Small Dairy Farm and Creamery looking for Interns

Cricket Creek Farm is a small grass-based dairy in Williamstown, Massachusetts.  We make several award-winning cheeses from the milk of our herd of Brown Swiss and Jersey cows (currently milking 25 cows).  In addition to the cheese, we sell raw milk from our farm store.  We also raise beef cows and whey-fed pigs, as well as layer hens.  We make all our own hay for our cows (3 cuts on 150 acres).  We have a bakery located on the farm that supplies the store with fresh bread, cookies, granola, and other baked goods.  We are a member of Berkshire Grown and sell cheese to many shops & restaurants in the Berkshires.  We attend several local farmers markets and have a CSA offering milk, cheese, eggs, beef, pork & bread.  We also have a cheese CSA in Brooklyn, NY.

We are looking for 2-5 interns to join us for 2012.  Interns would help in cheese making, general farm work, or both – depending on experience and interest. Qualities were are looking for are: commitment to agriculture, open communication, teamwork, passion for food, independence, and love of labor.

Dates of internship: Ideal candidates would be interested/able to stay for 1 full year, and we request a start date of no later than mid-May 2012.  End date no earlier than Dec 15, 2012.

All interns must have good people skills and enjoy interacting with the public.  We’re looking for interns who are excited about taking on significant responsibility.  All interns will be attending weekly farmers markets and occasionally making deliveries.  All interns work 6 full days per week with 1 full day off.  We all work as a team here and we’d like to find interns who want to take on an independent project/aspect of the business and build it.

We provide housing, a stipend, and some food.  Interns will share the farm house with the other inters, located on the farm.  The house has wireless internet, heat, two bathrooms, and a fully-equipped kitchen.   Stipend starts at $500/mo and varies based on experience and length of commitment.  The staff at Cricket Creek are committed to providing a full educational experience. We have regular open meetings, are fine with sharing all our farm planning materials, are open with our financials, and encourage questions and suggestions.

If you are interested please send us an email (info@cricketcreekfarm.com) with: a resume, 3 references, and answers to the list of questions on the Intern page of our website (http://www.cricketcreekfarm.com/wp/internships-at-cricket-creek-farm/).  Please clearly state the best way to get in touch with you.  If you have any questions, you can send an email toinfo@cricketcreekfarm.com or call (413) 458-5888.  We are happy to provide contact info for previous interns.  Any applicant who seems to be a good fit will be expected to come for a 2 day visit in Feb or March.