8 Tips For Finding a WWOOF Farm

Are you itching to experience something in life that makes you feel alive? Are you looking to make a major change - to avoid getting caught up in the 9 to 5 lifestyle? You have the chance. I took a leap of faith last year, quit my job at a prestigious investment firm and began to explore an interest that has always been on the back of my mind: organic farming. 

World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is a fantastic way to travel around the world on a budget and learn valuable life skills. Choose from farms in 100+ countries, volunteer your time and in exchange receive a place to stay and delicious meals. Typically, you will have a limited amount of resources and you want your farm experience to be worth your time, energy and money. I have spent the past year wwoofing on farms across North America and have learned exactly how to find a farm that teaches you sustainable agriculture practices, appreciates your hard work, and allows you to explore your new surroundings. 

Plan to spend quite a bit of time researching farms on the WWOOF websites. As you would expect, the best farms tend to fill up fast, so try to contact farms at least two months prior to your scheduled visit. If you just happen to be a procrastinator, like myself, you will find that the best farms are always full - especially when it's three days before you plan to work on a farm. However, WWOOF volunteers are notorious for last minute schedule changes and it is possible to get in with an excellent farm due to a cancellation. 

1. Pick a part of the country to explore - This may be the most difficult decision you

have to make, because once you start researching a country, you are going to want to see it all. The sooner you realize this is impossible on a limited budget, the better. Try to narrow-in on a part of the country that interests you the most, it may be a city that is nearby, a mountain, hiking trails, or historical sites. No matter where you chose to focus your efforts, you will see a side of the country that you would never be able to see if you were simply traveling around the country. You will get to participate in locals-only events: potlucks, concerts, rodeos, markets and small-town pubs. When you know the part of the country you are focusing on, head to the WWOOF website and start exploring farms. 

2. Thoroughly read each farm profile - If you were the proud owner of an organic farm, you too would probably put quite a bit of effort into telling the world about yourself. Appreciate the fact that these farmers have taken time away from growing food to put down a few words for you to read. You will usually have an accurate impression of the farm once you have finished reading and you will either move on to the next profile or begin to write an introduction email. 

3. Contact farms with multiple, positive comments - Think about it, you are working for family owned farms who depend heavily on wwoofers. It is rare to find negative comments, because leaving a negative comment would basically prevent that farm from hosting any more woofers and thus deeply impact their success as a farm. Instead, look for farms with multiple, positive comments that exude satisfaction with the food, work and host. 

4. Email multiple farms - It is easy to get your heart set on one farm, but it is only smart to email multiple farms that meet your criteria. Make it easy on yourself and have an introduction email that you can copy and paste, but make sure that you customize each email to suit each farm. There are usually more wwoofers than positions at each farm, so try to put your best characteristics on display in the initial email. Introduce yourself by giving a paragraph of background information, explain why you want to work at each farm and list the dates you expect to work. 

Once you have found a farm with openings, spend time following up with them and asking a few clarifying questions. You will be spending a significant amount of time working at the farm and you deserve to know about the working and living conditions. 

5. Determine the work schedule - If a farm has hosted wwoofers in the past, they will have a typical schedule that they follow each day - find out what this is before arriving at the farm. While the WWOOF website states that you work 4 - 6 hours per day, I have found that it ends up being more like 6+ hours each day. On the majority of the farms, it was fine to work more than 6 hours because we were rewarded with delicious, home-cooked meals and an educational experience, but there are farms out there that will expect you to work full days and only offer you Walmart purchased sausages in return. 

6. Sleeping arrangements - Most farms will outline sleeping arrangements in their profile, but it cannot hurt to double-check, especially when it is a busy time of year with multiple woofers staying on the property. If you are wwoofing during colder

temperatures, make sure your lodgings include heat and water. This may seem like a given in the winter months, but I have spent a few freezing cold weeks living in an unheated RV where my water-bottle would turn to ice over night as it rested next to my head.

