from the greyhound station.

    We may have bikes to lend out but bring your own if you can (and cross-country skis if you come when there’s snow!). There is no better place to be than Bozeman (and the outskirts) on a bike (in the summer) or on skis (in the winter)!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    Yep, we have internet.

  • Space for parking camper vans

    Space for parking camper vans

    Plenty of space.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    Max of 20 hours/week excluding keeping your space and kitchen clean.

Host ref number: 697885165342

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