One of my heroes, who just happens to be a native Washingtonian, is Audra Mulkern of the Female Farmer project. She responded to one of my tweets once. I have proof. So now that I’m indebted to her for life, I knew I had to respond when she put out the call for help on Facebook.
Here she is! Audra describing her work at a recent conference
A young, aspiring farmer attending high school in Seattle reached out to her asking how to get started and Mulkern posted the email to her page so that the community could send advice.
Now I’m kind of an expert on this subject as I went through the exact same process. After graduating high school I planned on making my way into farming but somehow two years went by and I was still working in coffee. Then one afternoon I sat down to do some goal setting and I realized I was treading water instead of making progress towards my dream. I had to put my foot down so I decided that by the time the clock struck midnight and 2017 hit I would have a job on a farm.By the time summer came, I was employed by Jubilee Farm.
Below I have listed some of the resources that I found along the way that could help anyone in the Seattle area who is interested either in getting into farming as a profession, or in simply connecting with where their food comes from.
Below I have listed some of the resources that I found along the way that could help anyone in the Seattle area who is interested either in getting into farming as a profession, or in simply connecting with where their food comes from.
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| The best set-up for taking a nap in your car after a morning of farm work |
Websites for keeping up on food & agriculture news:
Politico’s daily agricultural policy briefings
General sustainable food news from Civil Eats
Broader news on the natural resources of the west from High Country News (I would strongly recommend reading the Ranch Diaries)
Bootstrap Blogs written by young farmers just starting out (including Washington’s own Furrow Horse Farm)
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| If you forget your lunch you can usually scrounge up a "balanced" meal |
Organizations that host events for aspiring farmers:
Subscribe to the WSU Small Farms email newsletter to hear about events like classes and farm tours that take place all over the state, all throughout the year. If you go to any events, network! I once received a job opportunity just from striking up a conversation with the woman I was sitting next to in a livestock handling class.
Subscribe to the King County Conservation District newsletter for events and volunteer opportunities closer to home. Some of their focus includes agriculture but there are also programs that involve gardening and ecology. Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the sign-up box.
Volunteer in the city, build that resume!
Seattle Farmer’s Markets are always looking for volunteers all across the city, and have a huge range of positions available. This would likely be a good way to meet potential future employers!
Alley Cat Acres needs volunteers to join in their work parties to help care for their three urban farms, two of which are on parking strips!
Seattle Tilth has locations all over Seattle with volunteer opportunities available. They have a lot to choose from, including working on a Veggie Crew, in the Children’s Garden or doing street promotion.
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| Insider secret: tomatoes secrete some magic substance that will blacken your fingertips and turn your armhairs (temporarily!) neon green |
If you are ready for full-time farming look for summer internships on these websites:
One especially good internship is the FIELD program, which is arranged by WSU’s Jefferson County extension. The program mixes hands-on farming with weekly workshops on a range of topics. You also have the option to receive WSU credits. Consider choosing SpringRain Farm as your host. Owner/farmer John Bellow is an agri-genius and seems to create a great environment for his interns.
If you are more interested in just dipping your toe into the water, or if you aren’t able to move onto a farm or commit to working full-time:
Jubilee Farm has a workshare program that runs for 20 weeks starting in the spring. In exchange for four hours of work a week you get a CSA box. The farm is located in Carnation so it is a 45 minute drive from the city.
Did I forget anything? Have any of you participated in these programs? Comment, tweet me @criticallyali or send me an email at jackson.ali.c@gmail.com
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