ASLF Legacy Apprenticeships
Project-based Apprenticeships open exclusively to ASLF Alumni.
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Sponsored by Forever Cheese
Project: Preserving and advancing the Murciano-Granadina breed and passing on traditional Spanish cheesemaking techniques
The farming profession in Spain, particularly within the dairy industry, is struggling to attract younger workers. Rising interest in agriculture among American youth presents an opportunity to inject fresh energy into Spain’s farming sector, while preserving and carrying forward its traditional cheesemaking heritage.
Kpra SL is the largest goat dairy in Spain, located on the lovely paraje La Alquibla, in the Murcia region. The farm sits on 20 acres – 10 of farmland and 10 of dry land almond trees. Farmer Lorenzo Abellan has been central in Spanish cheese production for over 20 years, creating over 20 cheeses, including the well-loved Drunken Goat. This apprenticeship will include milking, kidding, and care for a herd of 5000 Murciano-Granadina breed goats, alongside cheesemaking, sanitation, affinage, and salting.
This apprenticeship is sponsored by Forever Cheese, the premier US importer of exceptional cheeses and specialty foods from Italy, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and Switzerland.
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Sponsored by ASLF
Project: Supporting a small aquaculture farm during kelp harvest, and restoring the local ecosystem through carbon sequestration and water quality improvement
Young aquaculturalists often face high stress and numerous barriers to success, with the pressure mounting during intense seasons like kelp harvest. Kelp plays a crucial role in carbon sequestration, helping mitigate climate change. This small team needs extra hands to maximize their farm’s growth and their environmental impact during this critical harvest period.
Based in Southern Rhode Island, Blue Acres Aquaculture is a family owned and operated shellfish & seaweed aquaculture company focused on producing the highest quality, sustainably farmed oysters and sugar kelp products. An Apprentice at Blue Acres will aid in their kelp harvest, witnessing all aspects of their operation, including seeding and harvesting oysters.
Learn more.
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Sponsored by Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
Project: A comprehensive masterclass in food retail business management, focusing on supporting and learning during the busiest time of the year
While the holiday season provides a critical opportunity for small businesses to maximize income, it also presents the challenge of staffing. An extra set of skilled hands would support, as well as grow and learn, through this busy period.
In New York’s Hudson Valley, Apprentices will work alongside renowned cheesemonger Kate Arding, including significant time at their landmark store and visits to farms such as Sugar House Creamery, a farmstead creamery in the high peaks of the Adirondacks where Brown Swiss cow milk is transformed into cheese. They will also work alongside the great chef Mona Talbott. Apprentices also have the opportunity to explore other dairies, farms, and businesses in the beautiful Hudson Valley region that collaborate with this unique store, and get a glimpse behind the scene of business operations, including sales, marketing, strategy, HACCP planning and menu planning at one of the most beloved food retailers in the US.
This apprenticeship is sponsored by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, whose goal is to create resiliency and long-term sustainability for Northeast dairy businesses.
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Sponsored by The Davie Family Foundation
Project: Engaging in a shared knowledge transfer through training and managing livestock and helping build out the on-site culinary center to support the creation of high yielding and sustainable food businesses in Kenya
Kisii, the fastest growing town in western Kenya, is facing a rising demand for sustainable food businesses, and sustainable food sources to feed the elderly, special needs, and homeless. They are poised to support their growing population, and need the right talent to revamp their onsite culinary center, increase their ability to train the local community, and ultimately maximize their yield.
The Buyer’s Edge Farming, Culinary, and Entrepreneurial Center in Kisii, Kenya is a no-till farming project created by 4 Kenyan farmers after an extended training program at a regenerative farm in Ghana. Work here will include livestock management, no-till farming, and building and expanding the on-site culinary center.
This apprenticeship is sponsored by The Davie Family Foundation, who aims to promote the health, wellbeing, and education of youth worldwide, and the Global Opportunity (GO) Fund, a non-profit organization that promotes the empowerment and enrichment of the lives of women and children in Africa via educational, social support and entrepreneurial projects.
Learn more.
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Sponsored by Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
Project: Specialized training program to grow rural workforce and further the legacy of American artisanal cheese
Even large, well-known operations like Jasper Hill have trouble finding passionate workforce in rural areas. Multiple ASLF Apprentices have transitioned into long-term roles at Jasper Hill and similar farms, easing the staffing shortage and expanding their craft of artisanal cheesemaking.
