Alaska Beauty Peony Co-op

Last Updated On: May 7th, 2026 at 07:38PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
1435 Lakeshore Dr
Homer, Alaska, 99603

Primary Contact: Allison Gaylord
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 907-399-1120
    Email: info@AlaskaBeautyPeony.com

Website: https://www.AlaskaBeautyPeony.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: The Alaska Beauty Peony Co-op works with a dozen cut flower farms in the hills surrounding Homer, Alaska. The co-op provides centralized facilities for packaging and distribution of cut flowers and dried flower products. Interns will be exposed to commercial cut flower production from boots on the ground at several farms to the co-op’s central pack house where inventory is received, packed and distributed to markets throughout Alaska and the Lower 48 states through deliveries in town, refrigerated trucks, FedEx and Alaska Air Cargo. Flower farming is small scale, but intensive. Our farms primarily grow herbaceous peonies. We strive to be as sustainable as possible relying on heavy landscape fabric to reduce labor in weeding; mowing of field edges and field sanitation to reduce the impact of pests; and use of bee friendly approaches to control pests. Some flower fields are located on homesteads on the outskirts of town while and other farmsteads are near town. Several of our flower farms include high tunnel greenhouses, vegetable gardens, orchards and livestock.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: May
Internship Ends: October
Number of Internship Available: 2
Application Deadline: 31-May
Minimum Length of Stay: 1 month (May-Oct preferred)

Internship Details:

 

• Interns will learn about farm infrastructure including fertigation systems, mobile coolers, techniques for field maintenance to optimize production, disease prevention, harvest requirements and post-harvest handling procedures including grades of flowers, inventory tracking and the importance of maintaining the cold chain.
• Interns will take part in value added product development. This will include deadheading flower heads in the field and shredding petals to dehydrate in a DEC approved kitchen at the packhouse for the production of peony tea, bath soak and soap.
• Interns will have the opportunity to help host agritourism events during Homer’s 7^th annual Peony Celebration to include tours, the farmer for a day program and bouquet bar. There will also be opportunities to assist in making flower bouquets and staffing the co-op booth at the Homer Farmer’s Market.
• Interns are invited to help compile photos and video to contribute to the co-op’s social media, newsletter and website outreach to tell the story of intensive, small-scale farming in Alaska and the niche market for Alaska Peonies and our value-added products.
• 40 hours a week with a flexible schedule. Harvest crews work rain or shine. Fresh cut peonies are harvested at a mature bud stage and stored at 34-degrees. Appropriate gear for work on the farm (supportive shoes, sun hat) and at the packhouse (warm jacket, gloves, hat) are recommended.
• Housing will be provided in a shared bunk house, yurt or dry cabin depending on the farm with access to bathroom, laundry and kitchen. Some hosts will provide opportunities to join family dinners and enjoy local produce and seafood.  Interns are encouraged to explore the Homer area and Kachemak Bay in their free time. Transportation will be provided between the farms and pack house plus to town as needed. Interns are also welcome to bring their own transportation (bike, car.)
• Seasonal work May through October with potential to extend internship through the fall to assist with end of season field maintenance, dried flower product development (tea, bath soak), order fulfillment and marketing (digital and trade shows).

Educational Opportunities: The goal of the internship is to expose applicants to a range of activities from farming to product distribution, agritourism, value added product development and marketing.  Duties can be adjusted based on interest but assistance in all areas is needed. Peony Farming Duties: (Multiple locations, but primarily on host farm) - Shadow farmers/farm managers in the field or high tunnel greenhouses to assist in cultivating flowers. Maintenance tasks to include help monitoring soil moisture, assistance with irrigation/fertigation systems, installation of plant support to produce straight marketable stems, field sanitation, weeding, scouting for disease, participation in harvest crew to include learning queues for cutting different varieties of flowers, quality control, how to grade and process flowers for inventory and sale. Pack house Duties: (Located at 1435 Lakeshore Drive) - Provide assistance to pack house manager to fulfill orders. This may include printing orders, creating consumer bunches of flowers for local markets, staging boxes of fresh flowers/merchandise for out of state shipping, in-state shipments, local deliveries and pickups. - Assist with inventory tracking of fresh cut flowers. - Assist with packhouse sanitation as needed to include sweeping, wiping surfaces, stacking flower crates, moving trash to the dumpster. - Agritourism events and local market support as needed (Multiple Locations) - Assist with co-op sponsored events during Homer’s 7th annual Peony Celebration. These will include farms tours, providing direction to “farmer for a day” volunteers, assistance with the bouquet bar and Homer Farmers Market booth as needed. Greet and assist visitors with questions as needed (Smile ) - Help set up event booth to create attractive, abundant displays of merchandise and fresh peonies. - Assist in processing sales with Shopify Point of Sale (POS) for local sales of flowers and merchandise. Systems and Hardware Used: Shopify online store and Point of Sale Shippo and shipping label printer UPS, USPS, and FedEx online shipping sites Laser printer Adobe, Canva Google Drive, Gmail and Google Sheets This internship can prepare you for job roles in the following industries: Forester and Conservation Scientist Logistician Marketing Manager Project Manager Purchasing, Merchandising, and Procurement Agents Soil and Plant Scientists Supply Chain Manager Agricultural Engineer 

Skills Desired: '-Prior experience working on a farm a plus, but not required. -We are seeking organized, efficient and self-motivated interns. We are looking for individuals who are ​flexible, can adapt, innovate and thrive in a fast paced, multi-faceted and challenging industry.  A sense of humor is vital.  -Job duties require lifting and carrying of loads weighing up to 25 pounds over rough or uneven surfaces. -Valid Food Worker Card, obtainable through the Division of Environmental Health from https://dec.alaska.gov/eh/fss/food-worker-card for those taking part in manufacture of value added products. -Computer skills to handle data entry of inventory, printing of invoices and shipping labels are helpful but training will be provided. -Communication skills to voice concerns, provide ideas for improving workflows and to support agritourism events and interaction with the public at the Homer Farmer’s Market desired.

Meals: Not typically. Some meals may be provided based on the accommodations at the host farm.

Stipend: Yes, we offer a monthly stipend up to $1200 based on experience.

Housing: Yes, most farms offer bunk house accommodations, dry cabins or yurts. Small RVs are welcome to camp.

Preferred method of Contact: Email