Farm Apprenticeship

Amber Waves Farm is a nonprofit teaching farm on Long Island’s East End. The farm operates on 45 acres, raising 30 acres of vegetables, 2 acres of cut flowers, and 5 acres of grains. The farm’s production serves a 320+ member CSA and on-site retail farm market and kitchen, local restaurant wholesale accounts, and local food pantries.

As a 501c3 non‑profit organization, Amber Waves’ core values of stewardship, community, sustainability, and exploration are carried out through four respective programs:
Apprenticeship;
Children’s

Education:

Public Access; and Food Security. The Apprenticeship Program is the anchor of farm operations and reflects our deep commitment to cultivating the next generation of farmers. Our hands‑on children’s education programming is designed to spark curiosity by connecting young eaters to their local food system. We also welcome the public to share the farm and experience the joyous sense of place exuded by the farmland.

Visitors walk the fields, visit the animals, and can enjoy breakfast and lunch on the farm nearly every day of the year. Finally, we collaborate with local food pantries to support our neighbors in need by donating thousands of pounds of produce each year.

Program Overview

In 2027, the Amber Waves Apprenticeship Program will celebrate its 16th year of growing new farmers through hands‑on training and mentorship. More than 60 new farmers have completed the program since 2012, most of whom remain actively involved in food and agriculture both locally and around the world. The Apprenticeship provides an 8‑month (March‑November) paid working and learning experience in sustainable agricultural practices.

Specifically, the program includes in‑field instruction, weekly discussion time with farm managers, and a handbook that guides and supplements educational topics (described below). The goal of the program is to teach the skill set necessary to launch a new farmer’s career in sustainable agriculture, and prepare them for subsequent growing seasons that will include advancement into higher level positions in farm leadership, management, or entrepreneurship.

As a vertically integrated farm operation, we are uniquely positioned to provide robust training to business planning, budgeting, and marketing associated with running a modern farm business. We specialize in value‑added products ranging from shelf‑stable jarred goods to packaged baby greens, salads, and floral arrangements. Apprentices’ involvement in this production model showcases the multiple avenues to pursue a productive career in food and agriculture post‑apprenticeship.

Among key topics covered over the course of the season, apprentices will work towards mastering technical skills associated with plant propagation in the greenhouse, harvesting and post‑harvest handling, and an introduction to tractor work. The intensive production of vegetables requires considerable hand‑labor (weeding, harvesting, trellising, etc.), which is accompanied by mechanized (tractor) tillage, cultivation, and preparation of beds. The field work is very physically demanding, and will require that apprentices are motivated, have a good attitude, can tolerate working in inclement weather, and be able to lift at least 50 lbs at a time.

There is a tremendous amount to be learned in a first season at Amber Waves Farm, where hands‑on fieldwork dominates the workday and daily repetition of relevant, critically important tasks are what drive an apprentice’s holistic understanding of the farm operation. To supplement fieldwork, we provide an apprenticeship curriculum and handbook that outlines weekly educational topics throughout the season. We begin with topics associated with getting the season started, including: plant…