Agroecology & Plants Internships
Beauregard Vineyards
Listing also found in the Environmental Education tab.
Contact: Ryan Beauregard, ryan@beauregardvineyards.com
Beauregard Vineyards is offering interns a chance to work on one of the regions premier vineyards: Bald Mountain Vineyard which is located in Bonny Doon very close to UCSC. For winter projects, we are now pruning the grape vines. Interns will assist with this project and will learn the basics of pruning and grape vine disease maintenance. Projects will be: assistance with pruning, gopher management, owl box monitoring. We are also amidst a partial repant of the vineyard so interns will assist in removal of old vine trellising. This job requires that the interns are able bodied because this is a physical farming job. There will be no work when it is raining. At Beauregard Vineyards, wine is made in the vineyard. We look forward to sharing our passion for the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Calabasas Internship
Listing also found in the Environmental Education tab.
Contact: Flora Lu, floralu@ucsc.edu
Only offered in Fall and Spring
This internship affiliated with College 9/10 seeks UCSC students who want the opportunity to work with youth, facilitate agroecological knowledge acquisition, promote locally grown, healthy food, and raise awareness of social and environmental justice issues. Interns will travel to Calabasas Elementary once or twice a week (transportation provided or gas money reimbursed) to undertake the after-school program, helping to design and implement environmental, garden-based curricula with children ranging from first graders to sixth graders. Interns will also assist with the upkeep of the Discovery Garden: weeding, planting, watering, pruning, etc.
Internship Opportunity
Contact: Alrie Middlebrook, cngf.org@gmail.com
Interns will work remotely to contribute to data entry and quality control of long-term monitoring plot data collected by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) in redwood forest communities in Santa Cruz Co. Tasks will also include maintaining detailed notes of data errors and data interpretation of burned and unburned habitats in Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Co. by comparing detailed vegetation measurements (e.g., diameter at breast height, percent cover by species, burn severity, etc.) as well as research and reporting tasks. Participants will learn about different survey methods used by the CNPS and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to assess patterns across the landscapes
All participants will follow public health instructions issued by local, state, and federal governments including, but not limited to social distancing, wearing masks, frequent hand washing, and avoiding the sharing of equipment. Recommended Faculty Sponsor is Professor Gregory Gilbert, who is a collaborator on this project
Listing also found in Campus and Summer tabs.
Contact: Damian Parr, dmparr@ucsc.edu
CfA is offering lower division organic production, Basic Needs foods distribution and culinary internships focused on field-scale harvesting and orchard care, as well as general market garden-scale cover cropping, bed tillage, composting, and propagation The production sites include the Chadwick Garden, Farm Garden and the Field. Internship activities with the Basic Needs and Cowell Coffee Shop include produce distribution through pop-up and pantries, and meal preparation, cooking and serving. The internship will include a cohort of approximately 15 interns, working as a team. There is a possibility that interested students might be invited to continue interning in future quarters. Each year, a number of paid student staff positions are available to alum of our internship program.
Organic Landscape Gardening
Contact: Kurt Christiansen, kurtsgarden77@gmail.com (831)458-2005
Christiansen Associates Gardens and Design is an organic landscape company. We design, install and maintain gardens organically for people to live in and enjoy. We specialize in edible landscapes, Mediterranean-native plants, ponds and waterfalls, organic soil preparation, and pest management. Check out the website!
Demeter Seed Library
Listing also found in Campus tab
Contact: Cameron Morton, cpmorton@ucsc.edu
The Demeter Seed Library is a student run organization within UCSC Food Systems Working Group that is dedicated to preserving and breeding locally adapted cultivars and open pollinated seed varieties in California’s Central Coast. We’re seeking folks who are passionate about food sovereignty protecting cultural and genetic heritage of food and engaging with community and campus gardens and farm.
Esperanza Community Farm
Contact: Mireya Gomez Contreras, mireya@
esperanzacommunityfarms.org 275 Lee Rd.Watsonville(it's 1/4 mile from Pajaro Valley High school in Watsonville).
831-588-2994The composition of our Advisory Board and paid work team reflects Esperanza Community Farms members and regional supporters who have demonstrated full-family dedication to the overall health of the Pajaro Valley.
