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

Runnymede Farm - Full for 2026

Runnymede Farm

• 1 APPRENTICESHIP

• PART TIME/FULL TIME (24-40 hours/week)

• APPROX START/END DATES: March/April - November

• $15.50/HR

• LOCATION: Rogue River (Rogue Valley Chapter)

• YEARS IN PRODUCTION: 26

• PREVIOUS YEARS HOSTING: 6

• PRACTICES: Organic Practices (Not Certified), Mechanized/Tractor Farming, Winter Farming

• ACRES IN CULTIVATION: 9

• Diversified Vegetable, Fruit, Dairy, Poultry (Eggs), Cut Flowers, Nursery Stock, Value-Added / Processing

• ON-FARM HOUSING? No

• VEHICLE REQUIRED? Yes

• LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English

• Women-Owned/Operated, Veteran-Owned/Operated

Runnymede Farm is well known for our fresh produce and nursery business in the local Rogue River community.  We strive to provide the Rogue Valley with high quality, local food while being good stewards to our land.  The farm uses intuition and intensive, chemical-free, non-certified organic practices to produce a wide variety of crops on their 10 acres, including vegetables, fruit, cut flowers, nursery plants, eggs, and dairy.

@runnymede.farm

FARM OVERVIEW

Runnymede farm is located in the beautiful Evans Valley of Southern Oregon, just 2 miles outside the town of Rogue River, a 10 minute drive to Grants Pass and a 20 minute drive to Medford. The 10 acres comprises 5 acres of pasture, 1 acre of wooded forest, 3 acres of hoop houses, nursery space, and growing fields, and 1 acre of living quarters. Teri and Arthur White, the farm’s owners, live on the farm with their dog Leche and the other farm animals. The Rogue Valley is a beautiful place at all times of the year, with plenty of hiking, river floats, and nature to explore.

Runnymede grows row crops and flowers in our fields and hoop houses.  We also have a small orchard of pear trees and blackberries, as well as a nursery with annual and perennial flowers, vegetable starts, fruit trees, bushes, and ornamental bushes and trees. 

Each year, Runnymede raises a new round of chicks for egg production.  There are about 15 goats bred for raw goat milk. 

Produce, eggs, nursery starts, and plants sell at 3 local farmer’s markets (Ashland, Medford and Grants Pass), as well as selling produce for a few other local farms. We do a 5 week CSA in the winter months. We also do on farm sales of our raw milk, eggs, and nursery stock.  

Due to the scale and intensity of the plantings, field prep is done with a tractor, while all other tasks are performed by hand with basic tools.  The farm employs 2 full-time employees, 1 part-time employee, and hires additional seasonal help as it’s needed.

The farm is owner by husband and wife team, Arthur and Teri. Together, they have over 25 years of farming and marketing experience. They have been on the farm since 1999. 

Nora Kendall is the primary mentor for the Apprentice and was once herself a OFC Apprentice! Nora started working at Runnymede in 2021. She is now the field manager, organizes the daily on-farm operations, as well as works 2 of the 3 markets. Nora enjoys the diversity farming brings to each day, and appreciates being able to spend the days on her feet being active.  She is in the beginning years of starting her own farm, and loves educating others about farming and the importance of local food.  Nora also lives in Rogue River with her husband and looks forward to growing her own farm business in the years to come.

TRAINING AND EXPECTATIONS

Apprentices joining the crew at Runnymede can expect to be exposed to all tasks involved in operating a small-scale, diverse, mixed production farm. Those tasks will include animal husbandry (including milking and milk handling) and planting, cultivation, harvesting, packing, and farmers market sales of produce, fruit, and nursery products. On-farm training time consists of between 24-40 hours/week for an Apprenticeship position, depending on the applicant, and will include some weekends and holidays. Apprentice will work alongside the host farmers and employees, with some independent work as well, especially as the season progresses. The farm has many facets, and Apprentices are welcome to gravitate toward the areas that interest them.

The Apprentice will have tasks demonstrated to them clearly and thoroughly.  We require applicants come with no prior bias, and we may explain tasks that they have previous experience with to ensure it is done the way we like it. We are not providing instruction in biology, botany, or zoology. We are providing on the job experience from which apprentices will have to use their own initiative to further or codify their education.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants seeking employment at Runnymede Farm must be mature, serious in their pursuit of farming, and physically capable of lifting heavy objects and being active and on their feet for long days. They must be capable of working independently without constant supervision. A positive attitude that brings a calm presence amongst the employees and animals is a must.

