WWOOF Opportunities
The 2010 season will be our first working with WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms) Volunteers.
A 2-3 day visit to our farm will allow you to determine if our opportunities are right for you. A 2-3 week stay (perhaps longer) allows enough time to fully experience and learn from our farming operations.
Our season begins in late April. We are farming full speed ahead June-September. By October it begins to get cold and we are preparing for winter. (Schedule below.)
WWOOF volunteers can expect to participate in all aspects of working and maintaining a mid-sized organic farm in the beautiful Trout Lake, Washington valley at the base of majestic Mt. Adams.
We require a minimum of 4 hours volunteer work per day, 5 days per week. Volunteer opportunities include planting, cultivating, harvesting and milling organic herb, spice and vegetable crops, plus a wide variety of other farm related projects from equipment and building maintenance to landscaping and more.
We provide rustic accommodations for 4-5 Volunteers. Our Bunk House is a hostel-style, coed arrangement with shared bathroom and shower, a modest kitchen, sleeping quarters and shared living room. Of course, Volunteers are welcome to bring their own tent and camp in our forest beside the White Salmon River which intersects the farm and is just a few short steps from the front door of the Bunk House.
We provide food (from our vegetable garden and a stipend so you can go shopping). However, you'll have to do your own cooking most of the time. If you have a special diet, please be prepared to meet those needs.
No prior farm or agriculture experience is required. We welcome soft hands and open minds. Your skills and experience will be utilized to the extent offered. We have a cumulated century of experience in cultivating and milling organic herbs and spices. We are willing to teach and be taught.
As this is our first WWOOF season, we don't fully know what to expect. We are open to the idea of well behaved children. However, we do not have special facilities and their care will be completely your responsibility. Pets are strongly discouraged, but will be considered if well trained.
Spanish is spoken almost exclusively in our fields, providing a great opportunity to strengthen language skills. English-only speakers will always have clear instructions and a fair amount of ongoing English conversation.
We work hard and we play hard. Getting filthy and hot is often essential. We hope Volunteers enjoy the same philosophy.
If you are interested in being a WWOOF Volunteer with Farmgate Organics please Contact Us with your Resume and your Available Dates. If it seems like we're a match, we will send you our current schedule of opportunities.
2010 Tentative WWOOF Opportunities Schedule
May 2010
WWOOFer Bunk House Completion • Equipment Preparation • Fertilizer & Soil Amendments • Seed Bed Preparation • Early Plantings • Compost Tea Application • Planting & Seeding • Pest Control • WEEDING
June 2010
Build Outdoor Solar Shower Facilities & Composting Toilet • General Farm Cleanup • Harvest Preparation • Harvest Transplanting • Irrigation • Saturday Market Vegetable Sales • MORE WEEDING
July & August 2010
Harvest • Hay & Clover Picking • Irrigation • Milling • EVEN MORE WEEDING
September 2010
Root Harvest • Harvest • Irrigation • Milling • MORE & MORE WEEDING
October 2010
Final Harvest (Indian Summer) • Cleanup & Winter Preparation • Tractor Maintenance • Milling • YES, WEEDING
November 2010
Cleanup & Winter Preparation • Milling • Sales • NO MORE WEEDING! WE HOPE!