We stand for a holistic and inclusive approach to using our current assets, personal experiences and collective skills to understand the conditions in which we live in order to transform them in the direction of financially- accessible, organic and high-quality produce, as a transformative aspect of living fully healthy lives.
All advisors were CSA box recipients in the first two years of the program. Membership ranges from very-low income to middle income, from monolingual Spanish-speaking to Native English & bilingual, and from formally educated to primary school education completion.We are intentional in our search for members who are diverse in the many different aspects that our program addresses, including diagnosis of diabetes, parenthood, professional roles in positions of power/authority and race.
Everett Family Farm
Contact: everettfamilyfarm@gmail.com
Minimum 2 Quarter Commitment
Welcome to Everett Family Farm! We appreciate your hard work and want to have clear policies so that everyone can understand each other and mutually benefit.
Everett Family Farm is a 45 acre organic farm with approximately 5 acres in cultivation of vegetables and the rest in apple and persimmon orchards. Jobs that the interns will be doing are diverse, ranging from greenhouse production, field crop planting, weeding and harvesting, to building and repairing farm infrastructure, working with chickens and goats and marketing. Interns are often called upon to do different and sometimes tedious jobs in all kinds of weather. Be prepared for hard physical labor. Efficient production is critical to the success of the farm. Job training will be done by Emily Parsons. There is no formal curriculum and interns will be expected to take control of their own education, using David and anyone else on the farm as a resource. We are cooperatively minded and strive for a harmonious workplace. For more information, please check out Everett Family Farm's website.
Educational Docent / Agroecology Internship
Listing also found in Environmental Education tab.
Contact: Hayley Reitman, Education Coordinator; education@farmdiscovery.org
Farm Discovery at Live Earth is a nonprofit organization working in to empower youth and families in the Pajaro Valley community to build and sustain healthy food, farming, social and natural systems. Our home, Live Earth Farm, is a 150-acre patchwork of working organic farm, riparian corridor, oak and redwood forest. Farm Discovery offers educational programs that inspire youth and families to transform their relationship to food, farming and nature.
We are looking for interns that can help engage children and lead them in our curriculum during farm experiences. During the Spring and Fall, we host a variety of educational programs approximately 3x a week, with grades kindergarten-5th. Interns must be available in the morning. If interested in agroecology, fieldwork is available in addition to becoming an educational farm docent.
All interns must be reliable for the duration of the quarter and have transportation, as we are located remotely!
Internship
Listing also found in Public Policy tab.
Contact: Michael Olson; mo@ksco.com; (831)566-4209
Food Chain Radio, for those who are interested in environmental journalism, is a nationally-syndicated newstalk program that brings the issues of agriculture, food and environment to the table for discussion. Having broadcast over 750 shows, the Food Chain has established a dedicated audience of interested listeners throughout the world. For more information please visit the website.
Pop Up Produce Internship
Listing also found in Campus tab.
Contact: Francis Ge fmge@ucsc.edu
Description: Produce Pop-up is looking for two individuals to assist with our low-cost organic farmstand, which takes place every week at Quarry Plaza and Porter Quad during the academic year. As part of the campus Basic Needs program, Produce Pop-Up provides access to affordable, fresh produce from the UCSC farm and other local farmers for the entire UCSC community. You'll get to learn about the farm, campus and community food system, season produce and recipes, and how to run a market stand! For more information, see @ucscproducepopup on Instagram or the Basic Needs website.
Listing also found in the Campus tab.
Available Spring & Summer 2023
This is located at the UCSC Farm
Contact: L Gilbert & Dav Bell, lgilber1@ucsc.edu 530-575-7965 (cell)
The Greenhouse Project is an intergenerational educational space that explores
the relationship between art, food, and climate justice. The project is currently
being built at the UCSC farm and includes the creation of a small, wooden
structure that will serve as a gathering place for students and community
members and a 1-acre community garden, with a focus on native plants and
grassland restoration. In the Spring of 2023, we will host a series of programming
around the theme of seeds, that will include events, workshops, performances, art
installations, etc. Interns can focus on an area of interest to take on leadership
(gardening, building, education, social media) or participate in all aspects of the
project.
