Veteran Opportunities

Learn and explore farming through a flexible, paid experience.

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Arcadia offers an immersive training opportunity to learn regenerative, bio-intensive farming. As a fellow, you’ll be learning through on-the-job training, i.e. learning by doing. Arcadia Food Farm cultivates 2.5 acres of vegetable production, 0.5 acre of fruit and berry production, and 1 acre of incubator space…and we do it all off-grid.

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Here is some of what we offer:

• Part-time and full-time positions. We recommend 24 to 32 hours on-farm a week (3 or 4 days) plus occasional weekend responsibilities. 

• Pay. We pay $15 an hour and offer optional health benefits, and access to vegetables from the farm. You can also access your GI bill-based housing allowance if you qualify for the VA’s OJT (work a minimum of 120 hours per month for a minimum of six months); Arcadia will facilitate that payment.

• Program options. Spring, summer, fall, or full-season (each season is approximately 3 months) with potential 2nd year fellowship to build on your first-year experience.

• Education. Engage with farm, health, and business topics. In addition to on-site training, we offer optional online programming and local farm visits through our Farmer Reserve Program.

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Our program’s focus is flexibility in building this opportunity with you. Transitioning into farming is more than physical work, it’s a connection to the land and the community around you. There will be many things we have to do but there will also be built-in time to pursue supplemental training opportunities and to practice self-care. Maybe you want to sustainably commute to the farm, schedule doctor’s appointments, see family, take mental health days, visit a farm you know, complete an on-farm project, and more. We’ll check in throughout your fellowship on your goals and make adjustments along the way.

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We built this program to be flexible…but also to have specific, on-the-job training content. Here are a few of the training opportunities you’ll experience (season-dependent)):

• Vegetable farm production. Planning, seeding, irrigating, harvesting, cultivating, etc.

• Soil care. Cover cropping, no-tillage/low-till, no pesticides, fertility management.

• Greenhouse and high tunnel operations.

• Food and nutrition education. Gut health, plant i.d., fermentation, curing/storage.

• Market experience. Selling produce, meat, etc.

• Working with regional farmers.

• Capstone project (optional). Design and complete an on-farm project.

• Farm maintenance. Tractors, vehicles, infrastructure, tools, etc.

• Record keeping. Food safety, harvest and distribution, seeding, maintenance, etc.

• Broiler chickens. Care from chick to full bird.