General Farm Description: Mystery Bay Farm is a 5 acre family farm on Marrowstone Island. We manage a herd of almost 40 goats on our land as well as neighboring parcels. While the 'farm' is a dairy, making cheese for sale, we are first and foremost a family homestead. We have a big garden, fruit trees, a pond, outdoor solar/wood fired hot tubs, a cob oven and more. We enjoy hanging out here and our kids are a big part of the vibe
CRAFT Member Farm? No
Internship Starts: Late Feb 2025 Internship Ends: Oct/Nov 2025 Number of Internship Available: 1 Application Deadline: 1-Feb-25 Minimum Length of Stay: 8 months
Internship Details:
An apprentice at Mystery Bay Farm will come away with a diversity of skills which represent the dynamic nature of a working farm. You will learn how to oversee kidding (goat births), the raising of kids, goat milking (by hand and machine) procedures, goat health maintenance and mediation, principals of rotational grazing, pasture management, hay making, cheese making and packaging, overall cheese facility maintenance, basic gardening and the business of selling cheese. We are a family (and often a neighborhood) farm, so apprentice must enjoy young children, curious neighbors and dinner around a fire.
An apprentice will have the opportunity to experience every aspect of our Farmstead Dairy operation- including birthing, milking through the season, goat husbandry, pasture management, hay making, cheese making, business of ‘cheese’, breeding and more. We value teaching the how and why of our systems as a path to resilient competency.
Educational Opportunities: Many other small farms in the area (vegis, blueberries etc.) that can be visited etc. if interested.
Skills Desired: To thrive on the farm one will need to :
Enjoy goats and getting to know them
Find the routine of farm work satisfying
Have the ability to work alone
Find pleasure in daily routines that are not 'internet based'
Be ok with a shared kitchen area- our barn area is heavily used by our family. (we live here!)
Have the ability and motivation to explore our community be it the beaches on Marrowstone Island or other activities off island
Genuinely want to learn, through experience, how small farms really work
We are a 10 minute drive to the nearest town, but are lucky to have an amazing General Store right at the bottom of our driveway. Some cell phones work here and yes, we have internet, however it is limited to the barn area.
Meals: No
Stipend: Yes
Housing: Yes
Contact information
Farm Address: PO Box 285 Nordland, Washington, 98358