Farming Fellowship

About North Country School & Camp Treetops

Located on the outskirts of Lake Placid, NY, Camp Treetops and North Country School sit on a 300-acre campus amid majestic mountain peaks in New York State’s Adirondack Park. Since 1921 and 1938 respectively, we have been nationally renowned for pioneering educational programs rooted in progressive practices and experiential learning. Both Camp and School guide children to engage with the natural world, take on intellectual and physical challenges in a nurturing community, and cultivate independence and creativity. 

 

Position Overview

North Country School & Camp Treetops seeks a full-time Farming Fellow to join our educational farm in the Adirondacks. Over the course of this year-long fellowship, you will immerse yourself in the daily tasks and seasonal cycles that sustain our campus farm—from starting seeds and growing crops to caring for livestock, managing rotational grazing, and working with horses. You’ll also help create a hands-on, place-based learning experience for nearly 300 campers and students, guiding them through barn chores and integrating them into the rhythms of farm life. This unique opportunity blends farming and education, offering a meaningful way to inspire the next generation to discover “the joy in meaningful work.”

 

What You Will Do

Your work will center around our farm’s daily rhythms and routines and the many tasks that fall within them over the course of the growing season. 

As the seasons change, you will be involved in cultivating and harvesting, prepping fields and greenhouses for planting, creating our annual crop plan, participating in thoughtful and intentional community-wide harvests of our meat birds, harvesting crops, caring for animals, providing horseback riding instruction, leading community maple sugaring activities, or leading barn chores. Throughout it all, you will be guided by the experiential learning that has shaped our approach for over 100 years. Below is a breakdown of how your roles and responsibilities will unfold over the course of the year:

 

Farm Education & Operations (65% of time)

As a key member of the farm team, you will work closely with the Educational Farm Director and Equine & Livestock Manager to help care for the farm. Simultaneously, you will provide students and campers with experiential learning opportunities that integrate hands-on farm work with our seasonal rhythms. You will help to:

• Lead children through twice-daily barn chores, mucking stalls, feeding animals, and turning them out to pasture.
• Care for livestock including chickens, turkeys, pigs, sheep (monitoring for signs of labor), and horses.
• Harvest chickens and turkeys as part of annual community-wide harvests that serve an educational purpose while also providing a clear demonstration of where food comes from.
• Participate in hay deliveries throughout the year
• Work in production gardens and perennial gardens, including tending to over 30 varieties of flowers, 25 varieties of vegetables and herbs, and tomatoes in our greenhouses.
• Lead campers through farm-related activities, connecting them to the natural environment (ages 8-14).

• Help integrate the farm into programming and curriculum, including supporting Edible Schoolyard (ESY) classes.
• Assist with experiential learning projects and outdoor activities that connect academic concepts students learn about in the classroom to the farm and the natural world.
• Lead community mornings during the summer with large, farm-based jobs involving the entire community.

Farm Logistics & Planning (10%)
In the winter and spring, your role will shift toward preparing for the upcoming growing season. You’ll collaborate with the farm team to create the annual crop plan, order livestock such as laying hens and pigs, and prepare for seasonal events like lambing and maple sugaring. This time will also involve maintaining farm records, managing systems for ordering and planning, and deepening your farming knowledge through ongoing professional development. Your efforts will be crucial in ensuring that the farm is well-prepared for the busy growing season ahead.

Horsemanship & Riding Instruction (15%)
As part of your responsibilities, you’ll be involved in caring for our horses and assisting with horseback riding lessons based on your experience and skills. You’ll also have the opportunity to help school horses as needed, based on your riding ability. Your horsemanship duties will tie into farm operations and student programming during the school week as an essential part of your overall contribution to the community. These duties may include and are not limited to; co-leading riding lessons, co-leading trail rides, lungeing horses, horsemanship skill workshops with students (anatomy, physiology, health and wellness), assisting with farrier and vet visits, tack repair and care, and much more. 

Assisting the NCS Daily and Outdoor Program (10%)
When school is in session from September-May, you’ll help lead various outdoor activities. Similar to recess, “out-time” provides students an opportunity to engage in activities that spark their interests, like riding lessons or helping with farm tasks such as hay deliveries or sheep care. You’ll also participate in Saturday Trips, which are full-day excursions that involve hiking, skiing, or exploring local museums and events. These trips will offer opportunities for the students to engage with the outdoors beyond the farm, expanding their learning and adventure in the Adirondacks. You may be asked to help with duties such as tableheading, supporting all-school events such as Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Valentines Day, and Sunday Programming.

 

Skills You Bring to Our Community 

• 21+
• One-three years of working with horses and riding and/or teaching English lessons
• One season of gardening or livestock-related experience helpful, but not required
• Clear verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Organizational skills and attention to detail
• Prior experience working with, or a willingness to learn how to operate farm equipment
• Eagerness to spend time outside in the Adirondacks and participate in outdoor programming

 

The Values You Bring to Our Community 

• Passion for farming’s educational benefits and character enhancement of children
• A strong work ethic, timeliness, and an eye for detail and efficiency
• An upbeat attitude and ability to find the joy in farmwork, alongside a sense of humor
• Deep appreciation for environmental stewardship and how healthy agricultural practices can positively impact the world
• A collaborative mindset that leads to impactful experiential learning experiences
• Curiosity and a desire to continuously learn
• Warmth, grace, kindness, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone
• Independence and ability to be a self-starter
• A team-oriented attitude and approach to work
• Willingness to step outside of your comfort zone, and find value in hard work
• Proactive and forward thinking, both in daily farm tasks and your own education.

 

The Benefits of Working Here

In addition to a monthly stipend of $1,800 a month, you will enjoy:

• On-campus housing
• Health insurance
• 30 days paid time off
• Vegetables and food from the farm when in season
• Seasonally sourced daily meals
• On-campus access to miles of walking/hiking/skiing trails, rock climbing crag, and ski hill
• Access to on-campus woodshop and ceramics studio

 

Our Mission and Values
North Country School and Camp Treetops strives to create a community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while contributing to their world.

We are a values-driven community and seek to have a positive impact the world around us by living out our core values on and off campus:

• Cultivate Community: We believe in the inherent value and contributions of every person, and in fostering connections to build and nurture a strong, inclusive community.
• Walk a Mile: We believe that understanding and honoring every person’s unique worldview, experiences, and challenges is at the root of empathy and compassion.
• Dig Deep, Keep Growing: We believe that by setting ambitious goals, working hard, and persevering, we build strength and character and set a course for lives of growth, purpose, and fulfillment.
• Stay Curious: We believe in the power of creativity and wonder. We believe that curiosity about ourselves, other people, and the world around us leads to growth, innovation, and sometimes unconventional ideas.
• Our Planet, Our Job: We believe in individual and collective responsibility for our planet, and in leading by example as a community that works to respect, protect, and restore the natural world.