We encourage Apprentices to explore and enjoy Southern Oregon’s beauty, its proximity to the coast, the redwoods, the cascades, and the desert. We encourage Apprentices to make friends in the wider Rogue Farm Corps community and share experiences to fully understand that farming, like life, has many paths.

We prefer an applicant who can stay from March - November but can be flexible on start and end dates as needed. We prefer an applicant to visit in person before a placement decision is made. If you will hire on without an on farm visit, we will have an interview,  perhaps multiple interviews. 

COMPENSATION / ACCOMMODATIONS

Apprentices will start at $15.50/hr.

We do not provide On-Farm Housing.  Housing can be tight, but rentals are available in the area. Non-local applicants are encouraged to come early to get settled. We can provide a reference for employment and character for housing applications. 

EQUITY AND INCLUSION

Our farm encourages and supports applicants from all backgrounds and is committed to creating a safe and supportive work environment. Runnymede is happy to share our knowledge of farming with anyone with an open mind towards learning and the world around them.  

One of the foundations of nature is variety, and as such, Runnymede Farm also welcomes all souls committed to tolerance, non-violence, and ethical and moral human values.

PAST APPRENTICE TESTIMONIALS

“[Arthur and Teri provided] a clear schedule and list of tasks. [They hosted] a welcoming environment and awesome coworkers… open to ideas and feedback from employees.” - 2021

Teri and Art White (Photo: David Hampton Photography)

Farm Mentor Nora Dennehy with one of the Goats at Runnymede

Feral Farm - Full For 2026

Feral Farm

• 1-2 APPRENTICESHIPS

• PART TIME(20-32 hours/week)

• APPROX START/END DATES: April - October

• $15.05/HR

• LOCATION: Jacksonville / Applegate (Rogue Valley Chapter)

• YEARS IN PRODUCTION: 9

• PREVIOUS YEARS HOSTING: 4

• PRACTICES: Certified Organic, Mechanized/Tractor Farming

• ACRES IN CULTIVATION: 4

• Seed Production, Nursery

• ON-FARM HOUSING? No

• VEHICLE REQUIRED? Yes

• LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English, Spanish (Basic)

• Women-Owned/Operated

Feral Farm was founded on a love of seed and a passion for stewarding the genetic and cultural diversity of our food system. We believe in health from the ground up, and grow our seeds in a way that honors the soil and our native ecosystem. Feral Farm is dedicated exclusively to organic, open pollinated seed and heirloom garlic production. The farm consists of four fields along a five mile stretch of the Thompson Creek watershed in the Applegate Valley of southern Oregon, where long dry summers and a county ban on GMOs favor healthy, clean seed production. Owned and operated by Cacia Huff and with the help of neighbors along Thompson Creek.

https://feralfarmseeds.com/

@feralfarm4

Farm Overview

Feral Farm produces vegetable, flower, herbs and garlic seeds for wholesale and an on-site farm stand selling garden starts and seed packets.  Everything is certified organic.  We use a small tractor for bed prep, hand tools for weeding, and mostly small/hand scale tools for seed processing, though some will be mechanized. Overall, a wide variety of tools will be employed to grow and process a diversity of seed crops - between 50-100 varieties per season. There is a nice seasonal flow, with early springtime being heavily focused on greenhouse work, seeding and transplanting; late spring being focused on weeding and crop supports like mulching and trellising; summer begins seed crop harvest; and fall continues harvest and begins seed processing and cleaning. There are lots of opportunities to learn new skills!

Feral Farm is spread across four isolation fields along a 5 mile stretch of Thompson Creek - a rural and fairly close knit community of homesteaders, farmers, and ranchers. Thompson Creek is located approximately halfway between the cities of Medford and Grants Pass. The home field is where I live as well as three other people including my landlord and his partner and another renter, and my house will be accessible during work hours to the Apprentices. The other three fields do not have bathroom access. There are ample hiking trails to explore, rivers and creeks to swim in, proximity to Applegate Lake, and opportunities to connect with others in the farming community. 