Prerequisites: Outline the skills and background information necessary to participate in this internship. An openness and willingness to learn and collaborate! The given number of hours per week varies from 5-15. No previous experience is necessary. This internship will be most exciting for students interested in agroecology, art, and education.
Groundswell Farm
Contact: James Cook; jcookster999@hotmail.com; (415)613-6975
Groundswell Farm cultivates 5 organic acres a stones throw from UCSC and sells produce at the Wednesday Santa Cruz Farmers Market as well as other markets throughout the Bay Area. Groundswell Farm is a tiny production focused farm specializing in amazing tomatoes as well as a multitude of peppers and other seasonal produce. Interns will be expected to help grow food. The assignments include planting, weeding, fertilizing, as well as toher various maintenance tasks around the farm. Our systems are established and efficient, this a great opportunity to experience and learn how a small farm can succeed.
Looking for intern for Summer AND Fall
Listing also found in Summer Internships tabs.
Contact: Anders@heartlandcollective.org
Heartland is an off-grid, 25-acre, regenerative learning center in Northern California, providing experiences
in four pillars - OuterWork, InnerWork, Celebration, and Transformation. Heartland Collective offers
opportunities to co-create its vision, including through the Cultural Exchange program.
Heartland Collective is looking for Farm Intern(s) to support the management of the 2-acre farm. Interns
will have weekly support via the Farm Lead, as well as volunteer support hours via the Cultural Exchange
program. Ideally, the Intern(s) will live at Heartland, working 25-30 hours per week and participating in the
co-living experience. Housing and meals are available, as well as access to unlimited outdoor recreation,
amenities, and creative experiences. This is an unpaid role.
Homeless Garden Project Internship
Listing also found in Environmental Justice tab.
Contact: Omar Guzman, omarg@homelessgardenproject.org
The Homeless Garden Project provides job training on a 2.5 acre organic farm and its enterprises, to homeless individuals in the Santa Cruz area. We run a 60 member CSA (May through October) and have a retail store near downtown. Interns are encouraged to set their own goals and create a project that will leave a lasting impression on the organization, with unlimited access to the knowledge of the farm workers and agency staff as well as other agencies we work closely with. Tasks can include, but are not limited to: everyday farm maintenance activities – bed clearing, planting out, greenhouse propagation, irrigation, etc.; planning and teaching a workshop to crew and public participants; fundraising/grant writing; administrative assistance; cooking.
For more information, please visit the Homeless Garden Project website.
CSA Intern
Listing also found under Agroecology and Plants
Contact: Omar Guzman, Volunteer Coordinator - omarg@homelessgardenproject.
org CSA members provide crucial support to HGP by investing in the farm by making a commitment to buy produce from HGP each week during the harvest season and paying in advance for the produce. Their commitment to sustainable agriculture and transitional jobs enhances HGP's planning and financial stability and creates a community of people who are deeply committed to HGP's success. In return, we seek to provide CSA members with quality and diverse organic produce, tips and recipes for using the produce, and news and stories about the farm, trainees and our programs that enhance their community experience. HGP also operates its Feed 2 Birds program which donates CSA shares to local agencies serving individuals who may not otherwise have access to fresh organic produce.
Schedule: 20 hours per week, from May 20, 2023 to October 21, 2023 Salary: This is a volunteer, unpaid internship. If you are using this internship to gain course credit or seek out grants with your college, please include this information in your cover letter. To apply: Along with your resume, please send us a brief cover letter highlighting why you’re interested in the program. Send your materials to omarg@homelessgardenproject.org and include the internship position you’re applying for in the subject line. Applications accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
For more information, please visit the Homeless Garden Project website.
Herbalism Internship
Listing also found in Environmental Education tab.
Contact: Cameron Salomon, kindredherbs@gmail.com
Kindred Herbs is a speciality medicinal plant nursery growing herbs from around the world. The nursery produces herb starts and plants to sell direct to customers. In the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons, an intern will help seed and transplant herbs, label plants, water and fertilize, do some light construction, help maintain the nursery site. The intern(s) may also have the option to help develop materia medica, which is literature material about herbs including it's botanical description, growth habit, growing conditions, and medicinal use.
