August 18, 2008

Steve Wilson - future farmer

Steve weeding peas in FranceI'm extremely interested in small-scale organic farming and am taking a motorcycle trip down the west coast of the USA and want to wwoof during as much of it as I can.

I am primarily interested in learning all aspects of self-sufficient, sustainable, and successful organic vegetable farming. I have gardening and farming experience. The scale of farm I'm interested in is a small (2-10 acre) organic market garden. I am very interested in organic farming and farming as a way of life. I am hoping to gain as much hands-on experience and see as many different diverse farms as possible before taking the plunge myself and starting my own farm.

My experience

In 2008, I apprenticed at Plum Forest Farm in Vashon, Washington. I started at the farm in March and will be there until sometime in early November. Plum Forest is a 5-acre organic farm growing vegetables for a small CSA, farm stand and farmers market, raising egg-laying hens for eggs sold through their farm stand, pastured broilers for meat and pastured Scottish Highland cattle for beef. I was involved in all aspects of the growing, caring for, harvesting, processing and selling the products of the farm.

Other farming experience I have has been WWOOFing on organic farms in Europe. For six months, from March through September 2007 I volunteered through the WWOOF Independents organization on eight small farms in Spain, France, Norway and Ireland. I stayed from two weeks to five weeks on each farm.

Each farm involved physical labor and tasks typical for organic farms. I can supply character and work references from some of these farms if desired. I've experienced almost all aspects of farming including, but not limited to:

I've had experience working at a farmers markets, with stand set-up, preparation and stocking, and at Plum Forest I staffed the market stall every Saturday during the season. I also have experience preparing CSA boxes. Lastly, I have completed the Seattle Tilth Comprehensive Organic Gardener course and have volunteered in their demostration gardens as well.

In addition, I have years of experience mowing, edging, using a chain-saw, strimming (weed eating), etc. with gas powered equipment, both walk-behind and ride-on. I also have many years of woodworking and light building experience.

In addition ...

I've been a professional graphic and web designer for 10 years and could help you set up and/or maintain a web site for your farm if you don't have one and have interest in one. If you do have one, and you're not happy with it, I can help you improve it and add features that might otherwise be very expensive to implement. You can view my online design portfolio. If you don't have a web site and don't want one, I can also help with any printed material, from business cards, to newsletters, signage, etc. - just about anything there is to print, I've had experience designing.

About me

I am 34 years old, single, no kids, no debts, with money in the bank, and am in excellent health. I don't smoke or do any sort of drugs. I like a cup of coffee in the mornings and every once in a while I enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, but it's very seldom and never excessive. I am primarily vegetarian.

I have a Washington State drivers license and a clean driving record. I have been driving since I was 15. I also have driven small two and four-wheel farm tractors, and have experience with a front loader and back-hoe.

I'm comfortable in lots of living arrangements and do well independently. I've lived in small communal environments and enjoyed them when the mix of people was right. As long as the living situation isn't too draughty or wet and has some sort of heating capability, has a decent kitchen and bath facilities, I am usually fine and can live quite comfortable in the most basic situations.

I'm a very hard worker, self-starting, I pick things up very quickly and am eager to learn. Before exploring my interest in farming, I worked in the "communications" industry for 10 years and have lots of customer service experience, so I can definitely say I am a good communicator and an overall good people person.

Please know that I am very serious about this, and if you want to contact me about opportunities please don't hesitate! Click here to contact me.

Weeding with a reciprocating hoe

breaking new ground for a potatoe bed in Spain

harvesting peat turf for fuel in Ireland

Other links to web pages that contain more information about me:

Couchsurfing - my profile on couchsurfing (an online community of travelers and hosts)

Flickr - my photo page

My web site - my personal web site

Thanks for reading!