7. Typical meals - Ask how meals are typically prepared
at your prospective farm. I prefer when farms open up their home and let you make your own breakfast and lunch. It can be awkward when they make your meals without any input from you, especially when they put tomatoes and mayo on sandwiches which you have to end up feeding to the goats. Dinners are usually more of a communal affair, which works well when there is a large group of woofers. 

8. Have an open mind - After you have spent some time communicating with potential farms, sit back and ask yourself, which one feels right? The one you select may not have the best accommodations or work schedule, but you cannot figure it all out ahead of time in an email. Take a leap of faith and trust that most people in the world are kind-hearted and want you to be happy and comfortable at their farm. 

Now that you know how to find a farm, get going. Life won't wait for you. You deserve to meet interesting people who challenge you to think beyond your upbringing, you deserve to eat the miracle that is farm fresh food, and you deserve to feel like you are part of a sustainable agriculture movement. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) is the answer to the longing you feel to explore organic farming, and the world. 

Crazy View Farm Olympics

It's the eye of the tiger

It's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor

Stalks his prey in the night

And he's watching us all with the eye of the tiger

Now that you are in the mood for some competition, let me walk you through the weekend's debauchery that took place at Cloud Nine Farm during the second annual Farm Olympics. We had been practicing for what seemed like forever - when in fact it was really only one week. The training was brutal, but it was nothing compared to the battle that awaited us at each event during the Farm Olympics. Six farms, each full of competitive spirit, participated in six events, which combined agility, strength and precision. The events consisted of straw bale tossing, thistle root pulling, row covering, icy fingers bag tying, precision weighing, and chicken catching. The teams presented two worthy opponents for each event and the stage was set for a bloody battle - filled with laughter and encouragement. 

Proud of our homemade Crazy View patches

Ulrikke and Val started off strong with a straw bale toss that would have made any competitor weak with fear. Alas, a couple of teams must have taken advantage of such fear and ended up tossing the bale over 20 feet. We were not discouraged, thistle pulling was up next and I happen to be a little obsessed with pulling thistle out of the ground. The clock began and we had two minutes to pull as much thistle as we could, but there was a catch, there were no gloves allowed. It was agonizing, but Chase and I gave it our all and pulled through the pain. The goal was to pull the longest, intact root. This may sound simple to you, but this will only prove that you have not picked thistle in quite some time and you may want to start weeding your garden. The roots can easily extend up to a foot into the ground; with one wrong pull you will yank off the tip and disqualify your thistle contestant. Experience proved to win over excitement in this event. Neither Chase nor I placed in the event, but we did have plenty of thorns in our fingers to prove our effort.

Measuring our roots with the other contestants

The third event was the row cover competition. If you are unfamiliar with row cover, it is simply a spun-bonded polypropylene fabric which is sunlight, rain and air-permeable. It captures warmth and protects plants from damaging winds, resulting in healthier plant growth and higher yields. Needless to say, in the rugged landscape of Montana they are a necessary part of sustainable agriculture. The competition was to cover a 25-foot row of crops and secure it with rocks. The winning team completed the task in a mere 37.0 seconds.

Now, that we were all warmed up, it was time to cool off. Farmer’s markets and CSAs are a large part of a farmer’s livelihood and both require that produce is clean and packaged. Produce is cleaned in freshly pumped well water, which means it is icy cold. After removing all of the dirt, it needs to be placed in plastic bags and tied in knots that are tight enough to hold but not so tight that the little old ladies’ arthritic hands have trouble opening the produce. The event had Ulrikke and Caitlen place their hands in ice water for two minutes and then tie a perfect knot in a bag of produce before any of the competitors. Crazy View Farm finally had a winner! Ulrikke managed to tie a knot with her numb, clumsy fingers before any other contender.

