Certified Intern Host Farm Program

Certified Intern Host Farm Program

Are you passionate about training the next generation of farmers and growers? Do you employ sustainable and ecological production on your farm? If so, partnering with OEFFA to become a Certified Intern Host Farm might be a good fit. The Certified Intern Host Farm Program supports the education and training of beginning farmers by connecting potential farm interns with experienced, engaging host farmer educators. Internships are similar to offering employment, but they also offer an additional educational experience.

Certified Intern Host Farms commit to providing educational experience on farm production methods through demonstration and mentorship to interns. Host farmers must complete a guided self-study and help interns fulfill their learning goals.

Benefits to host farms:

OEFFA will prioritize your listing in Seasonal Farm Jobs page to help you attract highly motivated workers.
Connect to a network of other intern-host farms to share experiences and support.
Access resources in mentorship, communication, equity and inclusion.
Receive support from OEFFA staff through technical assistance, supplemental intern education, and farm check-ins.

Host Farm Certification Steps

Submit a Seasonal Farm Jobs listing.

Select at least three resources from the Certified Intern Host Farm Self Study below to read and review. They can be from the same category, or multiple categories.

Complete the Self-Study Reflection and Commitments Agreement.

Certified Intern Host Farm Self Study

Internship guidebooks and employee standards

Farm Internship Handbook Rogue Farm Corps
Internship Curriculum for Food Farmers in the North Central Region SARE and Bertrand Farms
Writing Effective Job Descriptions University of Wisconsin Extension
Attracting and Maintaining Employees on Organic Vegetable Farms University of Wisconsin Extension
The First 30 Days: Orienting New Farm Employees Ohio State University Farm Office Resources
Food Justice Certification Farmer Fact Sheet Agricultural Justice Project

Agricultural educator skills

Make Content Relatable SARE Sustainable Agriculture through Sustainable Learning
Engage Positive Emotions SARE Sustainable Agriculture through Sustainable Learning
Give Learners Choice SARE Sustainable Agriculture through Sustainable Learning
Identify Mental Models SARE Sustainable Agriculture through Sustainable Learning
Provide Opportunities for Practice and Application SARE Sustainable Agriculture through Sustainable Learning

Employer communication skills

Active Listening to Improve On-Farm Communication University of Maine Extension
The Farm Business Culture, University of Wisconsin Extension
Facilitating with a Trauma-Informed Lens University of Wisconsin Extension
Managing Employee Conflict University of Wisconsin Extension

Anti-racism resources

The Case for Reparations Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic
How the USDA Distorted Data to Conceal Decades of Discrimination Nathan Rosenburg and Bryce Wilson Stucki, The Counter
Yes Native Americans Were the Victims of Genocide Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

This list is not comprehensive and we are always looking to expand and improve our farmer-educator resources. If you have a different self-study material on farmer educator resources that you would like to use to supplement this list, please email to OEFFA’s internship coordinator Lainie Rini, lainie@oeffa.org, for approval.

This program is supported by NIFA USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (2019-49400-30033).