Kresge Garden Internship
Listing also found in Campus tab.
Available for Spring 2023!
Contact:garden-coop-core@
googlegroups.com and/or Natasha Janowski, njanowsk@ucsc.edu Ever wondered why 100% sustainable food systems are well established and practiced by indigenous communities worldwide, taught in classes, and desired by the majority of people, yet they are hardly ever implemented at large scale in the U.S? Us too!The Kresge Garden co-op, a non-hierarchical organization run by queer student workers, is offering a 2-unit internship focused on how we can build sustainable food systems outside of the limitations of a capitalist market. We are the oldest student run garden on campus as well as the only campus garden that is run by a co-op. The 2-unit internship will cover topics such as sustainable gardening practices, consensus based community decision making, reciprocal relationships with land, herbalism, food justice, and history of labor organizing in our area.Interns are required to complete 60 hours of work over the quarter, which will mostly be in the garden but could also be in helping to manage the social media, reading, or discussing topics together, etc. This does not include journal writing, the final paper, attending meetings, or doing optional readings. There is a weekly journal entry (about 500 words) and a final paper (about 1500 words of reflection) regarding the internship. Fulfills PR-S General Education Requirement. Katie Monsen, kmonsen@ucsc.edu, is available as a faculty sponsor for this Internship in Spring 2023. Taking the internship for credit/grade is not required. Check out their Instagram @kresgegarden for updates.
Agroecology Internship
Listing also found under the Environmental Education and Conservation tabs
Contact: Dominic “Buzz” Renda buzz@medicinebuddha.org
Land of Medicine Buddha (LMB), a center for healing and developing a good heart, is an active Buddhist community, a local registered non-profit, an environmental conscious meditation and retreat center located on 108 acres of coastal redwood foothills in Soquel. Our mission, values, teachings and practices devoted to increasing the wellbeing for all. We offer a wide range of secular and non-secular offerings including teaching, meditation, retreat and community.
4 2 or 5 unit internships are available. Internship participants will be instrumental in planning, developing and actualizing 1 of 2 priority LMB projects; Regenerative Garden and Nature Walk.
For more information please visit our website!
Winery Internship
Contact: Cole Thomas madsonwines@gmail.com
Madson Wines is a small winery based in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We farm a variety of vineyards around the county using both organic and biodynamic practices. We vinify our wines using only natural methods. We are looking for 1-2 interns per quarter to help farm vineyards, make and bottle wine, manage business operations and create social media content. We are looking for someone with good communication skills with a desire to work hard and learn about wine and farming. Interns must be 21+ years of age, able to lift 50 lbs, operate a camera and use Microsoft Excel.
For more information check out their website!
Agroecology Education Internship
Listing also found in the Environmental Education tab.
Contact: Pamela Nell, programs@pieranch.org
Pie Ranch is an educational farm. We work to change our local and regional food system, to make it more just, by providing farmer training (we have 9 month, live-on, farm apprenticeship), Youth empowerment/education (we host day field trips with culinary and farm activities and tour (all-ages), week-long trips and summer paid internships with our partner high schools: Mission High, Oceana High, Pescadero Schools and Castlemont High). Offering spring, summer, and fall internships.
Popelouchum Farm
Contact: Randall Grahm; randall.grahm@gmail.com; (831) 901-7386; Website
Randall Grahm is the former owner of Bonny Doon Vyd. in Santa Cruz, where he established himself as one of California's most innovative winemakers and viticulturists. Popelouchum Farm is his new project in San Juan Bautista, where he is attempting to grow grapes consistent with the intention of producing a "wine of place." In addition to grapevines, olives and sundry fruit trees are cultivated, along with row crops. Interns would be involved in almost every aspect of vineyard management, from vine training and establishment, cultivation, pest control, pruning, harvest, nursery work, vine propagation, observation of clonal trials etc.
RCC Garden Internship
Listing also found in the Campus tab.