A farmer must know how much to charge for the produce that they are packaging and this is based off of the market price and the weight. The next event had Luke testing his skills at estimating an amount of produce and then getting as close to a quarter of a pound as possible. It turned out to be a difficult task and a long-time farmer ended up winning with a perfect 0.250 on the scale. The final event was catching wild chickens. The beautiful bantams had been running loose for the past few weeks and needed to be rounded up. I fancy myself a bit of a chicken connoisseur and thought that I would be able to win the event. However, my confidence could not conquer the chickens. I ran until my lungs burned. I chased the chickens through sagebrush and tractors with no success. Each one eluded my outreached arms. Luke faired much better than I and managed to wrangle up three chickens before the time ran out.

Storms clouds moved in from the North just as we were finishing up the day’s events. We had been jokingly warned not to win the Farm Olympics because the winning farm is crowned the host for next year’s competition. We came to the conclusion that this thought in the back of our minds must have been the reason we failed to win the gold – it was either that or accept defeat. Our evening continued with a wonderful potluck, warm company and two bonfires. I say from now on all weeding has to be done without gloves, in order to train our hands for next year’s Olympics. I will start tomorrow. 

If anyone would like to see the other photos taken at this event or get a copy of those included in this blog, I have created a Dropbox folder specific to the Farm Olympics. If you just send me an email, I will invite you to view the shared folder and you will be able to use any of the photos - all photos were taken by the talented Mr. Chase Vreeland.  

Participating Farms

The CSA Model on Crazy View Farm

Monday is our early day on the farm. We get the day started at 7:00am and we do not stop until all of the work is done. The day is busy because we harvest for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), Bozeman Farmer’s Market and MDF (Market Day Foods). Crazy View Farm works with three other farms to grow, pick, package and distribute produce to 78 CSA shareholders each week for 16 weeks (June – October). 

The CSA Model is an agreement between the farmer and customer that provides capital to the farmer during the planning and planting season to pay for seeds, growing materials, equipment, and labor. In return, the farmer provides CSA members with a weekly box of produce throughout the growing season. CSA members are invested in the farm for the entire season. They share in the harvest, when it is bountiful, but also share in the inherent risks and challenges of growing food – drought, frost, wind, hail, to name a few.  Shareholders, or families, pay $360 at the beginning of the growing season and receive a weekly share of the produce. That breaks down to only $22.50 per share, per week. Health insurance companies have learned that families and individuals who participate in CSA programs have lower heath care costs. Ask your health insurance provider if they offer rebates for their customers that are a part of a CSA. When offered, health insurance companies typically offer $100 rebates for individuals and $200 rebates for families. Even if your health insurance provider says no, it is always good to be pushing them to look for new ways of lowering the cost of healthy foods for you and lowering the health care costs to the insurance company. CSAs become a win-win scenario for both families and health insurance providers.

Cleaning lettuce heads and bundling up the carrots

Crazy View puts a concentrated effort into growing a majority of the greens that make up the weekly CSA share. Today we harvested basil, heads of lettuce, zucchini and eggs for the shareholders. All four farms work together to provide a diverse variety of produce to their shareholders each week. The other farms contributed fennel, tomatoes, squash, cucumber and onion to the share. If you think receiving fresh vegetables, picked at the peak of perfection and in your hands within 24 hours sounds ideal, then you should consider become a CSA member. It will not only feed your body organic, wholesome goodness but it will also teach you and your children about the vegetables that grow well in your area and when they are in season. If you are unsure how to find a farm in your area that operates a CSA, contact me and I will help you or attend the next farmer’s market in your town. Ask the farmers if they are operating a CSA program and how you can become a member.

Aside from the healthy vegetables and learnin’ that you will receive by becoming a member, you will also be supporting your local farming community. Think about it – you are purchasing your share in the springtime, the exact time of year when farmers need capital the most and you are removing the middleman. Rather than driving to the grocery store for every edible desire, you are going straight to the Farmer. By making this choice you are delivering the true value of the product to the Farmer. When you purchase your produce at a grocery store, the Farmer’s price decreases by every person that it takes to get the product from the Farm and to your plate. A portion of the value gets paid to the farmer, truck drivers, warehouse, marketer and grocer. I do know that it is convenient and efficient to get your produce from a grocery store, but I do hope that you consider purchasing a portion of the food you eat directly from the human whose sweat, blood and tears went into growing your dinner. 

