Horsepower Farm, Paul, Andy & Donna Birdsall, 90 Horsepower Farm Road, Penobscot, ME 04476, 207-374-5038. Diversified market garden, dry beans and other storage crops, sheep, hay, and some grain for livestock. We work alongside apprentices with a view to developing their capability to function independently and effectively as part of the farm community.

• Source of power: 6 horses, tractor for bucket work.
• Horses are used for: virtually all tillage, planting, cultivating, haying, harvest, fertilization, logging.
• Acreage: 65 open, 300 wooded.
• Other livestock: sheep, pigs, chickens.
• Skills offered in: management of market garden and crops, sheep, logging; most apprentices come away able to harness, hitch, and drive teams on farm work.
• Work hours: 8 hrs/day, 44 hrs/wk.
• Terms: room & board; dates by arrangement, length by mutual convenience; 3 apprentices at a time.
• Stipend: yes.
• Accommodations: small farm house with cooking facilities, wood heat, outhouse; we furnish food, apprentices prepare their own meals.
• Apprentice must: have a sincere desire to learn and be really excited by the prospect of learning how to farm with horses; attitude is more important than prior experience or skills. Must accept that draft training is highly structured.
• Visit first: yes.
• Trial period: 2 weeks, depending on circumstances.

• Source of power: 3 Belgians.
• Horses are used for: all aspects of logging, some fieldwork,working both single and as a team.
• Acreage: 30+ acres leased hay and crop land; 1 in garden, 3.5 in pasture, 2 in woodlot.
• Other livestock: chickens, sheep, dogs, too many cats.
• Skills offered in: intensive low impact horse logging and driving, draft horse care (grooming and feeding), hoof trimming, harnessing, trailering.
• Work hours: 8 hrs/day, 40 hrs/wk; dawn til dark and sometimes beyond.
• Terms: room & board; 1 apprentice at a time in summer, fall or winter (it is best not to be in the woods during mud season), length tailored to student.
• Stipend: no.
• Accommodations: use of cabin, meals with a family of six; hearty home cooking, mostly organic vegies and home raised meats.
• Apprentice must: be willing and able to work in differing seasonal extremes in the woods, wake early, share the farm chores; want to learn by doing; have a sincere interest in using the skills I can teach.
• Visit first: yes.
  

  10 April 2013 Renewed

Troika Drafts & The Shoeing Shop,Vicki Schmidt, 955 Buckfield Road, Route 124, Hebron, ME 04238, 207-966-2280, troika@megalink.net www.troikadrafts.com.

Lessons and training of horses for work (logging and haying), sport, and show. We offer a flexible program and a variety of draft horse related opportunities.

• Source of power:combined technologies with 25 Shires and 3 tractors.
• Horses are used for: weekly chores, logging firewood, raking hay, pasture maintenance spring, summer, and fall, spreading manure in spring and fall.
• Acreage: 97; 7 in barnyard, 45 in hay/pasture, 45 woodland.
• Skills offered in: raising and training all-around farm and family "chore horses". We focus on the versatility of the draft for work, show, and play and include as many on-farm skills with our program as possible. We raise and train foals through adults for logging and light farm management and utilize a whole-horse learning approach toward care and training. Our programs offer endless opportunity for driving and working with a variety of drafts at different levels of training.
• Work hours: dawn to dusk most of the time, 6 days/wk.
• Terms: room & board; 2 apprentices at a time.
• Stipend: after two weeks based on percentage of income generated by apprentice's work, goal oriented miscellaneous opportunities for stipends.
• Accommodations: one-room cabin, older farmhouse offering healthy, wholesome meals, with as much homegrown as possible.
• Apprentice must: be honest and trustworthy, have a good work ethic and a desire to learn, be respectful of humans and animals, appreciate the value of learning from a hands-on approach.
• Visit first: if apprentice desires.
• Trial period: yes.
• Note: We are not a relocation service for the Northeast. Please contact us only if you sincerely want an apprenticeship.

2 May 2013 Renewed

• Source of power: oxen, occasional tractor.
• Oxen are used for: work in woods, garden, hay rides, ice cutting, school programs.
• Acreage: 445; 30 in hay, 400 wooded.
• Other livestock: cows, sheep, pigs, chickens.
• Skills offered in: 19th century historical research and interpretation, curatorial duties, maple syrup making in season, equipment restoration; seasonal farming activities, museum management, animal husbandry, and agriculture.
• Work hours: 8-40 hrs/wk, negotiable; may include nights and weekends.
• Terms: room possible; 1 months minimum.
• Stipend: negotiable.
• Accommodations: on site.
• Apprentice must: have a high energy level, initiative, enthusiasm, a sense of humor; love to farm, like to work with animals, enjoy working with children; be comfortable with outhouses, kerosene lamps, and woodstoves for cooking and heat.
• Visit first: required.
• Trial period: yes.
  

1 May 2013 Renewed


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