Student Info

Name: Cassidy Case
Term: Winter 2018
Credits: 16
Title: Internship at Prema Farm

Contact Info

Contract mode: Internship
Sponsor name: Dave Muehleisen

Internship Info (if applicable):

Internship hours/wk: 32
Internship credits: 10
Academic credits: 6

Field Supervisor

Field supervisor: Zach Cannady
Title: Farm Manager
Organization: Prema Farm

 

Program Description

Narrative: The student will be interning full time at Prema Farm, helping with day to day farm operations. Prema Farm is a small, 1.5 acre certified organic farm that uses no-till practices. Through this internship, they will learn more about farming in a high desert climate during the winter and will be writing a short paper documenting the differences between farming in the wet climate of the Pacific Northwest and the drier climate of Northern Nevada. The student will also be researching the impact of the practices of no-till farming and will be writing a paper to present the information that they learn.

 

Learning objective	Activity	Deliverable
I will become more familiar with the day to day operations of a small organic farm by interning full time at Prema Farm. Prema farm is a small, 1.5 acre certified organic farm that uses no-till practices. It is located in the northwest foothills of Peavine Mountain, about 20 miles from Reno. They grow vegetables and flowers and have a CSA as well as selling at two local farmer’s markets during the spring and summer. They also sell their produce at the local food co-op and several local restaurants. At Prema, I will also learn more about farming in a high desert climate (Prema is located in Reno, Nevada) and how that is different from farming in the climate of the Pacific Northwest.	I will be interning with Prema Farm full time. I will be assisting in farm activities such as weeding, seeding, transplanting, pest and disease management, and more. I will be learning about growing practices in the winter, such as using hoop houses.	I will document my experiences at Prema weekly through making notes in a field notebook.
I would also like to research the effects of no-till practices on a farm in a high desert climate while also working in a no-till system (Prema Farm).	One thing that I will focus on in my research is the relationship between no-till practices and compaction. I will test the compaction of the soil on Prema farm and compare it to data from farms that do not practice no-till. In the paper that I will be writing for this research, I will also discuss the practices that Prema uses that maintain the no till system. I will be reading sources specifically published and provided by the Rodale Institute, as they are heavily involved in research about no-till.	I will be writing a paper documenting my research and findings. My paper will include data that I collect from Prema and independent research.
By interning at Prema farm, I will learn about the practices that are necessary for farming in a desert climate. I will compare those practices to the experience I have with farming in the wet climate of the Pacific Northwest.	By being involved in the day-to-day operations at Prema, I will learn firsthand what it is like to farm in a desert climate. Some practices that I will be focusing on are irrigation and maintaining organic matter in the soil.	I will write a short paper about the differences between the practices used on farms in a desert climate, such as Northern Nevada, and the practices used on farms in a wetter, rainy climate, such as the Pacific Northwest.

Evaluation of Work

• Narrative evaluations from field supervisor and/or subcontractor
• Narrative mid-quarter and final self-evaluations
• WordPress ePortfolio