About Our Farm
Fulton Farm is an integral part of the Richard Alsina Fulton Center for Sustainable Living at Wilson College. Located on 100 acres on Wilson’s campus, the farm uses about five acres for food production. The remaining land is in forest, pasture and riparian border. The scenic Conococheague Creek flows through the farm. The property also contains two historic buildings: an 18th-century farmhouse and a 19th-century bank barn.
Though the farm is not certified organic, we subscribe to certified naturally grown practices (www.naturallygrown.org). Fertility is achieved through green manures, composted food waste from the college dining hall and horse manure from the college stables. Insects are controlled via beneficial insects, barriers, the occasional organic pesticide and other natural controls. Weeds are addressed by mechanical cultivation, cover cropping and intensive hand cultivation.
While we grow just about every vegetable it is possible to raise here in Pennsylvania, plus a few fruits, we focus on high-quality staple vegetables mixed with specialty crops and cut flowers. Produce is primarily sold through our approximately 100-member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. We also market to the college dining hall and our hometown farmers market. For tillage, the farm uses small tractors, a rototiller and a good deal of minimal impact hand work. We seek to demonstrate a combination of labor-efficient and low-tech sustainable farming practices. By using a variety of season extension techniques that include two high tunnels, a hot bed, cold frame and a hoop house, we produce vegetables from May through November.
We actively practice methods of sustainable agriculture and local food distribution. Further, we are interested in building our community at many levels. Our commitment to ongoing education includes ties to Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture and several other local agencies and organizations.
Additional and related projects on the farm include solar and wind energy projects and displays, large-scale composting and ongoing conservation efforts with a constructed wetland and an interpretive trail.
Wilson College, located in historic Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, is a small, liberal arts college with a progressive program in environmental science. The College is approximately two hours from Washington, D.C., one hour from Harrisburg, three hours from Pittsburgh and three hours from Philadelphia. Recreational opportunities abound in the area, include hiking, caving, swimming and climbing in several state parks located within a 30-mile radius. There are canoeing, kayaking and fishing opportunities on the Conococheague Creek and other nearby waterways.
Intern Program
Prospective interns should come to this program with the desire to learn the art and science of organic farming. This is a work-based education program, founded in the philosophy that the best way to learn about farming is to do it! Farm work can be boring, tedious and exhausting, in conditions that range from hot sun with mosquitoes to cold, rain and wind. However, with the right attitude, many people find that they acclimate to the work and find it enjoyable and satisfying. There is something about looking back on a cleanly weeded or cultivated field, or stacking up a mountain of winter squash, that can’t be achieved in an office environment. There is no better connection to one’s food supply than being able to watch a crop from seed to harvest.
We are committed to instructing interns in the “whys and hows” of the various techniques employed on our farm. This education will take place during fieldwork sessions, periodic farm walks and after hours, if desired. Educational field trips are organized and encouraged, and may include visits to other farms, markets, special events or other activities as the interest arises. The College has an extensive library, to which interns have free access.
Our goal is to train a new generation of sustainable farmers, as well as environmentally and socially conscious consumers. We seek dedicated and interested people to help run our farm. In our internship program, you will have an opportunity to learn what may have otherwise taken years in an employer/ employee situation. We expect our interns to have a willingness to work hard, quickly and efficiently, with the goal of getting the job done well while learning the craft of farming. Not all work on a farm is fun – there will be many, many hours of using various hand tools to work in the fields under a hot sun, as well as early, frosty mornings when it is still freezing outside but harvesting needs to get done for CSA distribution.
After a season at Fulton Farm, highly motivated and confident interns may feel qualified to begin their own market garden. Others should possess the skills to find employment on other organic farms, potentially in a management role.
Particular skills our interns typically learn include: low-input greenhouse propagation and production; seeding and planting techniques; irrigation design and operation; compost production and use; soil preparation and conservation; manual and mechanical weed control; cover cropping; harvesting efficiency and quality control; planning CSA distribution; managing a farmers market stand; irrigation design and implementation; and potentially, tractor work and equipment maintenance. Other topics can be researched according to the intern’s desires and in consultation with the farm manager.
What an intern takes away from Fulton Farm depends a lot on what she or he puts into it. In addition to being a great learning experience, a summer on the farm should certainly be a memorable time. Throughout the season, open communication will be stressed to promote satisfaction and avoid conflict. We require applicants to visit the farm to assess compatibility.
Duties and Compensation
This intern program is a trade: We trade our knowledge for your labor. We count on our interns to be conscientious and reliable, as well as hard-working. We hope that they will come to feel personally invested in the farm, taking responsibility for its care and pride in its productivity. We also hope that interns will be willing and able to take on some important responsibilities such as greenhouse management, supervision of volunteers, care of our chickens and partial management of our farmers market stand after they are fully trained and feel comfortable doing so.
In addition to knowledge, we will provide a place to live, bountiful food from the farm and a weekly stipend. We ask you not to think of the stipend as a wage, but as something to help you get by while you learn to farm. An intern week is typically about 50-65 hours of work/study on the farm. On Saturdays, we rotate through our local farmers market, irrigation duties and days off. There will be occasional times when we will need to harvest on a Saturday or a Sunday or do some type of maintenance or farm chore in order to keep the farm running smoothly. The farm manager will let interns know ahead of the weekend if their help is needed. Educational field trips are often considered a part of “work” and happen throughout the season.
Modern housing is available. Interns can expect to share a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen facilities in the farmhouse addition; however some interns prefer to take advantage of outdoor “deluxe camping” accommodations for the season according to preference. There is also a straw bale washroom for farm use.
We can only hire a limited number of paid interns, and typically give preference to interns that can commit to the full season (May-October), but we will consider offering positions to short-season (summer) applicants, such as college students, people with other commitments. Short-season interns may receive food and housing, plus all educational experiences. Pay will depend on our budget. Please indicate on your application if this option interests you.