Deck Family Regenerative Farm

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

Contact information

Farm Address:
25362 High Pass Road
Junction City, Oregon, 97448

Primary Contact: Christine Deck
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 541-953-3393
    Email: deckfamilyfarm@gmail.com

Website: https://www.deckfamilyfarm.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: STUDENT FARMER TRAINING PROGRAM Deck Family Farm | Junction City, Oregon | Willamette Valley Instagram & TikTok: @deckfamilyfarm Certified Organic (Oregon Tilth) | AGA Grass-Fed Certified | GAP Humane Handling | Salmon Safe ABOUT THE FARM Deck Family Farm is a 500-acre, certified organic, multigenerational family farm in Oregon's Willamette Valley. Since 2004, John and Christine Deck have built a working regenerative livestock operation grounded in traditional values, honest work, and the conviction that raising food well is one of the most important things a person can do. We are not a homestead experiment. We are a for-profit, medium-scale commercial farm running eight farmers markets, a full-diet CSA, and six livestock enterprises with 20-30 year-round employees. Our intern and apprentice program exists to train the next generation of farmers — seriously. We are currently seeking male applicants to balance an incoming cohort that is predominantly women. INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION The Deck Family Farm intern and apprentice program trains the next generation of farmers through hands-on, real-world experience. We host 8-12 student farmers year-round in an immersive program that covers every aspect of running a successful farm operation. Days begin at 7 AM with an all-farm meeting. Work weeks are 5 days on / 2 days off, 8-10 hours per day. You will work alongside 20-30 experienced managers and employees across every area of the farm. A typical week might include: - Morning milking and Jersey dairy operations - Livestock care across six species - Assisted births — lambing, farrowing, calving - Farmers market sales and operations - Butter, yogurt, and artisan cheese making - Market garden: harvest, preservation, and CSA fulfillment - Farm business and financial management - Equipment operation, fencing, and infrastructure maintenance - Rotational and management-intensive grazing - Community meal preparation FARM ENTERPRISES Raw Milk Dairy: Milking an average of 16-18 Jersey cows year-round. The herd is held as a cooperative and owned by shareholders who pay for feed, care, and milking. Butter, cheese, and yogurt along with fresh milk are produced for shareholders. Heritage Galloway Beef: 100% grass-fed and finished, certified organic, AGA-certified. Management-intensive grazing has brought greater fertility to farm pastures. Rotating crops of grains, legumes, and grasses has extended the grazing season to 8-9 months of the year. Heritage Red Wattle Pork: Pasture-raised and hazelnut-finished. 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. Pastured Poultry: Certified organic heritage layers for eggs and roasters for meat. All chickens are on pasture during the day and housed in chicken trailers at night to prevent predation. Poultry is grazed behind and beside cattle to break parasite life cycles and build pasture fertility. 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. Market Garden and CSA: Grazier's Garden provides vegetables for the Full Farm CSA (FFCSA), which supplies members with meat, milk, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains, ferments, and more. Students participate in all aspects of farm sales including CSA, farmers markets, wholesale accounts, and financial analysis. THE HEARTH — HEARTHHOLDING AND HOME One of our most distinctive placements centers on the heart of farm life: the home itself. Hearthholding is a serious and honored role at Deck Family Farm. It encompasses meal preparation and kitchen management, household hospitality, canning and preserving, dairy and cheese making, gardening, and all the traditional homesteading skills that make a farming community truly function. This is not background work — it is the connective tissue of everything we do. We believe that keeping the home hearth alive and well is foundational to a thriving agricultural community. This placement is particularly well-suited to applicants who value domestic mastery and traditional homemaking as a genuine craft and vocation. COMPENSATION AND HOUSING Stipend: $10,000-$15,000 for a 12-18 month placement, paid monthly in advance. Housing and Meals: Fully included. Room and board, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry access provided. Evening meals are shared family-style with all community members rotating cooking and cleaning duties. All food is provided. Second Year: Apprenticeship positions begin at $20,000 after completion of first year. LIFE AT DECK FAMILY FARM We are a multigenerational, community-oriented farm and we live that out every day. Family members of all ages work alongside employees and interns. We share meals, celebrate the seasons, and welcome visitors nearly every day of the week. Our open-gate policy means the farm is alive with neighbors, customers, and friends. We prefer not to accommodate strict vegetarian or vegan diets. We believe animals are an essential and sacred part of a healthy food system — and we raise them accordingly. CAREER OUTCOMES Approximately 50% of Deck Family Farm graduates go on to careers in agriculture. Second and third-year students take on management positions with increasing responsibility. The skills built here — animal husbandry, dairy production, business management, community leadership — are the foundation for running your own operation or managing a large-scale farm. CONSERVATION LEGACY Over 20 years, the farm has placed over one mile of riparian corridor into the Creek Restoration and Enhancement Program (CREP), completed five USDA Environment Quality Incentive Program (EQUIP) projects for manure sequestration, and planted over 100,000 trees through the Forest Trust Program. SKILLS DESIRED No experience required. Must have: a strong work ethic, ability to work long physical days outdoors, willingness to follow direction, openness to working with people of diverse ages and backgrounds, and the ability to live in community and share community meals. Flexibility, humor, and a genuine interest in farming are essential. EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Humane handling, rotational grazing, forage management, irrigation, fencing, milking, spreadsheets, marketing, birthing, community living, market gardening, breeding programs, basic medical treatments, farm equipment, plumbing, electric wire, visits to neighboring farms and events, yogurt, butter, sausage, lard, broth, and cheese making. APPLY AND LEARN MORE 25362 High Pass Rd, Junction City, OR 97448 Phone: 541-998-4697 Email: info@deckfamilyfarm.com Website: deckfamilyfarm.com/intern-program Instagram and TikTok: @deckfamilyfarm