Contact Frances Ge: fmge@ucsc.edu
The Rachel Carson College Garden, a program within the Food Systems Working Group, provides 2 unit internship opportunities centered around basic garden care and stewardship from seed to fruit. This internship will also focus on the intersections of society, green spaces and food justice through engaging with CRSN 90 and other hands-on experience. Interested students will need to complete a casual interview before participating. Looking for students to intern for 2 quarters to develop experience with multiple seasons. Paid student staff positions will be available in the fall for students who previously committed to 2 quarters at the garden
Rooster Ridge Farm Internship
Contact: Nancy / Curt Abramson; roosterridge@cruzio.com
Rooster Ridge is a small family-owned farm, growing certified organic fruit, flowers and limited row
crops. Our mission is to operate at a high level of sustainability, and provide a fair income to our
workers and return to the owners. Our major crops are avocados, citrus, olives and other tree fruit, as
well as a variety of perennial flower crops such as Protea, roses, hydrangeas, lavender, dahlias,
ranunculus and annual flowers. We have been operating close to 20 years, selling to local restaurants,
grocery stores, florists and farmers’ markets.Interns will participate in all aspects of farm production operations to include:
- propagation of plant material from seeds, cuttings and rootstocks
- site preparation, planting and cultivation of annual row crops as well as perennials, shrubs and trees
- monitoring for crop pests including invertebrate and vertebrate, diseases and other pathogens, as well as performing corrective measures using integrated pest management best practices
- harvest, post-harvest handling, and processing of products where appropriate
- pruning and other maintenance tasks
- installation and maintenance of farm infrastructure including irrigation, trellising, fencing, etc.
Rhizos Vitaculture
Rhizos Viticulture, Ken Swegles, rhizosviticulture@gmail.com
Rhizos Viticulture is a vineyard consulting and management business based in the Santa Cruz Mountains since 2017. We focus on organic and sustainable viticulture. We'd like to host student interns who are interested in organic farming, biodynamics, sustainability, and rejunvinative agriculture. My wife, Abbey, also has a lovely organic farm (garden) and also raises chickens. We live and manage a 30-acre property on Skyline Blvd. and also manage organic vineyards from Gilroy to Woodside including the Santa Cruz Mountains all the way to the Corralitos area. We partner with Madison Wines as well. Please email me about the internship.
SCCFM Internship
Listing also found in Public Policy tab.
Contact: Nicole Zahm, education@santacruzfarmersmarket.org
The Santa Cruz Community Farmers' Markets internship positions require 6 – 10 hours of work per week. The focus of these internships is to learn the basic mechanics of running farmers’ markets and to support SCCFM’s educational and community outreach projects. There are also opportunities for students with special interests and skills such as photography, research, graphic design, event planning, etc.
Interns learn on the ground and with support from market managers and the Education and Events Coordinator. Work responsibilities include set-up and breakdown of farmers' markets and running the information table. The information table is the market hub for the CalFresh Program (EBT/foodstamps) and other food access programs. Interns also assist with the organization and production of The Foodshed Project (FSP) and other educational event series at the markets.
Summer interns have the opportunity to work with teen staff - graduates of the youth empowerment program “Food What?!”. Spring and summer interns may also have the opportunity to support event planning and production for the Pop-Up Breakfast Series at the Westside and Scotts Valley markets between June and August.
Fall Internship
Contact: Jeff Emery, jeff@santacruzmountainvineyard.com
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard has been making hand-crafted wines since 1975. We source grapes from our estate vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains and a few other locations around the central coast and central valley. Many of our grapes are grown organically with minimal offsite inputs and minimal water usage. We are looking for 1 intern for the fall quarter who would be able to start the internship prior to beginning of the fall quarter (i.e. asap). This is because grape season also titled “Vintage,” or “Harvest Season,” is upon us and a vast majority of experiential learning/ work will begin mid-August.
As a fall intern at Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, you will learn how grapes are crushed, destemmed and then fermented. You will learn how to inoculate grape ferments and learn how to manage the ferment as to produce the highest quality and quantity of wine. You will learn the chemical reactions occurring with yeast fermentation and why we utilize certain yeast and not others. You will learn how we manage barrel aging and Malolactic fermentation. You will learn how wine is moved from tanks to barrels and how we get it into its final bottled form. You will learn all of this by working side by side with the proprietor and winemaker, Jeff Emery and the assistant winemaker, JP Ditkowsky.
