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Regenerative Farm Internship

Deck Family Farm
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LEARN TO RUN A PROFITABLE FARM BUSINESS

Deck Family Farm Education Program's mission is to train the next generation of farmers in building successful agricultural careers. Our year-round program teaches you how to operate a diversified, profitable farm enterprise—balancing consumer demand for quality products with sound business practices and environmental stewardship.

This is hands-on business education. You'll master livestock management, equipment operation, market strategy, and the financial systems that make a farm profitable.

The Operation: 300-500 acres in Western Willamette Valley running multiple revenue streams: Heritage Red Wattle Pork, Heritage Galloway Beef, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, Jersey Dairy, Organic Layer Hens, plus Market Garden production. We're a for-profit business with 20-30 year-round employees. This isn't a homestead—it's a medium scale for-profit farm.

What You'll Master:

  • Livestock Systems: Birth-to-finish pork production, dairy herd management (16-18 cows), birth-to-finish 100% grass-fed beef, flock management (120-150 sheep), pastured layer and meat poultry operations
  • Farming Practices: Managed intensive grazing systems, 7-year pasture rotation, nutrient management, composting operations
  • Business Operations: Financial analysis, wholesale accounts, farmers market sales, inventory management, pricing strategy
  • Technical Skills: Milking operations, meat processing coordination, added-value meat and dairy production, machinery maintenance, spreadsheet management, market logistics

The Work: 5-day work weeks, 8-10 hours/day. Days start at 7 AM with an all-farm operations meeting. Physical work includes equipment operation, livestock handling, infrastructure maintenance, harvest, and market prep. You'll work alongside experienced managers running a multi-enterprise commercial farm.

Career Path: 50% of graduates continue in agriculture careers. Second and third-year students advance to management positions with increased responsibility and leadership roles. This program builds the skillset to launch your own operation or manage large-scale agricultural businesses.

Certifications & Standards: Certified Organic (Oregon Tilth), AGA Certified, GAP Humane Handling, Salmon Safe. We run government-partnered conservation programs (CREP, EQUIP) and maintain professional agricultural standards.

Compensation & Housing: Cost of living allowance provided. Modest accommodations (shared housing, cabin, or adobe house). Externship opportunities and research project support available.

 

Farm Enterprises are as follows:

Raw milk dairy: Milking an average of 16-18 cows year round. The herd is held as a cooperative and owned by shareholders who pay for feed, care and milking of the herd. Butter, cheese, and yogurt along with fresh milk are produced for shareholders.

Heritage pasture-raised hazelnut-finished pork. Sows farrow in the barn in the winter. Piglets are fed raw milk from the dairy during weaning and finished on hazelnuts. We produce our pigs birth to finish.

100% Grass fed and finished Certified Organic Heritage Galloway beef. Management intensive grazing has brought greater fertility to farm pastures, and rotating crops of grains, legumes and grasses has extended our grazing season to 8-9 months of the year.

Poultry : Certified Organic heritage layers for eggs, and roasters for meat. All chickens are out on pasture during the day and housed in chicken trailers or tractors at night to prevent predation. Chickens are grazed behind and beside cattle. In addition to their great tasting eggs, the poultry is an integral part of breaking parasite life cycles and bringing fertility to the pastures.

Sheep: Our mixed breed flock of Cheviot, Dorset and Suffolk ewes ranges between 120-150. Lambs come in early Spring. Much of our grazing for the sheep flock is on leased organic, off-site ground.

Vegetables: Graziers Garden provides veggies for the Full Farm CSA (FFCSA) which is housed at the farm and supplies CSA members with meat, milk, eggs, veg, fruit, nuts, grains, ferments, and more.

Marketing: Students participate in all aspects of farm sales including CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, farmers markets, wholesale accounts, warehousing and financial analysis.  Deck is a for-profit business that strives to maintain a reasonable economy of scale. Our program is substantially rooted in what it takes to run a successful farm business rather than a subsistence homestead.

To apply, please send an email of interest and resume to Christine Deck at deckfamilyfarm@gmail.com.