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News
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Rogue Valley on-farm internship program paves the way
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2/8/2012
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Article Content Suggested lead
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:
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Audio 01
There has been growing interest, especially among Oregon's small farms, in providing an entry-level opportunity for people interested in farming but not experienced. The problem is that it may not meet state or federal legal requirements:
SEARLE: "Calling a worker an intern or an apprentice or a mentorship doesn't change the relationship if there aren't certain criteria met. Those criteria are set up to make sure it is a real internship rather than an employer-employee relationship." :18
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Brent Searle of the Oregon Department of Agriculture says a new pilot program in Southern Oregon has been established between Rogue Farm Corps and Rogue Community College:
SEARLE: "They were interested in doing this right, by the book, and meeting all the requirements and making sure the farms they were placing potential interns with didn't get in trouble with the law." :11
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Under the new program, interns will enroll at the community college and gain credits while living on host farms and working for a full growing season. ODA is hoping it will serve as a model for others in the state who want to offer internships to what could be the next crop of farmers in Oregon. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney.
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SEARLE says a lot of farms that have wanted to provide internships are unclear about the legal requirements. There is a whole set of criteria designed to make it a real internship rather than an employer-employee relationship:
"So there's more to it than just saying, come experience life on the farm for the summer in exchange for room and board." :08
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Additional audio: Audio 04
SEARLE says Rogue Farm Corps and Rogue Community College have come up with the state's first accredited on-farm internship program that meets all legal requirements:
"The interns they are working with spend some class time at the community college and then they spend time in the fields, working on the farms, learning the techniques, the knowledge, the applications that are needed for whatever type of farming and products and crops are being grown." :16
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Full story
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/120208internship.shtml
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