Looking for an Apprenticeship in the Pacific Northwest

[Spencer McAfee]

Hello my name is Spencer McAfee and I am currently residing in the berkshire foothills of Massachusetts at a small scale raw dairy farm as an apprentice. My year apprenticeship ends in two to three weeks and I’m looking for a new one. I became interested in working with draft animals through neighboring farms and fair events. I have even made attempts of training young bulls from our own herd here on the farm to take a harness more easily. I do hold a strong interest in mainly oxen but working with horses would be a great first step over the threshold as well. Does anyone know of any draft oxen apprenticeships in the Pacific Northwest region? I hold an general interest in the landscape out there currently. But if not, I suppose what I am really looking for is thee selecting and training of young bulls into oxen, and maintaining a sturdy relationship there after and well everything else in between I suppose ha. I’ve had a small cordwood business in the past and also interested in sustainable farming and I believe oxen would be a good addition to where I want to be in the future. Thanks for reading. Hope your springs going well!

– Spencer A. McAfee

[Ben Coerper]

Hi Spencer,
I run Wild Harmony Farm in Rhode Island. We are a diversified livestock farm, producing beef, pork, chicken, lamb, turkey, eggs, as well as raw sheep’s milk, maple syrup, honey, and vegetables. We use our draft horse for our timber stand improvement work. The wood that he pulls out becomes firewood for our house and sugaring as well as lumber for all of our building projects. Our horse also helps with various projects around the farm, including moving pig shelters through the woods, collecting maple sap, and delivering feed and water to our other livestock. We are looking for one more apprentice to start the first week of May and stay through October. I know this isn’t the location you were looking for (or the draft species), but I noticed that you are pretty close by now, so I thought I’d give it a shot. It also seems like our apprenticeship would fit many of your interests. You can find more information about our farm and our apprenticeship at http://www.wildharmonyfarm.com. You can also email us at wildharmonyfarm@gmail.com or call me at 401-268-4555. Thanks, Ben

[Kevin Cunningham]

Hey Spencer I haven’t been on the forum for a while and I saw that you had posted this a little while back. Well you did manage to find us probably the only place in the pacific northwest that uses oxen on a working farm. It was good to talk to you the other day let us know what your plans are.

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