Organic Farm offers internships to students

The UT Department of Agriculture is looking for five interns interested in learning how to farm for the 2010 spring semester.

The paid internship will be nine months long, running from March through November. Interns are required to make a 16-hour commitment per week to farm and market. Duties will include maintenance of vegetable gardens, harvesting, farm market duties, helping out with research projects and keeping a production log.

“The internship will allow the student to receive a first-hand experience on all facets of crop production including planning, planting, marketing and selling in a challenging and rewarding environment,” Grant McCarty, research assistant, said. “We believe that this will not only lead to a greater understanding of organic production but possibly a vocation.”

The organic crop and production unit as well as the internship will be very beneficial to students that want to learn skills in small business management and marketing, McCarty said. In order to complete the organic crop and production unit, students must work on the organic farm for eight months, share farm market responsibilities, attend the Sprouting Growers workshop series and register for an agricultural economics class in the spring of 2010.

The Sprouting Growers workshop consists of a six-part series that teaches students how to become farmers. The topics include business planning, production planning, marketing strategies, transplant production, market garden planning, maintenance, harvesting and handling farm markets. A garden market will also take place once a week in the UT Gardens Friendship Plaza. This includes designing marketing materials like T-shirts, reusable grocery bags and market signage. The market will be a special event with different activities including music, kitchen demos and art projects.

The 2009 Organic Crop Production Workshop Series is a 10-part monthly workshop series starting in February and running through November. The workshop series targets commercial producers and agriculture professionals interested in learning about organic crop production practices. Workshops will take place on Monday afternoons. The three-hour session will consist of presentations by extension specialists, discussions and hands-on activities.

The Organic and Sustainable Crop Production Program seeks to get more farmers involved in organic production in order to increase income and provide an alternative to keep the farm in the family. Organic production has the potential to increase profits by reducing the use of off-farm inputs and providing consumers with locally grown, high-quality organic products in a rapidly growing market.

“I grew up on a farm, and I think organic farming holds much potential for American farmers since most non-organic crops are produced cheaper in other countries,” Houston Neal, senior in civil engineering, said. “Organic food is known to contain 50 percent more nutrients, minerals and vitamins than produce that has been intensively farmed. Farmers can also make more money since organic foods cost much more.”

An informational meeting about the spring internship will take place in Plant Biotech Building room 223 on Monday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Wednesday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Contact Mary Rodgers at mroger30@utk.edu for additional information.