Apprenticeships

Polyface offers two 12-month apprenticeships per year.  An extremely intimate relationship, the apprenticeships offer young men the opportunity to live and work with the Salatin's.

We offer room and most board, plus a monthly stipend.  Anyone interested must come to the farm for a 2-4 day checkout.  Attitude is everything.  No previous experience required.

Contact Joel at 540-885-3590 or Daniel at 540-887-8194.

Polyface Real Farm Experience

Spend a summer with us and leave years ahead.

This is a shorter term learning opportunity for both men and women to experience Polyface without the 12-month commitment. Here are the requirements:

• Bright eyed, bushy-tailed, self-starter eager-beaver situationally aware go-get-‘em, teachable, positive, non-complaining, grateful, rejoicing get’erdone dependable, faithful, perseverant take-responsibility clean-cut, all American boy-girl appearance characters. We are very, very, very discriminatory.
• Requires a 2-4 day checkout prior to acceptance.
• Required time is June 1-Sept. 30. Longer is acceptable, but less is not.
• Work 5 days per week, off two days except every third week, which is a 7-day week. Sundays are usually chores only and Saturdays are minimal.
• Room provided and you can eat, within reason, from the Polyface larder (no filet mignon lunches, please). Evening meal rotations with the Salatins. Accommodations include a full kitchen, bath, and bunk-style sleeping quarters.
• Quarters do not include phone or internet, although the farmhouse has high speed wireless.
• Expectations: like any experience, you will get out of it what you put into it. We have attainable benchmarks, but they require effort and sweat. Physically, you will be in better shape than you ever thought possible. Emotionally, you will know what you did today, why it was important, and feel great about it.
• Stipend of $100 per month for incidentals. Polyface invests heavily in the physical, emotional, and mental needs of this opportunity; it’s the most education for the money you’ll ever receive.
• Maximum number, 6 men, 2 women due to accommodation limitations. First come, first served.

For checkout, contact us at 540-885-3590 with your email or other contact information. Then we will let you know when the next checkout is scheduled and whether we have room for you.

Summer 2007

Joe Murphy (WA), Brent DeSaye (AZ), Nathan "Nifty" Winneker (TX), Jacob VanDorn (AK)

Available check-out dates for Apprentices and Farm Experience folks is as follows: