Roque Island Homestead
Roque Island Farm is a 200-year old working farm on a private island off the coast of Downeast Maine (Washington County). It has been owned and managed by the same family for that time.
We are a diverse, working farm whose mission is to provide high-quality farm products for island residents: meat and eggs, dairy products, vegetables and herbs, fruit, and flowers. Our focus is producing products to meet island needs, and we make contributions to local food banks when we have an excess.
The year-round livestock includes dairy cows, sheep, and laying hens, with a seasonal pig and broiler operation. We also care for a few retired horses. The quarter-acre garden is expanding but currently includes 24 raised beds, a main garden, herb and flower beds, and a small apple orchard. Poultry is harvested on-island, while larger animals are sent off-island for processing. In our small dairy, we turn our Jersey cows’ rich milk into butter, cream, milk, yogurt, and ice cream. We also produce our own hay, lumber, and firewood.
We are not certified organic, but we manage the garden to organic standards, do not use pesticides or herbicides and use a holistic and regenerative lens when making decisions about what is best for our soil, livestock and plants, and environment. Our seasonal rotational grazing operation provides our livestock with a low-stress lifestyle while allowing us to improve plant and soil health.
Location
Roque Island
Hours and Work Season
Apprentices are expected to work 8 hours a day, with 2 breaks for breakfast and lunch. We have found that longer stretches work better for island scheduling, so rotations are usually 10 days on, 4 days off, allowing time for people to travel if they desire. Our workload varies, there will be times of heavy physical labor (haying) but most days there is quite a variety of tasks- some gardening, some animal care, some fencing. Most of the work is outside and requires physical labor of varying degrees. We would prefer someone who is capable of working independently some of the time and who may want to take on some special projects of their own interest that would be valuable to the operation.
Some non-farm assistance may be requested, this may involve communal area cleaning, assisting with food deliveries, or recycling. We are a small team and everyone pitches in to some degree in all areas to help the whole operation run smoothly.
Payment Type
Pay
$80/ day plus room & board
Job Description
Apprentices will help with the daily care of all the animals on the farm and will help with planting, weeding, harvesting, and processing produce. Apprentices will have the opportunity to become skilled at milking cows, making butter, handling livestock and horses, rotational grazing practices, making hay, processing poultry, fencing, and small carpentry projects. They will have the opportunity to take responsibility for planting, maintaining, and harvesting areas of the garden. We also require that an apprentice be able to perform physical labor 8 hours a day in all types of weather and be able to lift 50# on a regular basis.
Benefits
Housing – private bedroom in shared apartment, with a bathroom and communal kitchen downstairs. There is Wifi and laundry, and we are working on building a staff living room. Meals – breakfast and lunch are provided each day you are on the island. Many of our meals feature farm meat, veggies, and other island products (e.g. dairy, maple syrup). Use of farm products and island recreation facilities and equipment as determined by the Island Manager (s).
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- Housing - private bedroom in shared apartment, with a bathroom and communal kitchen downstairs. There is Wifi and laundry, and we are working on building a staff living room. Meals - breakfast and lunch are provided each day you are on the island. Many of our meals feature farm meat, veggies, and other island products (e.g. dairy, maple syrup). Use of farm products and island recreation facilities and equipment as determined by the Island Manager (s).
What to Expect from Us
There are 6 full time island caretaking staff (including the farm manager) and they each have a variety of skills to share, and all will provide some instruction in different areas. The co-caretaker (myself) and assistant farm manager will provide most of the instruction via working together, instruction, independent projects, and recommended reading. Apprentices will be instructed and supervised until they demonstrate the skill level to work independently, and then apprentices will take on some responsibility for those areas. There will always be several people available to answer questions and/ or work alongside, to help develop and hone skills. We have informal farm meetings every morning to make a plan for the day, and the entire farm team helps in planning for the week and month. Feedback is given as needed and we try to stay attuned to how staff are doing within our tiny community, checking in regularly about how things are going.
Application Details and Deadline
Please send a brief email detailing 1) your interest in the role, 2) whether you are interested in the June-start or August-start position and 3) any relevant skills or experience you possess. If you have a resume to send along, that is helpful, too. Interviews will generally be conducted via Zoom. We look forward to speaking with you!