Feral Farm has been in operation since 2017, and is run by Cacia Huff. It started with a small lease on the established farm I, Cacia, was working for at the time. Prior to that, I spent 2 seasons in the Puget Sound area of northwestern WA apprenticing at the Organic Farm School, where I learned business management, farm-scale vegetable and contract seed production. My background prior to that was Environmental Studies. My studies in agroecology led me to spend time in southern Mexico establishing school gardens and garden classroom curriculum, and opened my eyes to the worldwide struggle to maintain and preserve rapidly disappearing seed diversity. It then led to a few years of work in organic certification, before I decided that I wanted to be out in the field and on the ground rather than in the office. I’m passionate about being outdoors, working with my body, being surrounded by natural beauty, and expressing creativity in the work I do. I love pushing myself mentally and physically, and this type of work never fails there!

TRAINING AND EXPECTATIONS

I will be working alongside the Apprentices for the majority of the time, taking time to demonstrate each individual task as it arises. I am always available for feedback, and encourage questions. I embrace the idea of allowing greater independence on tasks that an Apprentice enjoys or shows particular aptitude for - there is flexibility there. I’m happy to schedule regular check-ins and foster open communication.

Early Spring: greenhouse production of many types of plants for seed crops as well as farmstand/nursery plant production. Soil blocking, hand seeding, potting on, and managing the flow of the farmstand. 

Mid to late Spring: bed preparation, which will include tractor work (done by me), hand fertilizing, bed marking, direct seeding with an Earthway seeder, and hand transplanting from soil blocks. Setting up drip irrigation systems. String trimming and weeding with a walk-behind electric tilther, wheel hoe, and stirrup hoes. Plant protection (hoops and row cover), and early identifying and roguing of off types in seed crops.

Late spring to early summer: continued weeding, laying straw mulch on cucurbits, and setting up crop supports like trellises and, in some cases, isolation netting to prevent undesired crossing of seed crops. 

Summer: garlic harvest, proper curing, and cleaning for wholesale and local sales. Early seed crop harvests begin in July and August, mostly dry-seeded crops which will be cured, threshed, winnowed, etc. Each crop is a different process.

Late Summer/Early Fall: later season seed crop harvest and processing, which includes many wet seeded crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and cucumbers. Mechanical and hand processing, fermenting, decanting, and cleaning - each crop is a different process! This is also the time we finish clean garlic and pack large wholesale orders for shipping.

Late Fall: continued seed cleaning, packing and shipping.

Throughout the season:  Keeping the farmstand stocked and running, plenty of weeding, gopher trapping, and keeping irrigation water flowing. 

Feral Farm offers an average of 20 to 32 work hours per week from approximately April through October, Monday through Friday. Hours start on the low end and increase as the season progresses, with a slight lull in July. I am flexible with time off if requests are made ahead of time. The heaviest crunch times are May and September/October, so those are not great times for extended time off requests. While I do work to switch up the work tasks throughout the day and week to avoid monotony, Apprentices should expect to be doing a fair bit of physical exertion in all kinds of weather! Southern Oregon will get hot, averaging daily between 90-105 in the summer. Apprentices should plan to use a respirator for a few weeks in the summer due to wildfire smoke.

QUALIFICATIONS

I work best with people who already love being outdoors, enjoy challenging themselves, and enjoy doing physical work in all weather. Also, those who enjoy learning new things and thinking creatively about how to approach tasks. Flexibility and the ability to go with the flow of work that is often weather-dependent and, therefore, unpredictable is important. Attention to detail is critical when it comes to maintaining varietal integrity of seed crops, garlic, and vegetable starts, which is relevant through all parts of the season. Good communication and mutual respect - listening and asking questions as well as speaking up about any issues that arise, respecting each other's time (showing up on time, communicating scheduling needs), and also being attuned to your own physical needs. Previous farming or landscaping work is desirable but ultimately not as important as enthusiasm to learn!

I would prefer to meet prospective Apprentices if possible to make sure we both feel like we would be a good fit. I have found paid working interviews to be a helpful way to go about this. If this isn’t possible, I’m open to getting to know each other over the phone.

COMPENSATION / ACCOMMODATIONS

$15/hr plus reimbursement of tuition if/when season is completed.

Apprentices will also receive plant starts and seeds for personal garden use, any edible portions from processing seed crops (eg, melon and squash flesh), and garlic for personal use.

Cell Serive: Verizon and US Cellular service is available, though not always stellar in the fields.

Wifi: Available at the home farm house and will be accessible (as will the house itself for breaks, bathroom, shower if needed).

There is no housing on-site.

EQUITY AND INCLUSION

I do not discriminate on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, or age. I encourage open and respectful communication.

Cacia Farm Owner and Mentor with kitty friend