An internship program to teach new farmers how to grow pure food has taken root at Haliburton Community Organic Farm, near Elk Lake.
The Farmer Internship Program, administered by the Haliburton Community Organic Farm Society, will see as many as four individuals get the experience and education they need eventually to become certified organic food producers.
“With the general decline in family farms, this hands-on program is the only way left to teach the next generation,” said Elmarie Roberts, the education representative of the society.
Zoned as a Rural Demonstration Farm, the 3.6-hectare property offers practical experience in organic food production, instruction on how to obtain organic certification, public communication and food distribution.
Students at the farm, which started in 2002, work and study alongside farmers.
But recent changes in the Employment Standards Act meant that students in internships had to be paid.
With funding by the Victoria Foundation, the internship can continue — and flourish.
“Thanks to the funding, we were able to take on four interns this summer for the first time,” Roberts said. Past years saw only one or two interns each summer.
The paid interns, who started in May, work with eight on-site farm businesses, learning certified-organic production techniques, holistic nutrition and habitat stewardship.
The businesses sell their fresh produce, free-range eggs, vegetable and native plants at the Moss Street Market on Saturdays and at a farm stand on the property every Wednesday.
The farm also offers tours for schools, community groups and individuals interested in finding out more about small-scale organic farming or growing food throughout the year.
A group of volunteers have also been involved in biodiversity projects to restore wetland, meadow and forest habitat on the property. Others have re-introduced native plants, installed bird boxes and created cavities for native bees.
People are invited to volunteer for the biodiversity project between 10 a.m. and noon on the first Saturday of the month — the next work party is July 2. The farm stand is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every Wednesday until Oct. 26 at the farm, 741 Haliburton Rd.
For more information, go to haliburtonfarm.org.
