We Are Looking For Apprentices For
The 2024 Season!
Award-winning regenerative farm in Northern California’s Emerald Triangle looking for people to participate in the 2024 growing season!
Who We Are
Sol Spirit Farm is a 26 acre property in Trinity County, California, just outside the town of Willow Creek. We cultivate one quarter acre of combined light deprivation and full term cannabis for the licensed california market, along with chickens, pigs, ducks, fruits and vegetables, and honey for our own consumption and for the guests at our glamping bud and breakfast, which we operate on site in the summer.
Walter Wood and Judi Nelson have been developing this land according to permaculture principles since 2001. We have built a strawbale house, developed micro hydro and solar power systems, improved pond and water storage, built hugelkultur beds for gardening, planted fruit, nut and olive trees, and are working to manage the forested area of the property to bring back the native oak woodlands.
Since 2018, we have been licensed by the state of California to grow cannabis. We operate a small farm brand selling packaged flower and pre-rolls. Our brand is all about earth conscious cannabis and we aim to educate folks about regenerative farming and how it could potentially solve the climate crisis. We have won awards for our sustainable packaging. By growing with regenerative techniques, we have been able to maintain very high quality in our flower and have won multiple gold medals in the California State Fair, the Emerald Cup, the Grow-off and other competitions.
Plans For 2024!
This year we have a lot going on at the farm!
We are always working to improve the regenerative nature of our practices and become more and more self sufficient. In 2023 we were able to produce 100% of our nutrients on the farm using JADAM and natural farming techniques. We are looking to build out our feeding system to make it more efficient and to expand our ability to feed all the beds on the property with ease.
After some major weather events the past couple of years, we have a lot of down trees in our forest and a big goal for 2024 is to bring much of this downed wood out of the forest and utilize it to make more hugelkultur beds, biochar, woodchips for mulching, mill it for lumber, and for firewood. This will also accomplish improving the health of our forest and make our land more fire safe.
We also lost two of our green houses to these weather events, and some areas of our fencing was pulled down as well, so we will be erecting new greenhouses and repairing fences.
We are working to improve our power system on the farm. We do have grid power to the cannabis cultivation area, but the strawbale house and the yurt living quarters are off grid, utilizing micro hydro and solar power. We will be improving the stability of or power supply by integrating more solar panels and setting up a solar grid intertie system, to replace the power we use to dry and keep our stored flowers cool.
We are working to increase the available housing on the farm for folks working here, and are remodeling an airstream trailer and improving a rustic cabin.
We are hoping to have a full season of guests at the “glampground” and will be building a new bath house, improving paths and doing general beautification projects.
We are finalizing plans for a new strawbale building for the dining area and classroom along with a natural swimming pond, but due to the time it takes to get these kinds of things permitted by the county, it is not super likely we will get to start these projects this summer, but if we do, then that will be happening.
And, of course there are LOTS of garden tasks every day.
Our Perfect Candidate(s):
We are looking for couples or individuals who would like to come and live on the farm and help us accomplish our goals, while having a great learning experience.
We ask for a minimum of a one month committment, and would love to find people who can commit for the entire season, April through November.
You must have many of the following skills and personality traits to be considered:
- A great work ethic. During the time you are “on the clock” you are focused, detail oriented, move quickly and efficiently, follow directions, and thoroughly complete tasks.
- Work well with others, without drama.
- Be Dependable. Be where you say you will be, when you say you will be there. Remember commitments you make and follow through with them.
- Excellent communication skills
- Emotionally mature and willing to practice living in community
- Keep your living area and common areas clean, keep tools in order
- Ability to learn our protocols and be able to perform repetitive tasks without supervision
- Ability to dig with a shovel for several hours at a time
- Ability to haul brush and logs a short distance for several hours at a time
- Ability to safely operate a chainsaw
- Ability to operate a weed wacker safely
- Ability to lift 50 lbs
- Familiarity with basic gardening tools and techniques
- Ability to drive a truck and trailer
- Carpentry skills or a desire to learn carpentry
- Electrical wiring skills or a desire to learn wiring
- Plumbing skills or a desire to learn plumbing
- Ability to sit for several hours performing repetitive tasks
- Ability to stand for several hours performing repetitive tasks
- Cooking skills
- Cleaning common areas and glamping tents in season
- Website design/ maintenance
- Social media content creation/ management
- Mural painting
- Bring your own wisdom and experiences to share to improve practices where appropriate.
What We Offer:
We have several housing options available.
A beautiful yurt with off grid power, wood stove, full kitchen and private bath house. We would like for this structure to house a couple as this is the most efficient use of this space.
Cozy Bell Tents with wood stove and private bathroom, use of a shared living and cooking space.
Eggs and meat raised on the property, produce from the gardens, and staple bulk foods for you to prepare yourself in your own kitchen. We do a community meal once per week on sundays in the winter/ spring. Once the glamping season starts in June, we welcome farm helpers to join in eating delicious farm to table breakfasts and dinners with the guests.
A weekly stipend DOE
A learn by working environment. Work hours vary throughout the season. We start work very early (6am) in the summer to avoid the mid day heat. Generally, you will work around 8 hours per day, 4 to 5 days per week. We do our best to vary the jobs you are assigned so that you gain experience doing lots of different tasks. We also try to tailor work to individual skills and abilities. Everyone is expected to participate in push days like planting and harvest days
We are happy to share our cannabis from the farm, but prefer you enjoy it outside of work hours, especially if it negatively impacts your productivity.
A gorgeous swimming hole a 10 min walk from the farm
Weekly Pilates classes in town (spring and fall) and on the farm during the glamping season.
Many educational opportunities
Opportunity to participate in some of the retreats and classes we offer here on the farm outside of work hours.
