Flying Cloud Farm
Internship Application
Definition of Internship:
An internship is an opportunity to experience a career by working within a successful
business that is similar to your own interests. It’s a time to observe, listen, actively
experience, ask questions, and most importantly to learn. Internships are hard work with
long hours and little pay, but offer the invaluable benefit of observing and taking part in
the inner workings of a company from an inside perspective. The experience and
knowledge gained from an internship provides you with valuable tools needed to take
that next step towards pursuing your goal.
What to expect:
As an intern you can expect many things. You can count on hard work with long days in
the field. You can count on blazing hot days in the sun with a hoe in your hand. You can
count on cool rainy days harvesting or weeding. You can count on doing repetitive tasks
day in and day out. You can count on getting dirty almost every day. You can count on
having sore muscles and a sore back. You will get to eat some of the most amazing and
tasty organic produce ever. You can expect to do things you never thought you could do,
pushing yourself on many levels. You can expect to work together with others to
accomplish goals as a group. There will also be times when you will be expected to take
individual responsibility to complete tasks.
Farm description:
Flying Cloud Farm produces vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers for direct sale to our
customers. The land has been certified organic in the past, but was discontinued due to
the high cost and our personal relationship with our customers through the CSA and
tailgate markets. We have 60 families that sign up for the season, receiving a box of
produce every week for 22 weeks, some with an additional flower bouquet, which make
up our Community Supported Agriculture group, otherwise known as CSA. Our farming
practices rely on cover cropping, amending the soil by annual testing, crop rotation, and
careful planning for insect and weed issues in order to consistently produce food for our
customers.
Isaiah and Annie Louise manage the farm, but there are many other members of the
family who live on the farm. We have two girls, Sidney (7) and Ivy (4). Annie’s parents
live on the farm and keep a full house of young people to help out. A summer camp,
featuring art, drama, and horseback riding takes place on the farm for two months in the
summer. There is close access to hiking and biking trails.
We sell at three farmer’s markets each week, prepare 60 CSA shares, stock a self-serve
stand at the farm, sell to Trout Lily Market in Fairview, and offer u-pick blueberries. The
farm is located 12 miles outside Asheville on 74A East in the last valley before the road
climbs the mountain to Henderson County. The farm’s name is inspired by the name of
the stagecoach that traveled Drover’s Road (route 74A) in the mid-1800’s. The Flying
Cloud made a stop at the historic Sherrill’s Inn, which was purchased in 1916 by Annie’s
great-grandparents and named Hickory Nut Gap Farm.
Intern Program:
The focus of the intern program is education through experience. Flying Cloud Farm is a
great place for learning how to successfully operate an organic farm. Our farm is well
organized and we have a few years experience growing a wide variety of products and
utilizing a diverse marketing strategy. This combination creates an environment of
knowledge for those who want to become produce growers.
The season runs mid April through October. We have two positions starting in mid-April
through October. We have two additional positions available for the summer months,
June, July, and August. With the four positions we can be flexible with starting and
ending dates.
The typical schedule is 5 days per week, usually 10 hours per day, sometimes less,
sometimes more depending on the harvest schedule. One of these days the interns
accompany Annie or Isaiah to market. This gives you a chance to meet and interact with
other area farmers as well as a chance to work off the farm for a day. It’s a lot of fun and
provides a break for your workweek. The remaining time will be spent doing the
following activities:
- Field work: harvesting, transplanting, weeding, pruning, thinning, etc
- Greenhouse operations: seeding, irrigation, soil mix, pest control, etc
- Packing shed: washing, grading, sorting, packing, and storing of crops
- Marketing: tailgate market, CSA
Thursdays and Sundays will be your days off each week.
Compensation:
Housing: We will provide room and board as long as you’re employed on the farm.
There are various housing options available. We have a converted school bus, a small
cabin, and an airstream camper. An outhouse is available for these abodes, as well as a
shared kitchen in the airstream. There are also rooms available in Annie’s parents house.
Showers and bathrooms are available there as well. You will be expected to cook dinner
one night per week. Lunches will be cooked in pairs using as much of our own food as
possible.
Stipend: You will receive a stipend of $300 per month, paid every 2 weeks.
We try to be straightforward in our description of the farm and intern program. We ask
that you be clear in presenting yourself as well as be clear of your future goals. A phone
interview will follow as well as a farm visit.
Flying Cloud Farm
Internship Application
Please fill out and return the following application.
Name: ________________________ M/F (circle one)
Address: _____________________________________ Phone: ( ) _____________
_____________________________________________ Email: _________________
Best time to be reached: _________________________________________________
How did you hear about our program? _____________________________________
Will you be able to commit to the full season, mid-April through October? ________
The summer months? ____________________
What time frame? ____________________________________________________
What makes you want to farm?
__________________________________________________________________
Why in Fairview, NC? _____________________________________________________
What year did you graduate from high school? __________________________________
Why do you want to intern at Flying Cloud Farm? _______________________________
What goals would you like to attain by becoming a farm intern? ____________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________