Intern Reviews |
Emma
In life, there are a great many events and occurrences which may not be quite what one expects they will be, and yet still yield a desirable or reconcilable result. My time as an intern at Polyface was very much like that. I’m a huge believer in positivity, so I have no problem listing the excellent results of my internship: I was breathing fresh air 24/7, exploring nature, and enjoying the dirt under my fingernails from sun up to sun down. The strenuous work the interns and I did on the daily, dropped pounds like no work out program I’ve ever experienced. We were toned and fitter than fiddles after only a couple months. Possibly my favorite part of the program, however, was the people—the Salatins? Surprising as it may seem, no. By the end of my time at Polyface, the men and women I was interning with had become a tight knit pack. And we didn’t stand for Polyface, we stood for each other.
For the few literature enthusiasts who might be reading this, I have never experienced such quick character development in such a short amount of time among a group of people on the page, screen, or in real life. We had begun the summer as ten Polyface enthusiasts, (I, the eleventh intern was the exception, having only heard of Joel Salatin about once before submitting my application). I’d stumbled upon the Intern Application via a friend who told me Polyface was an all-natural farm run by a family who deeply cared about bettering the land they cultivated, and educating other farmers, young and old alike, to do the same. The Salatins, apparently experienced and revered farmers, were offering a hands-on summer internship, free of charge. To a girl who decided against college because she did not want to spend massive sums of money on a book-based education when she knew her mind was not stylistically suited to it, this was a dream come true. With a spotless reputation, thousands of followers, and a great many recommendations, I surmised that even if the Salatins were not all everyone thought they were, they’d most likely still be professional, and run the internship like a well-oiled machine. After all, it had been up and running for twenty plus years.
Shocked when I was accepted into the program, I loaded my truck with a summer’s worth of belongings. I knew from talking to previous interns and apprentices that the summer wasn’t going to be easy, not even remotely close to easy, and the Salatins were not always fun to work with either, but I felt ready for the physical and mental challenge. I was accustomed to year round farm work from the wonderful job I had to give up in order to go to Polyface, from caring for my own flock of layers I had to sell before moving, and from helping friends on their dairy and hog farms. Heck, I’d survived a week-long State Police Citizen Academy complete with physical training, and the mental strain of being hollered at by men more than twice my height and width. And the Salatins certainly wouldn’t be yelling in my face. I was thirsty for an agricultural education, and Polyface seemed like the Mecca of the Agricultural Community. There was no better place to work and learn. During their Internship/Apprenticeship session at their Annual Intensive Seminar, Joel and Daniel emphasized the importance of accurate marketing; if a farmer is looking for someone to educate in return to labor, he may search for an intern. If he is looking for someone to complete a “laundry list” of chores, his search is for grunt workers and farm hands, NOT interns. Preaching such a clear and adamant message from its pulpit as it were, it seemed I could trust Polyface to teach me.
THE DAY TO DAY
My discovery at Polyface was not one of excellent education. The other interns and I quickly picked up how to work together and efficiently complete all our morning and evening chores, rain or shine. Other tasks varied throughout the day, and headed up by Daniel--Joel was often nowhere to be seen. There was little managerial organization, but eventually as a team we also learned how to maintain our own semblance, independent of Polyface leadership. One of the first things we learned to do was to kill any broiler chicken that was weak or smaller than the rest and feed it to the pigs, so as not to waste feed on a bad bird—a practical practice. There were often predator attacks on the broilers as well and after morning chores we usually came in from the fields with at least two carcasses a piece; it was no one’s fault, just nature taking its course, a normal occurrence on any farm. That is why I found it so odd when we received direct orders to keep anything dead out of eye-shot of any visitors or tourists, even if it meant hiding the birds somewhere and coming back for them later. We weren’t allowed to throw the birds to the pigs if anyone was around either. Why hide the natureness of nature when the whole message of the farm is respecting and revering it?
TIME OFF
Our days off, every other weekend or so, were supposed to be free of chores, but if we didn’t help out or stay on site for the day we’d often receive a subtle jab from Daniel. A few of us wanted to visit home, or nearby friends or family in our time off, which also often yielded unpleasant comments and reactions from management. While most interns stayed up late Sunday night to hang out or go into town, I (an adult) was actually given a Sunday night curfew by management of nine o’clock PM if I left town to visit my boyfriend.
CAMPYLOBACTER
Over the course of the summer, all but one of us got sick, which we had been told to expect due to the rigorous work we were doing. However, this sickness was different than anything merely work-induced; it was unlike heat exhaustion, strained muscles, or simple dehydration, though we all endured those to boot.