The list of produce to harvest for the day

Washing, weighing and packaging

New Morning Farm - Week 2 and 3 Video Recap

Well, we missed a week of posting our video on the blog - but do not fear, because we did have the video made. You can catch up on our second and third week on New Morning Farm by watching the videos below. We are just finishing up our fourth week on the farm and we are heading back to Minnesota to celebrate the Fourth of July!

Playing Farmer with Chase and Dana

Our third week on New Morning Farm has come to an end. This week, Lorne increased our level of responsibility on the farm and allowed us to take over the morning and afternoon chores with the animals. It was a win-win situation; we loved playing Farmer and he was able to take care of other responsibilities he had outside of the farm. Here is what our typical day consisted of this week:

7:30 Wake up

8:00 Chickens (feed, water, collect eggs)

8:45 Pigs (feed, water, fresh straw, pet snouts)

9:15 Meat Birds (feed, water, fresh straw)

9:30 Cows (water)

9:45 Re-fill empty feed bins for next feeding

10:00 Breakfast and Coffee/Tea

10:45 Weed garlic

11:45 Place fresh straw around garlic to prevent future weeds

12:30 Lunch

1:15 Cows (water)

1:30 Weed garlic

2:30 Place fresh straw around garlic

3:00 Chickens (feed, water, collect eggs)

3:30 Pigs (feed, water)

3:45 Meat Birds (feed, water)

4:00 Cows (water)

4:15 Read books, work on art, make movies, take pictures, go to the beach

6:00 Dinner

We woke up each morning this week knowing that there were hundreds of little, living beings waiting on us to feed their hungry bellies. With this motivation, we stretched, yawned and made feeding them our first priority of the day. As we were wandering over to the chicken coop one morning, I looked at Chase's curly locks of hair and screeched, "Chase, I think a bird pooped in your hair!" He noticed the white liquid dripping from the ends, touched it with his finger and then licked it. Yes, he licked it. Luckily, he informed me that it was just sunscreen and to this day, I am still unsure whether he knew it all along or if he was prepared to taste bird poop. 

Chase and I became more efficient with the daily chores as the week progressed. Chase mixed the morning feed for the chickens as I gave them fresh water. Once the chickens were distracted with the morning meal, I collected eggs. The chickens provide us with about 10 dozen eggs per day - which equates to 840 eggs per week! Nancy sells these eggs to eager customers in Winnipeg every two weeks for $4.00/dozen.

Chase and I look forward to saying good morning to the little piggies. They are always squealing around and trying to say hello to us as we feed them breakfast. The pigs have grown so much since we arrived on the farm and they are getting a little too pig for their current pen - they have been tearing holes under the fence, moving their feeders all around, and pushing against the walls. Lorne has a whole field fenced off for them, but before we can let them run around, we had to teach them to "fear the wire." Training camp started this week, when we hooked an electric wire up to a post in the center of the pen. For the first few pigs who begin to sniff around this new device, they get quite the surprise when they hit the wire. Squeal! Squeal! Although it is never fun to hear an animal in pain, I know it is for their benefit because tomorrow we will be able to let them run free for the rest of the summer. 

Our week ended with a celebration of the Summer Solstice at Geoff and Theresa's inspiring Boundary Creek Farm. Geoff and Theresa have been farming for 11 years now and are committed to trying any and all sustainable farming methods that they read about. This has resulted in a dynamic, successful farm that provides their customers with eggs, chicken, pork, garlic, honey and a bounty of vegetables. We saw, first-hand, how much their customers respect their famers by the sheer number of them that traveled 50 miles from Winnipeg to spend the evening on the farm. The potluck dinner was incredible, Theresa's mint tea was heavenly and the bonfire, spectacular. 

