Advance Training Opportunites at Midheaven Farm, Park Rapids, Minnesota

Advance Training Opportunities 2005
April 1st - November 1st

Midheaven Farms has two positions open for advanced training in biodynamic farming and gardening. The 460 acre farm integrates livestock, grains, vegetables, and fruit/forestry.
The farm sits at the continental crossroads of three major biomes - prairie, deciduous forest, and northern conifer forest. Our weather is affected by the relatively dry air from the Pacific, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, and polar air from the north. The frost-free growing season extends from the end of May until the middle of September.

At the heart of Midheaven Farms are its warm season prairie grass pastures. Students are trained to develop the skills to time the grazing of the cow/calf herd during the pasturing season, from May to November. They learn to integrate cattle into the garden settings as part of the farm's field rotation system. Prescribed burning is an integral part of the pasturing cycle.

Using an extensive assortment of tractors and machinery, students raise and harvest hay and grains. Compost is made and spread on the gardens and field row crops; BD 500 and 501 are sprayed at least twice each in all 240 open acres during the season. Over the course of the training physical results from using the biodynamic preparations and practices can be seen.

Gardening work involves raising vegetables and raspberries for a CSA. Emphasis is placed on working with the moon phases, BD preps, companion planting, weed evaluation as it reveals soil fertility, CSA management techniques, and seed saving. Complementing the farming and gardening work is sustainable forestry work, including tree planting in the woodlots and windbreaks.

In all aspects of the training, students are taught to pay attention to the details that are necessary to any type of farming - from maintenance and repairs on tractors and implements, to the subtle communication of the cattle, to knowing when the hay is just right to bale, to reading cloud formations to predict the weather, to knowing when the gardens need water or silica spray or weeding.

Students get a private room, either in the main farmhouse or in separate housing on the farm. Farm food, basic stipend, and end of season bonus are also available.

The goals of Midheaven Farms are to provide healthy food for people, to have the gardens, fields, trees and animals complement each other using sustainable Biodynamic practices, and to offer training to young Biodynamic farmers and gardeners. Applicants must have worked a minimum of one season on a farm or garden and provide references from that experience. Additionally, the must demonstrate:

A commitment to sustainable agriculture;
A desire to be immersed in a Biodynamic farm organism;
A reverence for Nature;
An eagerness to learn new concepts and skills;
The willingness and the capacity to work with the rhythms of the growing season.

Working in harmony with Nature is fun, challenging, and rewarding. If you are drawn to Biodynamic agriculture and are ready to master the practical, as well as esoteric, skills needed to be a serious Biodynamic farmer or gardener, contact :

Dewane Morgan
Midheaven Farms
11059 County 14
Park Rapids, MN. 56470
Phone: (218) 732.1093
Fax Number: (218) 732.2007
E-Mail: sgmorg@wcta.net

Please print and fill out our application form here

A farm visit should be scheduled as part of the application process.