Our Internship Program

Join Ground School for a summer of paid farm work, topical seminars & hands-on experience in regenerative agriculture on Washington Island, WI.

Gathering Ground’s internship program, Ground School, is for young adults who are passionate about environmental stewardship and want to learn more about agriculture.

This year we are offering 3 tracks:

• Full Season agricultural internship in diversified vegetables and fruit (6 month, May-Oct). Students will get to experience a full season on the farm from seed-starting and transplanting to harvest and marketing. This is a great opportunity for people who want to gain a wide-range of farm skills and are interested in a career in mixed vegetable production.

• Short course agricultural internship in diversified vegetables, fruit, and livestock (10 week, June-Aug). This shorter internship is great for college students or the farming curious who want to get hands-on experience. Based on your interests you will work on a special farm project of your choice, which may include chestnut orchard, vineyard, community garden or market garden. Gathering Ground will be your outdoor classroom to help you learn about what you love to do on the farm and help you discern whether a career in agriculture is for you.

• Environmental Education Track (10 week, June-Aug). Like the short course in ag, this track will also grant students hands-on farming experience while also giving opportunity to put your education skills into practice. You will help develop and implement environmental education events, spaces, or exhibits for kids and adults. Gathering Ground will be your outdoor classroom to help engage both the local community and visitors to Washington Island.

Ground School is a great fit for those interested in exploring:

Learn alongside peers, teachers and practitioners as we envision ways to live in greater harmony with the earth that sustains us.

Our weekly schedule includes:

Hands-on horticultural lessons in Gathering Ground’s vineyard, orchard and garden.

Farm work at Gathering Ground’s diverse farm projects, including orchards, vineyards, community garden and market garden.  

Farm Dinners: cook + share meals made from local, seasonal ingredients

Seminars discussions based on topical reading in agroforestry and food studies.

Field trips to farms and conservation organizations.

Other important details:

• Dates: The six month program runs from April to Oct. The 10 week program starts the first week of June and runs through the first week of August. If these conflict with your school calendar, please let us know and we can try to accomodate.

• Credit: We will work with your university or college to help you get course credit.

•  Pay: Monthly stipend for six month interns and a one-time stipend for 10-week interns paid at the end of the internship. Access to seasonal veggies!

• Housing: We have housing available at our Aznoe Farm house. The large farmhouse provides a place for cultivating community and practicing sustainable living. All interns must commit to being good stewards of the resources provided and caring for and investing in the community we build together. 

Testimonials

As our bond deepened, so did my perspective. There were days where I’d look up and see a hawk soaring right over my head, or cross  paths with a deer who stared at me like I was out of place. Foxes moved with confidence,  like they belonged. And maybe over time, I started to feel like I belonged too. Thats what  Grounds school gave me. Not just new skills, but a deeper connection to the land, to  others, and to myself. 

Cole D.

Summer 2025 Intern

Read more about 2025 Ground School experiences on our blog.

I found the idea of perennial agriculture and agroforestry fascinating. Working in the garden gave me a larger appreciation for where my food comes from, and made me feel capable of doing hard things. Most of all though, Ground School showed me the importance of community.

Tae E.

Summer 2023 Intern

Read more about Tae’s experience at Ground School on our blog. 

“This internship sparked in me the fact that it is possible to combine my two interests of music and science. I always thought of them as very contrasting areas of study and now I am thinking about how I can combine them more and how they can help each other. Gathering Ground has re-ignited my passion for the Earth. This internship was just what I needed at this point in my college career.”

 

Isabella Cisneros

Summer 2021 Intern

Isabella, who is majoring in Environmental Studies and Flute Performance, found a way to blend the two disciplines while at Gathering Ground. Learn more about Isabella’s internship experience below.

“Everything that’s happening with Gathering Ground is really exciting, but what’s most exciting to me is that it’s happening here. In my experience growing up on the island, it was easy to feel that I would have no choice but to leave in order to find any sort of opportunity, but for me Gathering Ground changed this narrative. It helped me realize that even in a primarily seasonal tourist economy, we can create opportunity and resources here for the local community, and with those resources circulating we support and rely on each other a little more and the outside world a little less.”

 

Sophia Hagen

Summer 2021 Intern

Sophia was born and raised on Washington Island, and was surprised and delighted to hear about Gathering Ground and the work we’re doing with the community to revitalize sustainable agriculture. Learn more about Sophia’s internship experience below.

“One day of the internship consisted of us traveling to take samples of soil from other farms and home gardens around the island. When you’re digging down, taking the soil in your hands, and seeing the differences from place to place, it’s hard to ignore that within that handful of soil is a robust community, teeming with lives that nourish our existence, even if they’re so small that we can’t see them with the naked eye. In holding the soils of different gardens on the island, I was able to see myself as part of the natural network, to imagine my life connected to the billions of microbes living in the soil I touched.”

 

Emma Knickelbine

Summer 2021 Intern

Emma, who is getting her Master’s in Literature and Cultural Theory, used her time at Gathering Ground to explore ecocriticism. Learn more about Emma’s internship experience below.

“The farming and gardening gave me a newfound appreciation for the hard work that goes into cultivating food. I took with me a stronger passion for the environment and a stronger connection to those who care for it.”

 

Alex Krantz

Summer 2020 Intern

Alex and his sister Izzy spent summers on Washington Island when they were growing up, so they were delighted to have a reason to come back and spend time on the farm. Learn more about Alex’s internship experience below.

“One of my favorite parts of the internship was seeing the strong sense of community on the Island and how everyone is willing to lend a hand. The farmers’ markets were a great opportunity to meet members of the community and see the produce and products that all come from the island.”

 

Nathan Ochocinski

Summer 2018 Intern

Nathan is studying Biology and Sustainability Management, and was excited to learn more about viticulture during his time at Gathering Ground. Learn more about Nathan below.