Great collaborators of Saxelby Cheesemongers, Jasper Hill is one of America’s most celebrated artisanal cheesemakers located in Greensboro, Vermont. Jasper Hill’s connection with Anne Saxelby has deep roots, and this opportunity directly furthers her core mission. In their words, “for us and the many small producers represented in her cheese case, Anne’s mission has been a conduit of salvation for rural communities across the country.” This is a chance to go broad and deep, spending the first 2 weeks of the extended apprenticeship rotating stations in livestock management, milking, cheesemaking and affinage. The final 6 weeks will be spent specializing in a particular area of the business, deepening one’s understanding of how a specific part of the process contributes to the final product.
This apprenticeship is sponsored by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, whose goal is to create resiliency and long-term sustainability for Northeast dairy businesses.
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Sponsored by ASLF
Project: Defining and clarifying personal sustainable career goals, building community, supporting the local ecosystem through regenerative aquaculture, and helping to end hunger in Maine on a grow-to-donate vegetable production farm
Maine is experiencing a steady outflow of its younger population, leaving behind rural communities that are struggling. These towns need focused efforts on intentional community building, supported by donations of food to help the hungry and the cultivation of high-value crops, like oysters, which not only help clean waterways but also provide essential income to sustain local farmers.
This unique apprenticeship is located on Maine’s coast, and provides Apprentices with a 7-week long opportunity to find a deeper connection to the work of sustainable agriculture. Apprentices will complete the 3-week May Term at Seguinland, defining and designing their “good life”, and then roll right into a 4-week apprenticeship, either at Glidden Point Oyster Farms or Veggies to Table. At Glidden Point, an Apprentice will learn the entire oyster production cycle, from seeding to harvesting, and engage with the team in caring for their renowned oysters. At Veggies to Table, an Apprentice will grow top-quality organic produce and flowers to donate to local people experiencing hunger and needing joy, demonstrate sustainable growing methods, and create lasting connections on the farm and beyond. During the apprenticeship, Seguinland will function as a hub for the Apprentices, a place for them to gather weekly for community & reflection on their farm experience.
Learn more at Seguin Land Institute, Glidden Point, Veggies to Table.
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Sponsored by The Martins Family, Lazy Lady Farm, and ASLF
Project: Continuing the wisdom and legacy of American artisanal cheese
Rural America’s dwindling workforce is putting the future of artisanal American cheese at risk. If this trend continues, the craftsmanship and culture behind these cheeses could end.
Lazy Lady Farm, an off-grid Alpine goat dairy in rural Vermont, specializes in small-batch, seasonal, artisanal goat cheeses powered exclusively by wind and solar. Laini writes, “the last time Lazy Lady paid an electric bill was 44 years ago while Jimmy Carter was still in office.” This 9-month long apprenticeship provides a chance to learn from one of America’s most revered cheesemakers; caring for a small herd of Alpine goats, and making, washing, and shipping cheeses.
Quoted from Anne Saxelby herself, “Laini Fondiller is a true pioneer in the annals of American artisan cheese…[she] has been making goat cheese in the hinterlands of northern Vermont since WAY before artisan cheese was on anyone’s radar, let alone cool! Laini fell in love with cheese and goats while interning on different farms around France. After her visa expired and she was ‘kicked out’ of France (her words), she decided to try her hand at making goat cheese in Vermont.”
Two months of this apprenticeship are sponsored by ASLF and the Martins Family, and 7 months are sponsored by Laini Fondiller and Lazy Lady Farm.
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Sponsored by Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
Project: Assisting a small sheep dairy in their transition from state certification to IMS certification
Due to the steep costs of IMS-mandated equipment, small dairy farms are often trapped in state-level certification, severely limiting their ability to sell to broader markets across state lines. Blackeyed Susan Sheep Dairy was awarded a grant to purchase this equipment, but they need the labor to implement new production systems and grow their business.
Blackeyed Susan Sheep Dairy is New Hampshire’s only Grade A sheep dairy, situated in the hollow beneath the quaint town of Mont Vernon on 100 acres of land – 40 of pasture and 60 of woods, 30 of which are rotationally grazed on by their flock of 160 ewes and lambs.
Apprentices will be in the creamery, making soft and Alpine-style cheeses, yogurt, and gelato. This includes food production, affinage, packing, processing, and cleaning. They will also be working under the Sheep Husbandry manager, learning how to care for and handle the livestock. This includes milking, milk measurements, and testing. In the pasture, Apprentices will learn basic veterinary activities and herd management, including fence line relocation, moving the pasture areas, and general pasture management.
This apprenticeship is sponsored by the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center, whose goal is to create resiliency and long-term sustainability for Northeast dairy businesses.
