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MOFGA Apprenticeship Farm Details:KNX-12 Location: Midcoast - Knox County General Description: Family of 4 farming 63 acres of land on a hilltop approximately 15 miles from the ocean. One of only 2 licensed sheep dairies in the state, we direct market our milk, meat and wool products. We are also re-establishing a wild, low-bush blueberry business. Number of apprentices sought: 1 During what time period? April/May-August/September Describe the physical setting of your farm and the nature of the community in which you live (e.g., acreage, woods/fields, buildings, near town/remote area, recreation available, etc.): Ellsfarm is comprised of 63 acres on a hilltop, 13 miles from the ocean, in the town of Union. We are near the coastal communities of Rockland and Camden. Union is an agricultural community with other sheep, goat, horse, cattle and horticultural farms nearby. The town has approx 5,000 residents and carries out the Union Fair and Maine State Blueberry Festival each August. Our area is heavily visited by tourists in the summer who visit the state park, sail on windjammers, kayak or swim at the many beaches. These are also the main customers for our farm products. Describe your farm operation (e.g., livestock, crops, bees, herb, forestry work, greenhouse, orchards, building projects, haying, maple sugaring, meat processing, level of mechanization, products made, marketing, dairy, stock dogs, etc.): Ellsfarm is primarily a sheep farm. We have a licensed sheep dairy selling liquid milk to a nearby cheesemaker. We will begin milking in April. We also market lamb to local restaurants, and wool to local knitters. Lamb sales begin in late July. We have a small garden and the apprentice may have their own plot for food and for selling. We practice rotational grazing, so our sheep graze forages 6 months of the year from two 20 acre areas. Our main project in 2006 is fencing the perimeters of the pastures with high tensile wire. We will use a tractor and fencing equipment. We do not do any haying, but purchase hay from other Maine farmers. We will have an Open Farm Day in late July. There is also work to be done on re-establishing low bush blueberries for a pick-your-own business. We also have 3 dogs we use in the farming operation- Border Collie for herding and Great Pyrenees for protection against coyotes. Are all your crops organically grown? No If not organically grown, to what degree are organic methods used on your farm? We do not spray any chemicals nor do we have antibiotics or growth hormones in the feed for our animals. We treat sick animals as needed and do preventative health care. We do not use synthetic fertilizers. Describe the work to be performed and the skills to be learned by an apprentice (e.g., care of livestock, planting, cultivation, harvesting, selling at market, use of equipment, carpentry, food preservation, woods-work, etc.). Please break the season (or months) into 4 major tasks to be performed during each. The apprentice will work side-by-side with the farm owner learning all aspects of general farming, sheep management, soil conservation, re-establishing pastures, and product marketing. The Apprentice will spend roughly 1/3 of his or her time learning how to run a licensed sheep dairy, milking 50 – 70 ewes with machinery. Economics, marketing, equipment and hygiene in a dairy system will be taught. Another 1/3 will be spend on flock management - introductory veterinary medicine, ruminant nutrition, treatments for mastitis, lamb care, vaccinations, docking and tagging. The other 1/3 of his or her time will be spent our in the field doing fencing, installing high tensile wire and solid-lock fence, repair and handling topographical and soil challenges, doing rotational grazing, examining the soil. Basic tractor and farm safety skills will be covered. The Apprentice may learn to use the tractor. Part of the time will be spent painting the barns, mucking and weed whacking. What do you expect of an apprentice? (e.g., hours to be worked in a day, days to be worked in a week, heavy physical labor, time off, etc.): We would like to find an apprentice, man or woman who is a hard worker and enjoys being outdoors, animals and working with their hands. We play music in the dairy – all kinds – and enjoy the farming life. Someone who is a non-smoker. We do not normally allow pets. The work is physical labor, heavy lifting and long days. The apprentice should work a minimum of four 10 hour days a week. Vacations and days of the work week and days off are flexible. The apprentice must be at least 21 years old, and must have own vehicle. Explain how you intend to provide instruction and training to an apprentice (e.g., work along with the apprentice, demonstration, apprentice working alone, training "classes," reading to be done, extent of supervision by yourself or others, etc.): Training, learning will be done both by the owner/farmer Perry Ells in a hands-on environment and by attending workshops and visiting other farms. Books and computer work will also occur. Lambing records in Excel, Microsoft Word OS X and farm accounting Quick Books will be taught if desired by the Apprentice. Elementary veterinary skills will be acquired under the tutelage of the owner/farmer. Are you a full-time farmer? Yes Can you pay a stipend or a wage in addition to providing room and board? Yes If there is a stipend, what are you offering and under what conditions? (e.g., experience level, duration of commitment, graduated scale) The stipend amount depends on the abilities of the Apprentice. We will start out at $50/week for 4 days work the first 3 weeks. After this time period, the Apprentice may receive an increase to $75/week for four days work. ** It is also possible for the Apprentice to be employed elsewhere during the Apprenticeship. The farm owner can arrange for job interviews if money is an issue. Do you require a prospective apprentices to visit your farm before a final arrangement is made? Yes Do you require a trial period? Yes- 3 weeks Explain the room and board arrangements (e.g., would the apprentice live with the family, live apart but eat with the family, are there young children, what household duties would the apprentice share, are a vegetarian household, would you provide vegetarian meals, are there rules about smoking/drinking/drugs, are there any other important considerations?): The Apprentice will have his or her own private cottage. It is equipped with a water tank and, natural gas cook stove, heater and lighting. It comes fully furnished. We do have two daughters ages 3 and 8. They are often in the dairy during milking. There might be an occasional babysitting job, but we respect the Apprentice’s desire to farm not be a nanny. We also pay for all the Apprentice’s food, and offer to reimburse his or her grocery receipts. We do not allow any smoking in any of the buildings. The Apprentice must have his or her own vehicle. Describe yourself, your family, background, farming experience, philosophy, goals & interests: The farm operator is Perry Ells, she and her husband Nate both went to the University of Vermont, class of ’87 and received BA degrees in Environmental Science. Perry also holds a MS in Natural Resource Management from Antioch/New England. Perry worked on a sheep dairy in Idaho and then spent five ears managing livestock for a non-profit rare breeds farm in Maine. Ellsfarm began in 1995 with the purchase of 63 acres of raw, neglected overgrown land. We have a goal a sustainable working farm with sheep and wild blueberries. Perrry received Farms For The Future grants phase I and II. She also received funding from the USDA, utilizing FSA and NRCS funding programs. She has attended numerous workshops on grazing and sheep management and small business management and is a board member of the Maine Cheese Guild and Maine Sheep Breeders Association.. Nate is a bartender in Camden and runs a handyman business. Our two daughters are always with us. We like good old rock and roll, folk, country, R&B, Prairie Home Companion/public radio. We like to take walks in the woods as a family, sailing, good cooking and great wine. Perry could watch the sheep and the lambs all day long. Additional Info: Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association |