Interning At The Farm

Hi blog people, 

My name is Jay and I’ve been interning at Franklinton Farms for almost three weeks. I'm a high school senior graduating later this month, and I’ve been working in tons of different positions around the farm these past week so I’ve been asked to post about my experiences so far. 

An introduction to myself would be prudent so here we go: I like dogs, books, and kids. I’m going to the University of Arizona next year and plan to major in Natural Resources and Wildlife Management. I was born and raised in Columbus along with my 3 siblings and since I was a kid my parents called gardening “dirt therapy” and I think that explains a lot about me. My mom worked at my church when I was a kid, and so, from a young age I’ve been involved in service work and volunteering.

Since I’ve been working at Franklinton Farms I’ve met so many amazing people from the office staff, the harvest team, staff member’s kids, volunteers, neighborhood kids, regulars at the market, women in a recovery program, and people in the neighborhood who benefit from, or engage with, the Farm.  If I had to pick my favorite part of this internship, it would definitely be the people that I’ve met and engaged with. Everyone I’ve met here has been so welcoming and genuinely in love with what they do here. 

Other than the people, my favorite experience here was going to Worthington Farmers Market during my first week at the farm. It was a cold windy day, we lost the tent to the street, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing with any of the equipment. Despite all this, it was amazing. For one thing I saw many dogs walking around but I also got to see another big part of the farm I was missing while at the office or working with the volunteers. 

One woman came right when we opened and said that we were the last errand she had to run before heading out of town to see her daughter. That since her daughter had moved she had been missing the salad mix we make for the market and had asked her mother to buy her a big bag when she was visiting next. I thought that the people at market either wouldn’t know or really care about Franklinton Farms mission and where their food came from. While there were some customers like that, a lot of them had really kind things to say about the people who normally run the booth, how good and fresh the produce was, and how important the farm’s work is. 

Now that we’ve talked about what I liked the most about my internship, I think I’ll mention the things that surprised me the most. I have a garden at home but the variety of things grown here is much much wider than what I grow at home. 

I was also really surprised to see how big some vegetables grow compared to what you might normally buy at the grocery store. When you’re at the store, of course the spinach says baby on the bag, but I never thought about what that meant or that spinach could grow as big as your face. The green onions grown here at the farm are like the size of a bottle’s neck, not the size of a crayola marker like the ones bought from the store. 

The other thing that surprised me while working at the farm is how much the growth and program require constant volunteers to keep up with all 12 gardens. I objectively know how important volunteers are to nonprofit organizations but being here and working and going home exhausted every day and knowing that there was still too much to finish the next was really eye opening for me. 

I’m so glad I got to have this experience with all these amazing people. I was nervous, to say the least, about moving to a new place this summer for college and having to meet new people. Meeting new people has not been something I’ve exercised the muscle for in a while with covid and all so this experience really made me feel much more confident. Walking into a space populated with people who work in a typically conservative and male dominated field, I was pleased that not only was the staff diverse but also the jobs and responsibilities on the farm are varied. While I’m not going to be able to stay volunteering at the farm after this week I would highly recommend to anyone to come and volunteer, and I will definitely be checking in and supporting from all the way in Arizona for a long time to come.