Troon Vineyard
Troon Vineyard
1 APPRENTICESHIP
FULL TIME (40 hours/week)
APPROX START/END DATES: March - November
$15-$16/HR with housing
$19-$20/HR no housing
LOCATION: Applegate Valley (Rogue Valley Chapter)
YEARS IN PRODUCTION: 53
PREVIOUS YEARS HOSTING: New for 2026
PRACTICES: Biodynamic, Certified Organic, no-till,Rotational Grazing
ACRES IN CULTIVATION: ~100 total; main vegetable production 1.5acres
Diversified Vegetables, Fruit, Culinary Herbs, Medicinal Herbs, Vineyard
ON-FARM HOUSING? Yes
VEHICLE REQUIRED? No but highly recommended
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English (fluent), American Sign Language (moderate proficiency)
Troon Vineyard is a historic (53 years old), Demeter Biodynamic® Certified and Regenerative Organic Certified™️ farm in Oregon’s Applegate Valley. From no-till farming, to Animal Welfare Approved certified livestock production, these robust frameworks transparently communicate our values and required practices. Apprentice’s main focus will be supporting production of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers from our various gardens and food forest on 1.5 intensively managed acres while being surrounded by a larger diversified farm.
Website: troonvineyard.com
Farm Overview
Troon Vineyard is located on the Kubli Bench, high above the Applegate River in the Siskiyou Mountains of Southern Oregon. Troon Vineyard is a biodiverse farm of ~100 acres that includes cider apples, a permaculture-style food forest, vegetable and herb gardens, re-wilded honey bees, sheep, chickens, dogs, wildlife, humans and, of course, grapevines planted on about half of the total acreage. We are located 20 minutes from Grants Pass and 30 minutes from Jacksonville, OR where you will find groceries, dining, and small town amenities.
Troon’s farm team (seven full-time employees plus one apprentice) manages 61 acres of crop production - 45 acres of winegrapes (with support from a vineyard mgmt company), 2.5 acres of cider apples, 1.5 acres of gardens plus food forest, 4.5 acres of hay, and sheep and chickens that rotationally graze pastures. The garden work is almost entirely done by hand due to limited tractor access. We strive for 100% no-till, although undervine cultivation occurs within the vineyards. Every fall, we plant cover crops across the entire farm, continuing to diversify, building soil health and feeding wildlife.
Troon wines are sold on-site in our tasting room and distributed nationally. Our produce is sold to local chefs and restaurants. We work primarily with Chef Carl Krauss (Wilder Cooking) who prepares meals for guests in our tasting room kitchen every Sunday, year round. Additionally, he preserves, ferments, and adds value to our produce, providing terroir-driven dining experiences. Lastly, we sell our produce in an on-site farm stand, which is especially busy on Sundays when we host a farmer’s market at Troon, featuring other farmers, artisans and vendors.
Mentor Farmers Garett Long started his farming journey as a WWOOFer at Apricot Lane Farms in Ventura Co., CA in 2012. After fulfilling his three-month commitment, he was hired full-time to run the Volunteer/Apprentice program. He hired, lived with, and directed the daily activities of more than 50 volunteers/apprentices in his 2.5 years in the position – and absolutely loved sharing these formative experiences with the next generation of farmers.
Garett then attended UC Davis for his M.S. in Soils & Biogeochemistry, continuing to research the practice of compost tea he first learned about at Apricot Lane. After completing his Master’s degree, he returned to Apricot Lane as the Research & Outreach Coordinator. He continued to learn about Biodynamics from incredible mentors, and fell deeply in love with farming.
After a brief stint establishing another biodynamic farm in St. Helena, CA during the pandemic, Garett agreed to take on his current position at Troon Vineyard in 2021. As a certified farm, organic is the foundation.
TRAINING AND EXPECTATIONS
Our Apprentice’s main focus will be supporting production of vegetables, fruit, herbs and flowers from our various gardens and food forest on 1.5 intensively managed acres. These tasks include seed saving and sowing, to bed preparation, transplanting, trellising, irrigation, weeding, fertilization, pruning, thinning, dead-heading, pest control, harvest and processing/packing.
Apprentices will receive training in gardening, fruit orchard management, continual development of a permaculture food forest, irrigation installation and maintenance, livestock husbandry, post-harvest value-added product development, biodynamic preparation making and application, compost building and turning, native plants / biodiversity, and other special projects.