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: Applicants considered year-round
Internship Ends: 12-18 months
Number of Internship Available: 8-12 Students enrolling year round, contact for available openings.
Application Deadline: Open
Minimum Length of Stay: 12-18 months. Apprenticeship program by application after completing of 1st year

Internship Details:

INTERNSHIP DESCRIPTION

The Deck Family Farm intern and apprentice program trains the next generation of farmers through hands-on, real-world experience. We host 8-12 student farmers year-round in an immersive program that covers every aspect of running a successful farm operation.

Days begin at 7 AM with an all-farm meeting. Work weeks are 5 days on / 2 days off, 8-10 hours per day. You will work alongside 20 experienced managers and employees across every area of the farm.

A typical week might include:
– Morning milking and Jersey dairy operations
– Livestock care across six species
– Assisted births — lambing, farrowing, calving
– Farmers market sales and operations
– Butter, yogurt, and artisan cheese making
– Market garden: harvest, preservation, and CSA fulfillment
– Farm business and financial management
– Equipment operation, fencing, and infrastructure maintenance
– Rotational and management-intensive grazing
– Community meal preparation

Educational Opportunities: Educational Opportunities: Humane handling, rotational grazing, forage management, irrigation, fencing, milking, spreadsheet & financials, marketing, birthing, community living, market gardening, breeding programs and basic medical treatments, farm equipment, plumbing, electric wire, visits to neighboring farms, and events, yogurt, butter, sausage, lard, broth, and cheese making. See also: Culinary Farm Internship position listed on ATTRA.

Skills Desired: Skills Desired: No experience required. Must have: a strong work ethic, ability to work long hours, ability to follow directions, willingness to work on interpersonal and communication skills, Interest in working with a range of cultures and ages, live in community and share community meals. Flexibility, forgiveness and humor.

Meals: Meals: All food is provided, evening meal is family style, with all community members sharing rotating cooking and cleaning chores.

Stipend: Stipend: $10,000-$15000 for 12-18 month placement. Room and Board included. Second year apprenticeship positions begin at $20,000 after completion of first year.

Housing: Housing: Room & Board provided, kitchen, bathroom and laundry access in main house.

Preferred method of Contact: email or phone