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Re: BIODYNAMICS Needs Your Help!!!



Allen,

Thanks for the opportunity.  While we are an organic but not biodynamic farm,
we have mentored biodynamic farmers and learned from them.  I hope this is
appropriate for your "Apprentices Wanted" forum.

CSA-l folks,

Please post this opportunity as appropriate for your organizations.

Thanks,
Marcie at Full Circle Organic Farm

Wanted: Working Apprentice/Partner(s)  for the 1997 season

More than your typical apprentice-as-slave position.  If you're serious about
having your own small-scale organic produce operation integrated into your
community, consider spending a season with Full Circle Organic Farm.  We
share budget, planning and marketing strategies, and offer a legitimate
chance for contribution.  We explain why we do what we do, but are willing to
incorporate different strategies in both production and marketing.  

Located in the Sierra foothills about 45 miles NE of Sacramento, CA., Full
Circle Organic Farm is a micro-farm growing vegetables, herbs, strawberries,
and flowers using biointensive, organic practices in a whole farm ecosystem
approach.  The home parcel is 5 acre about half of which is in production.
 Our tillage is by European spader on semi-permanent beds, we drip irrigate,
and average two crops per bed per season.  Using our two 20'x50' greenhouses,
we produce all our transplants on-farm and sell excess plants.  Computers
play a major role in our planning and tracking functions.

We helped start the local farmer's market association and have a 50 share
capacity CSA.  Community-building gets more than just lip-service around
here.  We contribute produce to the local food bank and women's shelter.  In
the last 18 months, Marcie has contributed to three books for small farms and
written one about using computers in planning and tracking information on
small farms.  She teaches classes for farmers and gardeners.  This year we
want to help develop a web-site and bulletin board for local farmers.

While all this planning and marketing is going on, we still have soil to
amend, crops to plant, weeds to hoe, plants to stake and tie, veggies to
harvest, share bags to pack, and markets to attend.  Our biggest challenge is
having enough hands to get the work done with limited capital.  Like most
small-scale farmers, our lives are full and our profits marginal.

If you've already been an apprentice but didn't experience planning and
decision-making as part of a team, this may be the opportunity for you.  If
you've worked on a farm but never got to really learn the farming system,
this may be the experience you're looking for. Folks who work here after
apprenticing elsewhere, say a season with us has made a real difference in
their knowledge and confidence levels.

To apply, write us.  We'd like to know a bit about you, your experience,
dreams and expectations -- what you'd like to contribute, what you want to
learn, what you need to be comfortable, and your availability.  Our
harvesting starts in April and goes through Thanksgiving.  Planting starts
now and continues through November.

Full Circle Organic Farm
Marcie A. Rosenzweig and Lee Hendrickson
3377 Early Times Lane
Auburn, Ca 95603
(916)885-9201
e-mail, MarcieRose@aol.com