Labor4Learning Offers 14 On-Farm Job Training Opportunities
Are you an aspiring farmer looking to get the necessary experience to start your own farm operation? Are you struggling to decide between gaining this experience and earning an income to support your current and future needs? PFI’s Labor4Learning program is designed for you: fourteen experienced PFI farmers from around the state have committed to hire an employee and provide them with additional training in topics essential to be a successful farmer.
Business and financial topics are often facets of the farm that a typical employee won’t be involved with. Through this program, the trainer and trainee develop a set of learning outcomes to cover throughout the term of employment. These can be in-field production skills, but also important skills for running a small business such as record keeping, financial planning and marketing. Visit this blog post to learn how the Labor4Learning program helped four beginning farmers get closer to starting their own farm operations (note: all four farms they worked on are hiring again in 2016!).
The 14 on-farm job opportunities for 2016 include farms growing fruits and vegetables, livestock, and row crops. Each position varies in duration, hours, work activities, and compensation. See below for a map and listing of the available jobs, and find the full job descriptions and more program details at practicalfarmers.org/labor4learning.
| Trainer and Farm | Enterprises | Town | County | |
| 1 | Ackley, Paul and Nancy | Beef cattle, corn, soybeans, small grains, hair sheep | Bedford | Taylor |
| 2 | Alert, Doug and Margaret Smith | Organic row crops, small grains, hay, pasture, beef cow/calf, ewe flock, lambs, poultry | Hampton | Franklin |
| 3 | Bakehouse, Jon – Maple Edge Farm, Inc. | Corn, soy, alfalfa, beef cattle, pasture, some small grains | Hastings | Mills |
| 4 | Beebout, Jill and Sean Skeehan – Blue Gate Farm |
Produce, poultry, alpacas, honey bees, fruit trees, value added products, hay | Chariton | Marion |
| 5 | Cory, Tom and Mary – Cory Family Farm | Beef, sheep, poultry, hay, pasture | Elkhart | Polk |
| 6 | Faux, Rob – Genuine Faux Farm |
Certified organic fruits and vegetables, poultry | Tripoli | Bremer |
| 7 | Hartmann, Rick and Stacy – Small Potatoes Farm |
Certified organic fruits and vegetables, poultry | Minburn | Dallas |
| 8 | Nisly, James – Organic Greens |
Certified organic produce, including mini greens, micro greens, asparagus, cabbage, sweet potatoes | Kalona | Washington |
| 9 | O’Brien, Denise and Larry Harris – Rolling Acres Farm |
Produce, cover crops, poultry | Atlantic | Cass |
| 10 | Salama, Mike – Salama Greenhouse |
Greenhouse production of ornamentals, vegetables | Boone | Boone |
| 12 | Sessions, Erik – Patchwork Green Farm | Organically grown fruits, vegetables, herbs and cut flowers | Decorah | Winneshiek |
| 13 | Shriver, Scott – Shriver Farms |
Organic row crops. Small grains, alfalfa | Jefferson | Greene |
| 14 | Wesselius, John – The Cornucopia |
Produce, poultry, pork | Sioux Center | Sioux |
Visit the Labor4Learning webpage for full job descriptions and program details