This position will start out Monday-Friday for a couple of weeks, to support a thorough onboarding and acclimatization period. Once the apprentice is fully trained, they will be moved to a Sunday-Thursday schedule. After the dedicated training period, the Apprentice will also be responsible for the greenhouse, livestock and poultry care on Sundays, allowing the rest of the farm team one day off. As Sundays are the day we host a market on-site, this is an opportunity for mentorship in marketing and sales, VIP engagement, and a more complete picture of a vertically integrated business.
Farm design and plans are provided by the director of agriculture, which are performed by the rest of the farm team. Garett provides ultimate oversight and accountability for all aspects of agriculture, as well as the primary training and onboarding of all new staff. Weekly farm team meetings where the week’s priorities and plans are discussed. Farm managers are available for additional meetings and/or field walks throughout the week, and prioritize holding space for improving our apprentice’s experience. Instructions on new or specific tasks are given on a daily basis (or as needed).
Troon’s Safety Committee has created and enacted a Heat Illness Prevention Plan and Wildfire smoke plan, ensuring all employees - but especially those who work outdoors in the field - are safe during the most challenging environmental conditions. We provide several temperature controlled spaces to escape smoke and heat, including their own apprentice quarters.
QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum Qualifications:
● Prior experience working in a physically demanding job.
● Prior farming experience with farming vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruit trees, compost, and/or livestock (preferred).
● Must be able to lift, push, and pull 50 lbs.
● Must be able to sit, bend, crawl, kneel, and reach.
● Must be able to climb ladders and stairs.
● Must be able to navigate and traverse uneven terrain in adverse weather.
● Familiar with Google Workspace (e.g. Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets). We use these products daily to communicate and keep records.
Skills & Attributes:
● Demonstrate a willingness to learn, as well as receive direction and feedback. ● Independently motivated, with a strong work ethic.
● Efficient and detail-oriented.
● Able to work in a physically demanding environment, modeling endurance and a positive, upbeat attitude.
● Good communication skills.
● Able to work independently and as part of a collaborative team.
● Able to work well with diverse groups of people and skill sets.
Transportation: Although not required for the position there is no public transportation or nearby services including taxi, ride share app services. If necessary an Apprentice who does not have a vehicle may be able to use the farm vehicle for necessities like groceries to be discussed at hiring.
Site Visit before hire is not required, but they welcome and gladly accommodate an in-person visit. Prospective Apprentice could “test drive” their accommodations by staying overnight, if they please.
COMPENSATION / ACCOMMODATIONS
Starting hourly rate for Apprentice is $15.00-$16.00 with housing or $19.00 - $20.00 without housing. Paid on a bi-weekly basis by direct deposit. We also offer optional overtime hours at a rate of 1.5x regular pay. Apprentices have access to “staff produce” from our gardens and a full kitchen to prepare meals. We would also strongly consider offering reimbursement of the OFC Apprenticeship fee amount as a bonus at the completion of the season. Lastly, we offer health, vision and dental insurance after 90 days of employment.
On-site housing is located in our “Solar Barn”. Fully permitted and ADA-approved, construction was completed in early 2025. The fully temperature controlled common area has a kitchen for food preparation, a lounge area with TV and couches, a pantry, and storage closet for personal belongings. There are two bathrooms and three bedrooms that can accommodate up to five interns, although we do not expect to ever house more than four at once; we expect our vineyard harvest interns will overlap with the Apprentice but strive to give our Apprentice the private bedroom. Wifi is available, The farm team shares this common area during break times. As such, a weekly chores rotation was created for the Apprentice/Interns and farmers all share the responsibility of cleaning the shared space. No pets or overnight guests are allowed, we will review other Solar Barn House Rules if an offer is made. Sharing the land is Troon’s Director of Agriculture, his partner and their toddler son. We enjoy cultivating community by sharing good food and our favorite local experiences.
EQUITY AND INCLUSION
At a basic level, our farmers are progressive and socially conscious individuals. Everyday, we strive to be impeccable with our words, respect individuals and their personal identify, and welcome all at Troon.
In a more formal pursuit of social justice, we sought out ERGO certification by the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI), which helped us attain ROC at the Gold level. ROC and Demeter Biodynamic are two of the only farming certifications globally that incorporate farmworker fairness into their regenerative agriculture framework. ROC requires additional social fairness standards beyond EFI certification to be met, that include paying a living wage to all employees.
We have established a labor-management collaborative (LMC) team. The LMC allows management and workers to collaborate and share responsibility for complying with the ERGO Standards. The LMC is always available for employees to express concerns if they are uncomfortable approaching their direct supervisor or management.
Far right Garett and Jennifer working on biodynamic installations with 2 others