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 Definition
of apprenticeship:
An apprenticeship is an opportunity to experience a career by working
within a successful business that is similar to your own interests.
It’s a time to observe, listen, actively experience, ask
questions, and most importantly to learn.
apprenticeships are hard work with long hours and little pay,
but offer the invaluable benefit of observing and taking part in
the inner workings of a company from an inside perspective. The experience and knowledge gained from an
apprenticeship provides you with valuable tools needed to take that
next step towards pursuing your goal.
 What
to expect:
As an apprentice you
can expect many things. You can count on hard work with long days in
the field. You can count
on blazing hot days in the sun with a hoe in your hand.
You can count on cool rainy days harvesting or weeding. You can count on doing repetitive tasks day
in and day out. You can count
on getting dirty almost every day.
You can count on having sore muscles and a sore back.
You will get to eat some of the most amazing and tasty organic
produce ever. You can expect to do things you never thought
you could do, pushing yourself on many levels.
You can expect to work together with others to accomplish
goals as a group. There will
also be times when you will be expected to take individual responsibility
to complete tasks.
 Farm
Description:
Flying Cloud Farm produces
vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers for direct sale to our customers.
The land has been certified organic in the past, but was
discontinued due to the high cost and our personal relationship
with our customers through the CSA and tailgate markets.
We have families that sign up for the season, receiving a
box of produce every week for 20 weeks, some with an additional
flower bouquet, which make up our Community Supported Agriculture
group, otherwise known as CSA. Our farming practices rely on cover cropping,
amending the soil by annual testing, crop rotation, and careful
planning for insect and weed issues in order to consistently produce
food for our customers.
Isaiah and Annie Louise manage the farm, but
there are many other members of the family who live on the farm. We have two girls, Sidney and Ivy.
Annie’s parents live on the farm and keep a full house
of young people to help out. A summer camp, featuring art, drama, and horseback
riding takes place on the farm for two months in the summer. There is close access to hiking and biking trails.
 We sell at three farmer’s markets each week, prepare
100 CSA shares, stock a self-serve stand at the farm.
The farm is located 12 miles outside
Asheville on 74A East in the last valley before the road
climbs the mountain to Henderson
County. The farm’s name is inspired by the name of the
stagecoach that traveled Drover’s Road (route 74A) in the mid-1800’s. The Flying
Cloud made a stop at the historic Sherrill’s Inn,
which was purchased in 1916 by Annie’s great-grandparents and named
Hickory Nut Gap Farm.
 Apprentice
Program:
The focus of the apprentice
program is education through experience.
Flying Cloud Farm is a great place for learning how to successfully
operate an organic farm. Our farm is well organized and we have a few
years experience growing a wide variety of products and utilizing
a diverse marketing strategy. This
combination creates an environment of knowledge for those who want
to become produce growers.
We have 4 positions starting in April and lasting until October. Generally the start dates are staggered throughout the month of April and the end dates are staggered from early October until Thanksgiving.
The typical schedule is 6 days per week, 4 full days of 8-10 hours per day, and 2 half days, Thursdays and Saturdays. Sundays are free. We sell at up to 3 markets per week in the height of the season so there are plenty of opportunities to get into town to sell our produce at market. This
gives you a chance to meet and interact with other area farmers
as well as a chance to work off the farm for a day.
It’s a lot of fun and provides a break for your workweek.
The remaining time will be spent doing the following activities:
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Field work: harvesting, transplanting, weeding, pruning, thinning,
etc
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Greenhouse operations: seeding, irrigation, soil mix, pest control,
etc
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Packing shed: washing, grading, sorting, packing, and storing
of crops
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Marketing: tailgate market, CSA
Compensation:
Housing: We will provide you with a place to live as long as you’re employed on the farm. There are various housing options available. We have a converted school bus, a small cabin, and 2 yurts. Everybody shares an outdoor kitchen, a shared bathroom, and an outdoor shower.
Food: We will provide food for lunches on the days that we are working together. We all take turns preparing lunch at our house. Produce from the farm is available for you to prepare in the ‘apprentice kitchen’ for supper and breakfast. We will make financial contributions to the kitchen for you to buy bulk items to be shared.
Stipend: We pay a $150 weekly stipend each week. We do take out payroll taxes and provide you with a W-2 at the end of the year.
We try to be straightforward in our
description of the farm and apprenticeship program.
We ask that you be clear in presenting yourself as well as
be clear of your future goals. A phone interview will follow as well as a farm
visit.
Please contact us via email
or telephone if you are interested in working on the farm.
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