Internship Program

Hungry World Farm seeks five interns who are eager to learn and join us as key team members for the 2025 season in supporting HWF’s expansion and growth and the transformative learning opportunities HWF creates, all while participating in the rich experiential learning offered by the diverse food and farming activities of Hungry World Farm.

Overview
Hungry World Farm (HWF) is a 175 acre learning farm in north central Illinois committed to the vision of a “healthy, hopeful world through regenerative food and agriculture.” Building on the foundation of its first 7 years, HWF desires to expand its programming to sustain its diverse operations and embody its mission: 

Seeking the well-being of all, Hungry World Farm inspires and educates people about healthy fields, food, and bodies while caring for the earth.

At the core of this mission is a commitment to caring well for the earth while learning about agriculture that nourishes the humans it supplies and sustains the life, land, water, and landscapes in which it is embedded.

Program Description
The HWF internship program provides a rich learning experience for interns as they engage aspects of HWF’s work while building a learning community to explore food production opportunities focusing toward healthy land, healthy humans, and healthy communities. Interns will play an important role in strengthening the efforts of HWF’s program areas and supporting education and enhancing guest/visitor experience in many ways. Interns will be provided with a set of core learning resources with access to a library of books on regenerative food and agriculture and will be invited to journey with fellow interns toward a fuller understanding of the connections between healthy soil, water, plants, animals, humans, and communities. They will in turn share their learning with team members, guests, visitors, customers, and other audiences in a variety of ways as they participate in food events, lead tours, engage guests in conversations, contribute toward farm projects, promote the farm’s activities in person and online, and more. 
 
This internship program is designed to be one of experiential learning, development of skills and professional capacities, and growth alongside others in the community of serving and learning at Hungry World Farm. Interns will enjoy delicious farm food while participating in the many wonders of the natural world and the beauty and complexities of the living systems into which humans are woven. Hands-on participation in farming activities will ground the market garden and livestock interns’ learning in the rigors, demands, challenges, and delights of farming.
 
Creative, highly motivated, team-oriented, hard-working, eager-to-learn individuals with good communication skills and a readiness to try new opportunities will thrive in the collaborative, education-focused environment of Hungry World Farm. Interns can expect their days may hold a range of responsibilities. Interns will be encouraged to participate in HWF’s diverse educational efforts and event opportunities. Interns can expect a dynamic experience alongside a motivated team with lots of learning, sharing, hard work, and fun to be appreciated throughout the season. Interns will be matched with a specific program area as the context for the majority of their work. Interns can expect some time working alongside others and some time working on their own.
 
Program areas

Market Garden: seeking one full season intern (March 24 - Nov 25, 2025) and one summer intern (May 26 - Aug 9, 2025)
The HWF market garden is a 1/2 acre no-till, raised bed, biointensive vegetable production system with a high tunnel, seed-starting greenhouse, wash/pack facilities, and cold storage. The market garden has been a context for significant education, partnership building, and food production for diverse markets, especially for underserved communities. A recently hired Lead Market Gardener is ready to partner with HWF team members to bring some fresh energy and new vigor to HWF’s vegetable production efforts!

Livestock: seeking one summer intern (May 26 - Aug 9, 2025)
HWF Livestock operations currently include a small flock of sheep, laying hens, and a handful of cattle. HWF’s Lead Livestock Manager has had a year to begin developing systems, and HWF is ready to build livestock enterprises, focusing on integration of animals across the HWF land toward positive ecological outcomes and improved productivity and biodiversity. Silvopasture efforts will be central to livestock enterprises, as animals will be included as integral team members in supporting the forests, pastures, and diverse tree plantings to come at HWF; furthermore, tree/shrub establishment will be integral to HWF’s care for land and livestock. Trees and animals, together, will help HWF pursue its food production and land health goals. 
 
The livestock intern can expect daily chores, such as moving and watering our livestock, as well as experience building and maintaining livestock related infrastructure. This year we are looking to increase our egg laying operation, implement a broiler operation, expand our fenced grazing area, construct a larger education space for livestock/guest interaction and create a temporary water system for our current pasture.
 
Farmstay & Education: seeking one summer intern (May 26 - Aug 9, 2025)
HWF’s Farmstay Education program involves overnight stays in apartments, tents, and cabin for 30-60 guests per night. The intern will welcome guests, lead tours, take and post photos/video on social media, and assist with rental organization and cleaning. The intern will also assist with community campfires, pizza events, field trips, volunteer and other events and promotional and marketing work. This is a great opportunity to learn about regenerative agriculture, conservation, agritourism and hospitality through education and by helping guests understand the topics being learned through in-person conversations and online/social media content publication. 
 
Food Service: seeking one intern (May 26 - September 27, 2025)
HWF Food Service hosted some amazing pizza nights and brunches in 2024 with its certified commercial kitchen, outdoor wood-fired oven, and ingredients sourced from the farm. Additional on-farm meals will be hosted in 2025. HWF’s Food Service Director continues into his second season at HWF and supports an exciting capacity for serving delicious, locally grown food to guests and visitors.
 
Agroforestry: check back for 2026 opportunities!
Production of shiitake mushrooms is underway with harvests to begin in 2025, and a plant nursery is being developed. The critical design phase of agroforestry systems continues with the aim of diverse, large-scale tree plantings to establish perennial food production systems that produce an abundance of food for years to come while sequestering carbon, boosting soil health, and sustaining greater biodiversity. 
 
Hungry World Farm is positioned for significant expansion, growth, broadened outreach, and strengthened capacity to host guests and visitors for transformative experiential learning about healthy food and agriculture in 2025. So, too, HWF plans to share impactful learning opportunities with diverse audiences through a strengthened online presence and social media efforts.
 
Program details

Dates: 
– Full season Market Garden internship: March 24 - Nov 25, 2025 (8 months)
– Food Service internship: May 26 - September 27, 2025 (4 months)
– Summer internship: May 26 - August 9, 2025 (11 weeks)

Housing: Interns will live together on the farm in an apartment with a shared kitchen, living room, and dining room. The full season market garden intern will have a private bedroom. Summer interns will likely share a bedroom with one roommate. 

Weekly commitment: a total of 35 hours per week is expected from interns, including:

– 25 hours per week toward a specific program area

– 5 hours per week toward book learning, discussion groups, webinars, and other learning opportunities  

– up to 5 hours per week engaging food service and other events and possibly helping with setup/cleanup, workshops, etc

Compensation : housing + $400/month stipend (summer) / $600/month stipend (full season) + $20/week in farm veggies + food service meals (~2 meals per week)
 
If interested, please first contact us at hungryworldfarm@gmail.com with your resume and cover letter, and indicate which position you desire. If invited to apply, please then complete the application and background check authorization form below, and send to hungryworldfarm@gmail.com, or mail to:
 
Hungry World Farm
PO Box 386
Tiskilwa, IL 61368
We look forward to hearing from you!

Have a quick question? Call us at (815) 200-8688