This project expired December 1, 2011.

In 2010-2011, farms in Skagit and San Juan Counties, with annual sales of less than $250,000, were eligible to enroll in a program that allowed up to three interns to work on a farm to learn about farming practices. A distinguishing feature of the pilot project was that participating farms were able to get workers' compensation for their interns in case of an injury, a feature that is not available to other types of interns.

Read the Small Farm Internship Pilot Project 2011 Final Report for the Washington Legislature. (192 KB PDF)

Farm Internship Curriculum Resources:

The Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) Farm Internship Curriculum. (www.attra.ncat.org)

Cultivating Success - Sustainable small farms education. (www.cultivatingsuccess.org)

All internships are required to meet the requirements set forth in the Unpaid Interns 101 Fact Sheet: (49 KB PDF)

For questions regarding farm internships, please contact Employment Standards at 866-219-7321

Other L&I Contacts:

Farm Labor Contractor Supervisor

• Petrissa Zepeda, 360-902-4537

Workers’ Compensation:

• Sam Rienbolt, 360-902-4659; or
• Deb Moder, 360-902-5598

Relevant Policies:

• Hours Worked (84 KB PDF)
• Minimum Hourly Wage (47 KB PDF)

For more detail, see Agricultural Employment Standards - WAC 296-131 (apps.Leg.wa.gov)