Apprenticeships and internships offer an outstanding opportunity for people to learn about the practical realities of farming. Existing programs and offerings are more various than the regions they stem from, and along with notable successes there are far too many failures. This is perhaps because there is an absence of cohesive approach towards farmer/student relationships. Impatience and failed expectations contribute to most unfortunate outcomes from a system which should work better. But “system” may be the clue because what we frequently see is a glaring lack of specific contractual preparations, just the sort of back-grounding that would help to prevent many of the misunderstandings. We at the Conservancy do not pretend to fully understand these issues but we do recognize that this is an area which can benefit from a concerted effort to improve standards and practices. continue reading…