Permaculture Farm Internship
Listing also found in Private Business tab
Contact Person: Leah Stern, info.santacruzpermaculture@
gmail.com Contact Person: Dave Shaw, santacruzpermaculture@gmail.
com Santa Cruz Permaculture supports a thriving, just, and sustainable world through courses, consulting, and farming. We have a 26-acre organic and regenerative farm 20 minutes north of Santa Cruz on the coast, which has openings for 2-unit and 5-unit interns this spring. Apply here. Please see the attached flyer for more information and share with your students.
This internship is a very fun, community-building, and holistic experience. Work ranges from composting, planting, harvesting, pest and disease management, irrigation, food processing, herbalism and other farm+garden experience to forest management, watershed regeneration, and animal husbandry.
2-unit interns = 6 hours wk
5-unit interns = 12 hours/wk
We love working with senior interns & field studies!
We're headed into our first CSA season and will be implementing 5-10 acres of vegetables and flowers, an extensive permaculture food forest, animal integration, watershed management, natural building, and more.This is a great opportunity to learn how to start a farm!
Stevenson Garden Internship
Listing can also be found under the Campus tab.
Contact: Labris Willendorf, anneflwillend@ucsc.edu
The Stevenson Garden aims to create a safe space for all people to explore, grow, and learn as well as to educate our community about the role food systems play into sustainability, food justice, and nutrition.
The role of the intern will have two parts: 1. to assist the garden crew in general maintenance of the garden on a weekly basis: attend weekly workday hours, do independent garden shifts.
2. to independently facilitate a garden project that a) enhances the garden and
b) educates community members on social justice and sustainability concepts; e.g. plant a strawberry bed & do a workshop on environmental justice issues in the strawberry industry.
.........................................................................................................................................................
Contact: Mark (he, him) and Kristin (she, her) Sullivan
Cell: (831) 295-0005, Email: kjsullivan@protonmail.com
We have been immersed in sustainability, environmental/social justice for 35+ years, as educators and through community and NGO work, climate/biodiversity preservation, activism, and life choices. We are inspired by all things good on beautiful Planet Earth. We especially love people who do incredible and inspiring things to make this world a better place and stand up for justice, truth, liberty, happiness, and beauty for all. We lived in our sustainable, solar, strawbale home for 20 years; worked actively with thousands of students; have an NGO/projects in Rwanda, Nicaragua, with the Lakota people, and in Watsonville with farmworkers. We would love to partner with you, as well as to continue our life’s work and further our mission to share the land and “be the change we wish to see in the world.”
Interns would partner and collaborate with us on our sustainable Mother Earth project to assist in stewardship and restoration of our land by assisting in planting native plants, including indigenous sacred beauties of cultural significance. Project work and physical, hands-on activities may include the following: planting, maintenance, ground preparation, garden work, and invasive plant control.
- Student interns would work in teams and learn about how private landowners can and ought to be part of the solution to increase biodiversity on their lands.
- Stipend paid in spring quarter with possible summer work
- We are hoping that this internship will be fun, inspiring, and that it will help to spur similar actions in others. We would love to have you be a part of our collective vision to create a more healthy Earth for all people, our plant brethren, the winged, the finned, and the four-legged. We are open to any guidance, thoughts or suggestions from interns.
- ENVS Restoration 160 a plus!
- Bipoc peoples strongly urged to apply.
Beauregard Vineyards
Calabasas Internship- affiliated with C9/10
California Native Garden Foundation
Center for Agroecology (CfA)
Christiansen Associates Garden and Design
Demeter Seed Library
Esperanza Community Farm
Everett Family Farm
Farm Discovery at Live Earth Farms
Food Chain Radio
Food System Working Group (FWSG)
Greenhouse Project
Groundswell Farm
Heartland Collective Farm Internship
Homeless Garden Project
Kindred Herbs
Kresge Garden
Land of Medicine Buddha
Madson Wines
Pie Ranch
Popelouchum Farm
Rachel Carson College Garden
Rooster Ridge Farm
RHIZOS VITICULTURE
Santa Cruz Farmer's Market
Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard
Santa Cruz Permaculture Farm
Stevenson Garden
Sustainable Mother Earth Project
