Text Size:   A+ A- A   •   Text Only
Find     
Oregon Department of Agriculture

News
Rogue Valley on-farm internship program paves the way
2/8/2012


Oregon's 1st accredited farm internship program now in place
 
A new wave of beginning farmers may be on the way thanks to what is being recognized as Oregon's first accredited on-farm internship program that meets all state and federal legal requirements. A partnership between Rogue Farm Corps of Ashland and Rogue Community College is being hailed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture as a model for others in the state who want to offer the internship experience the right way.

"I applaud the staff of Rogue Farm Corps, along with Rogue Community College, Oregon State University, and others involved with this effort," says ODA Director Katy Coba. "It's a fine line to walk the laws and regulations intended to protect employees from being exploited, while providing a hands-on, real life, on-the-farm training and learning experience as an internship."

The Oregon Department of Agriculture, for its part, does not have regulatory responsibility for on-farm internships or farm labor issues in general. But ODA recognized the confusion on the part of farms that wanted to introduce interested individuals to production agriculture and their willingness to do things legally. In particular, small farms have been active in recruiting beginning farmers. By convening a meeting in 2010 with officials from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), OSU Extension's Small Farms Program and various farm groups, questions were asked and issues were discussed. The end result was a compilation of information by ODA that offers a road map for a legal, accredited on-farm internship.

"There is more to it than just telling someone to come experience life on the farm for the summer in exchange for room and board," says ODA's Brent Searle, special assistant to the director.

Rogue Farm Corps has been placing interns on farms in the past but was interested in meeting all legal requirements for unpaid, on-farm internships. By reaching agreement with the local community college, an official internship program, called Farms Next, is now recruiting its first students. Interns will enroll in Rogue Community College's Occupational Skills Training Program. This pilot internship program will allow them to live on host farms and work a full growing season while obtaining up to 15 credits. Local dairies, livestock operations, and vegetable farms are waiting to give interns a chance.

Rogue Farm Corps will continue to recruit, screen, and refer student interns to the college.

"We are very excited to launch this pilot program and to offer Oregon's first legal on-farm internship experience," says Stu O'Neill, Rogue Farm Corps' executive director. "It has been a long road to get to this point. We see our mission as training the next generation of farmers."

Hands-on learning is key to agricultural science, management, and know-how. Many small to mid-size farms, especially in the organic sector, have shown keen interest in hosting interns or "seasonal learners" who spend time on the farm helping out in exchange for room and board. The challenge has been doing so while meeting the legalities of how state and federal laws define the terms "intern", "employee", and "worker". Small farms often find it daunting to know and understand these legalities.

"Calling a worker an intern does not change the relationship if there aren't certain criteria met," says Searle. "Those criteria are set up to make sure it is a real internship rather than an employer-employee relationship which requires the farm to pay at least a minimum wage among other requirements."

Criteria listed by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries are true for any work environment, whether it is in agriculture, high tech, or any other industry. If all of the following criteria apply, the trainees or students are not employees within the meaning of the federal or state law:
 
  • The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school;
  • The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students;
  • The trainees or students do not displace regular employees, but work under their close supervision;
  • The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees or students; and on occasion his operations may actually be impeded;
  • The trainees or students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and
  • The employer and the trainees or students understand that the trainees or students are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

The arrangement reached in Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley meets all the criteria. Rogue Farm Corp is actively seeking those who are interested in an on-farm internship beginning this spring.

"We hope this model can be replicated throughout Oregon with other community colleges or other educational programs and we can boost the number of approved, official programs that help establish legitimate farm internship programs," says Searle. "Both the intern and the farmer get value out of the process and will be doing it the right way. If this works out the way we hope, it could be a big boost for small farms in Oregon."

ODA's interest is to educate farms and organizations that want to offer on-farm internships.

When it comes to learning about agriculture, nothing beats actually doing it. Legal on-farm internships like the one initiated by Rogue Farm Corps and Rogue Community College, can provide an entry-level opportunity for people who are interested in farming but don't have any experience. The end result could be the next crop of Oregon farmers.

For more information, contact Stu O'Neill at Rogue Farm Corps at (541) 951-5105 or Brent Searle at ODA at (503) 986-4558.
 

Story of the Week pdf version
http://oregon.gov/ODA/docs/pdf/news/120208internship.pdf

Audio Story of the Week
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/120208internship_audio.shtml