14363 Oren Road North
Scandia, MN 55073
651-433-4358
Email: hmcf@mailcity.com

Harvest Moon is a ten-acre organic farm and non-profit organization. We use no herbicides, pesticides, or other chimcals in our gardens or lawn. We have a horse, six sheep, and 23 chickens, and use their waste and bedding (straw) for our compost pile. Each spring the previous year's compost is tilled into the gardens. We hand-weed or use a rototiller during the growing season to eliminate weeds. The gardens (begetable, herb, and flower) are used as a teaching aid for our summer Farm School for children ages 7-11. The children are able to learn how plants grow and are harvested. We use some of the produce from the gardens for Farm School lessons.

Harvest Moon is based at a family farm that is owned by Paige Nienaber and Ann Rinkenberger, husband and wife. We are both in our thirties, and have no children. We have two dogs, two cats, sheep, and chickens. Harvest Moon, to our knowledge, is the only organization that offers a Farm School and Day Camp program that gives children an opportunity to experience life on a farm while using a multi-disciplinary educational curriculum. We are not aware of any other comprehensive, reality-based agriculture Farm School and Day Camp program in the Twin Cities that educates young children at a farm about the importance of sustainable agricutlure, animals, environmental preservation, and basic living skills...all while providing a memorable and fun experience.

We have a variety of internship opportunities available. Interns are encouraged to take a leadership role in the farm and organization. We believe in hands-on learning in all areas of the organization--growing and harvesting of crops; educating children about sustainable agriculture; caring for farm animals; and operating a non-profit organization. An internship with Harvest Moon will give students an opportunity to transfer theory into highly-marketable skills, and prepare them for a career in agriculture.

At this stage, Harvest Moon is all volunteer run, including our time. We are currently fundraising to pay interns and staff during the summer, but at this stage are not guaranteeing any salary or stipend. What we do offer is an opportunity for interns to be actively involved in key aspects of the organization--areas that will better prepare students to be successful in the field. Harvest Moon is only 35 minutes north of St. Paul and many people commute each day to work in the Twin Cities. Because of our close proximity to the city, we would assume that interns would prefer to stay in their current homes or apartments.