Rogue Valley Regenerative Farming Fellowship

4-5 FELLOWSHIPS
PART TIME (14 hours/week)
START/END DATES: April 9 - October 30
$17.15/HR
PRACTICES: No-Till, Low-Till, Organic Practices (Not Certified)
VEHICLE REQUIRED? Yes
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English
Farm Location: Hanley Rd, Central Point, OR 97502

Schedule:

Farm Days: Tuesdays and Thursdays

8am-2:30pm (Spring & Fall)
7-1:30 (Summer)

Educational Event Days: Wednesday

3-5:30pm (In-person events)
3-5pm (Online events)

This program is a financially and logistically accessible first farming experience for people who face higher barriers to entry into agriculture. Fellows will work two six hour days per week at the Regenerative Farming Fellowship training farm site and attend the Rogue Valley Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series on Wednesday afternoons. Fellows will be paid at a rate of $17.15/hr for both on-farm training hours and time spent in educational events. There is no fee to participate in the Fellowship.

Applicants who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latine, and/or other person of color (BIPOC), LGBTQIA2S+, female, veterans, living with a disability, formerly incarcerated, and/or low-income are highly encouraged to apply. The program seeks to create an inclusive, welcoming learning and training environment that values and honors each participant’s unique life experiences, strengths, interests, and goals.

This program is run in partnership by Rogue Farm Corps and Family Nurturing Center. Participants will be mentored and supervised in farm tasks by Rogue Farm Corps’ Rogue Valley Chapter Coordinator and Family Nurturing Center’s Farm’s staff, including Fellowship alumni.

Why you Might want to Participate

You want to gain a foundation in regenerative agriculture skills and practices

You want to try out farming and see if it’s for you
You want to join a non-profit farm or community-based food project
You want to produce food for your community
You want to have your own farm someday

TRAINING & Expectations

The Regenerative Farming Fellowship provides an entry-level training and learning experience in small-scale farm production focusing on organic mixed vegetables.

Regenerative practices refer to agricultural practices which seek to not only maintain ecosystem health but restore and increase it. Many of what are now referred to as regenerative practices have been practiced for millenia or centuries around the world. A few examples include using cover crops, planting & weeding with minimal soil disturbance, and using mulch or adding organic material to the soil surface.

This is a hands-on farming experience that involves being outside in all kinds of weather, stooping, bending, kneeling, reaching, using hand tools, being in contact with plants and soil, and working with a team of other beginning farmers to accomplish farm tasks. Demonstration and discussion of self-care and ergonomics will weave throughout the program.

Farm mentors will provide participants with an understanding of the context on why farm tasks are being done the way they are being done and how they relate to other farm processes and the larger picture. Programming will be somewhat flexible and responsive to participant interests and goals. On-farm time will also include building observational skills through farm walks, time for questions, discussions, and structured check-in’s.

As the Family Nurturing Center transitions toward more regenerative, no-till production methods, Fellows will have the opportunity to see and participate in various trials and experiments with different practices.

Fellows are compensated for their time spent in Rogue Farm Corps’ Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series, which includes classes, farm tours, and discussions that cover essential introductory agricultural production and food system topics.

You can read more about RFC’s Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series here: https://www.roguefarmcorps.org/event-series

More about Family Nurturing Center

Family Nurturing Center (FNC) is a non-profit serving Southern Oregon whose mission is to strengthen families so that children can live safely and develop fully in their parents’ care. Family Nurturing Center’s Farm and Food Program welcomes families who have faced multiple challenges to participate in activities that support well-being. The FNC farm also hosts Harvest Meal field trips in collaboration with Rogue Valley Farm to School, and provides produce and healthy staple foods to families in the Jackson County community.

APPLY

FELLOWSHIP APPLICATIONS FOR 2025 ARE OPEN

Visit our application page to preview questions and apply online.

2023 Farming Fellows with FNC and RFC staff (Photo Credit: Milk & Peonies)

FAQ’s

HOW IS THE REGENERATIVE FARMING FELLOWSHIP DIFFERENT FROM A ROGUE FARM CORPS’ APPRENTICESHIP?

Regenerative Farming Fellows are compensated both for their time spent working at the farm site and attending educational events in Rogue Farm Corps’ Beginning Farmer Educational Event Series. There is no fee to participate in the Fellowship.

Apprentices are required to complete 500 hours of on-farm training. Fellows must complete 300 to fulfill program requirements.

Apprentices are hired as waged employees at RFC’s Host Farm partners located all around the state of Oregon. Host Farmers provide on-farm training and mentorship to Apprentices. Fellows are hired as waged employees by Family Nurturing Center and are trained, mentored, and supervised by Rogue Farm Corps and FNC staff at the training farm site in Central Point, OR.

The Fellowship is designed to serve people who are already living in the Rogue Valley.

WHY DOES THIS PROGRAM EXIST?

Rogue Farm Corps has been facilitating on-farm internships and Apprenticeships with partner Host Farms around Oregon since 2004. It has become clear that these opportunities are not accessible to everyone who wants to try farming.

RFC sees the need for part-time educational farm training experiences that provide both the actual hands-on experience and the educational framework necessary to jumpstart people’s path into agriculture while providing an inclusive, welcoming learning environment that is also financially and logistically accessible. The Regenerative Farming Fellowship was created to respond to this need.

The Fellowship will be in its third season in 2025. We hope this program will become a replicable model for similar entry-level farming programming with additional partners in other parts of the state.

When are Applications Due?

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Typically, positions fill early to mid-March. We prefer applications to come via our online form.

Can I visit the farm?

The farm is only open during program hours or with prior arrangements. We do not have an office at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center building.