Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] City woman seeks farm job/mentor

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Regina M. Kreger" <regina@kreger.net>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>, orchard1@telus.net
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] City woman seeks farm job/mentor
  • Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 16:23:04 -0400

Thanks for the note, Sonja. Do you have a website? I've never been to Vancouver, but my dad visited and he seems to think it's heaven on earth.

Regina

Sonja & Raymond Barker wrote:
<div class="moz-text-flowed" style="font-family: -moz-fixed">hi regina; just read your request for a farm...we probably fit in with almost everything you are looking for, blessed quiet, no honeybees but mason bees. chickens, fruit,veg only 1tractor value added farmers markets and onfarm sales..but no spreadsheets here, fast speed but only for personal use, in case of virus. only thing we are in the vancouver area of b.c.canada and we cant really pay someone full time...also our problem is good food; cooking etc and enjoying the fruits of mother nature....also catholic..so we may have met at some other time...good luck with your quest.. the 'apple lady'
----- Original Message ----- From: "Regina M. Kreger" <regina@kreger.net>
To: <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 12:06 PM
Subject: [NAFEX] City woman seeks farm job/mentor


Friends,

I am a 40-year-old woman who has left a longtime bureaucratic job
(budget management, contracting, human resources) with that fine old
"back to the land" dream. I plan to have my house in shape to put it on
the market within the month, and then I will be free -- and looking for
some learning opportunities. The ideal situation is described below, but
I am open to compromise if some of the elements don't exactly fit. I
currently live near Washington, D.C., and I am open to going anywhere in
the region from Southern Appalachia to New England.

I would like to find a job for a full year or more, on a diversified
farm, not necessarily organic but biased toward ecological
sustainability. The dream job would involve a variety of livestock, a
veggie garden more for home consumption than for market, some fruit and
maybe some value-added processing. Honeybees, the whole shebang. I'd
like to work for a woman, or for someone who genuinely thinks women can
do anything men can do, and who will sometimes challenge me to do things
I didn't know I was capable of. The dream farm would not be sworn off of
tractors and machines, but might choose hand work or animal labor more
than is typical (blessed quiet!). Also maybe exploring other ways to
reduce dependence on fossil fuels, e.g. photovoltaics or biodiesel. I
hope the farmer will come to trust me enough to let me see spreadsheets,
tax returns, business plans, grant applications -- whatever will help me
understand how farm finances work so I won't go broke when I eventually
strike out on my own.

I would prefer to live on-site rather than drive back and forth, and to
take part of my pay in farm produce. But I can't afford not to also have
some cash income, especially since I hope to someday buy my own little
piece of land (and especially if my house doesn't sell right away). My
agricultural experience is limited to a few years with a vegetable
garden and a few backyard chickens. On the other hand, I have plenty of
experience being your market -- the well-paid urban consumer who seeks
out locally and sustainably grown food -- maybe my perspective will be
useful to you in marketing. I am smart and creative, learn fast, love
animals, love food, have no fear of shoveling manure or cutting the
heads off of chickens, I'm tall and pretty strong, I speak (and read and
write) fluent Spanish and adequate Portuguese, and I don't like TV. Oh
... on the other hand, having so very, very much to learn, I do rely on
the Internet, and I don't know what I'd do without high-speed access.

Um ... what else? I feel like I'm writing a personals ad.... I worked 19
years in my last job so I'm a little rusty at this. I am looking for a
mentor, not just a boss, so the "chemistry" is important. I am very
Catholic without being dogmatic nor judgmental, I love my family
fiercely (I mean parents, siblings, & beyond -- no husband or kids of my
own), love singing, and did I say I am passionate about good food?
Raising it, preparing it, eating it, sharing it. I am quiet and like to
spend some time alone each day, nonetheless I think I'm pretty easy to
get along with most of the time.

Please reply if you think you might have a place for me on your farm.

Thanks,
Regina

_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have permission!

**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be used to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex

File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!

NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/


</div>




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page