Witnessing the World

We woke up to another beautiful morning on the farm. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and, best of all, the wind was brisk and warm. I just knew this was going to be a good day. It may not be surprising but one of my favorite things about working outdoors, rather than in an office, is the ability to experience the day. Being surrounded by four walls all day, you forget how warm the sun gets and how much the wind is appreciated during the afternoon hours.

New Morning Farm 

In fact, you forget a lot of things about nature when sitting inside all day and I am slowly learning them again. The thing I learned today was how to complete a task and take pleasure in the task itself, rather than just the pleasure of crossing it off my list. Does this sound familiar to you? I go about my life making so many lists that all I think about when working is how I am going to get the next thing on my list done. In my former life, I worked like a drone, just trying to accomplish the task at hand as fast and efficient as possible. While this may make the ideal employee, for me, it felt like the world was going by and I wasn’t even experiencing it.

Today, we had the task of planting tomatoes, peppers, melons, and eggplants. Instead of just planting, planting, planting, I actually took the time to feel the dirt on my hands and the way it tickled my skin when it went down my shirt. I noticed all of the life that was living in the soil as it squirmed around my hands. I heard the birds singing their lovely songs in the trees and wished I could carry a tune. I feel so much better at the end of a day, when I know that I witnessed the day first-hand. In my prior life, I would go days without spending more than five minutes in the sunlight. I would leave the house when the sun was still sleeping and I would get home after the sun had gone down. This life seems so sad to me now and I truly hope I never have to live like that again.

Yes, that little pig is yawning 

The glory of the day continued well after our planting was done. Chase and I wandered over to our favorite animals on the farm, the pigs, and filled their home with fresh straw. They delighted in the wonder of this new, fresh, fun and began to shuffle and sniff it around their home. I could spend a whole day playing with pigs. They are just like people – shy at first, confident with friends and curious as a cat. Everyday I spend time with them and everyday they grow a little more comfortable with me rubbing their backs and touching their wet snouts. One day, I know that they will become dinner, but for now they are my dirty, smelly friends. 

When Lorne noticed my love for the pigs, he mentioned that Chase and I are just like Li'l Abner and Daisy Mae, a satirical comic that appeared in newspapers from 1934 - 1977. In the comic, Daisy Mae loves the pigs almost as much as she loves Li'l Abner. 

Daisy Mae and Li'l Abner 

Filming on the Farm: Week One

For those who prefer to watch videos rather than read blog posts, take a look at our video recap of the past week on the farm.

Chicken Coop Clean-Up

Warning: if you have recently eaten or have a weak stomach, stop reading now.

I have always thought of myself as having a tough stomach. I grew up dissecting dead animals we had found in the woods, I have assisted in gynecological surgical procedures and I ate my way through the back alley streets of Peru without any problems. However, nothing could have prepared me for the stench of cleaning out the chicken coop. New Morning Farm has quite a few chickens and they represent all of the stages of a chicken’s lifespan. There are the little baby chicks that still cling to one another when they go outdoors and even a few featherless ‘things’ that have been in so many chicken fights it’s amazing they are still alive. All of these chickens live in separate pens in the chicken coop and all of these chickens still have active digestive systems. Every couple of months someone is honored with the task of scrapping up and shoveling out the excrements. We were the lucky couple this time! I rarely admit defeat, but this coop defeated me.

I blazed into the coop, pitchfork in hand, mask securely fastened to my face and ready to clean up the crap. Ten minutes in, I was doing all I could to stop myself from gagging every time I lifted up a new pile of waste. Suddenly, my gallant knight in rubber boots strode in to relieve me of my task and finish up the coop himself. All I had to do was keep shoveling the manure into the wheelbarrow and bring it to the tractor. An hour later, Chase emerged from the coop without any signs of disgust. What a brave boyfriend I have.

I took a final peak inside the coop and, surprisingly, I could see the bare wood floor. Chase’s ability to fight through the smell resulted in a beautifully clean home for the chickens. We layered in fresh straw and let the chickens back into their shiny new home. I am still deciding whether the deliciousness of fresh eggs is worth the disgust, but I am leaning towards yes – especially with Chase in the picture.