the nitty gritty.

We were fortunate enough to have many mentors and internship opportunities on our journey towards founding Cascade Valley Heritage Farm, and we are so humbled that we are in a place where we can pay back the kindness and help the next generation of farmers and homesteaders.

We are located just north of Chico, and would like to offer an internship to a few people to get experience working with livestock and general farm maintenance. Days are flexible, however we generally do chores morning and evening, so interns would need to available at least one of those time periods. Chico State Students looking for internships/internship credits are prioritized.
We raise registered Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, heritage American Guinea Hogs, heritage Turkeys, Quail, heritage Ducks, Guinea Fowl, and heritage Chickens. We are also CDFA licensed to sell our eggs. Interns would have the opportunity to assist with all aspects of the farm from feeding, breeding, milking, hatching, selection, health care, assisting with births, pen design and construction, etc. as well as learn about regenerative land practices and post-wildfire land management. As a working farm, a lot of what we do is cleaning and feeding, which can be very physical and in all weather conditions. While there is always work to do on various aspects, we are able to tailor the internship based on student interests to some extent. No experience necessary, however a can-do attitude, strong work ethic, and reliability are a must. Reliable transportation (Lyft/Uber don’t come out to the farm), proof of health insurance and COVID-19 vaccination required. 

General learning opportunities (varies):
Dairy goats: Showing (Spring/Summer), ADGA performance programs, hand milking, nutrition, lactation, birthing/kidding, breeding/heat detection, artificial insemination, health care, genetic selection, socialization.

Heritage Pigs: Breeding, birthing/farrowing, conformation, feeding, socialization, pen construction.

Poultry: Breeding and conformation, pen design and construction, CDFA Egg Handler’s guidelines, egg sales and marketing, nutrition, butchering.
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General Farm: Land management, cover crops, soil sampling, irrigation, fencing, tractor work, hedgerows, windbreaks, fruit trees, vegetable garden, fecal parasite exams via microscopy.