I’m sorry if the details are unpleasant to read about, some of us were reticent to confess to each other the symptoms that had prevented us from appearing for nearly a week at a time each. What most of us had in common was about a week of a high fever, insuppressible body chills, intense body aches and stomach pain, accompanied by frequent, often bloody diarrhea. The first time it hit me, I assumed it was just a nasty bug or exhaustion that we were all doomed to catch, and it was just my turn to deal with it. My concern turned to alarm as the amount of blood in my stool increased per trip to the bathroom. I advised management of my situation and told them I wanted to go to the ER. They strongly urged me not to, and instead recommended I go to the back door of the house of an ER doctor they knew personally; nothing in me found that suggestion appropriate. Severely dehydrated, and too light-headed from rapid weight-loss to drive, I somehow managed to find a bar of cell service to call my boyfriend for help. When he came to pick me up the next morning, I’ll never forget the horrified look on his face when he saw how pale and thin I was. At the Augusta Health Emergency Room, in Fishersville, VA, a couple tests and bags of IV fluid later, a doctor told me I had some bacteria in my intestinal tract, but she felt it would clear up on its own, without antibiotics. I was simply given prescriptions to take as needed to control my symptoms. The doctor also advised me to stay hydrated, drink as often and as much as I could. None of us knew that the very water we were relying on at our cabins was the root of our troubles.
My symptoms eventually subsided, and I started gaining strength back. I thought the bacteria had worked its way out, but almost exactly a month after my ER visit, I got another fever complete with body aches and chills. The following morning, I was experiencing diarrhea again, which quickly became bloody, and turned solely to hemorrhaging. Once again dehydrated and terrified, it was all I could do to throw together a quick bag of things and find someone to drive me to the hospital. This time the doctor seemed slightly more concerned, and after more testing informed me that I had contracted campylobacteriosis, an intestinal infection due to a bacteria called campylobacter which can be contracted most commonly from poultry or contaminated water. He gave me antibiotics to take daily, the first dose of which I received at the hospital. I got back to the farm around 11:30 but by 1:30 a fellow intern was rushing me back to the hospital after a reaction to the antibiotic left me in agony unable to do anything except lie on the floor shaking. I left the farm for a couple days so I could finish out the antibiotics and cope with the reaction to them in an air-conditioned house with friends, my boyfriend, and a hospital nearby. Once again my symptoms subsided for about a month.
JOEL & DANIEL
Although I may not have been at my peak physically, the other interns were plowing ahead, our duties were always completed well and in a fairly timely manner. There ended up being some very intense drama regarding one of our apprentices, which was not handled well by the Salatins. They repeatedly called us to meetings and used emotional tactics and appeals to manipulate us and make us feel undeserving of any of their valuable time and attention. Over the summer, one doggedly hardworking intern was coping with many trials in his personal life, including the death of his wife, yet during one of these meetings, Joel insensitively accused him of “moping around”, saying that they considered firing him for it. Another night after dinner, Joel stood up and aggressively accused us of stealing an air filter from one of his personal chainsaws. He went on to claim that he was told we’d been saying he was unworthy of any respect, intimidating, and not a Christian. He passed out a card to each of us and told us to circle “yes” or “no”, demanding that we either affirm or deny all of the above statements. What followed was a tense hour or so of Joel crying, and Daniel’s veins bulging out of his neck while he yelled at us, banging his fist on the table, threatening to send away whoever had said Joel was not a Christian. It was one of the strangest and most unnerving moments I’ve ever experienced. Everyone was shocked and speechless. As a Christian, and even just as an individual, if someone was questioning my worthiness of respect, my approachability, or the credibility of my faith, I would immediately be concerned about what I was doing to cause questions to arise. Instead, we were being outright threatened with termination of our internship if any of us held to the statement that Joel was not a Christian. I completely understand that anyone can have an emotional “off” day. However, the other interns reported several instances of Joel yelling, cussing at them or simply being short and unfairly rude with them.
On one car ride after my second (and third) trip to the ER, I remember Daniel subtly manipulating our conversation to see if I’d told anyone in the ER where I was living or where I had contracted the campylobacter, saying it could drastically affect Polyface’s reputation. I remember thinking that was a strange comment for someone with nothing to hide.
THE OUTCOME
A month after completing the antibiotics, I relapsed again. I was baffled at the sudden, forceful recurrence of all my symptoms. I left the farm emotionally and physically exhausted to attempt to recoup yet again. A couple days after I’d left, a fellow intern texted to let me know the Salatins had admitted to knowing all summer that the water at the hunt camp where we were staying was contaminated, and had no proper filtration system. Our cisterns were basins which caught rain run-off from our roofs, a fantastically resourceful concept aside from the fact that without a good filter, we were ingesting all the bacteria of anything the rain washed off our roof as well. A couple days later, with no warning, the water at the hunt camp smelled and tasted like a pool at the YMCA, due to the amount of chemicals the Salatins had poured into it. Suddenly it seemed they were not quite so interested in an all-natural, regenerative solution. A real water filter was finally installed a few days following that, the results of it were visible within mere hours. Our crisp white filter turned to black before the day was done.
Once Polyface enthusiasts and supporters, we interns were distraught, frustrated, torn and slipping into survival mode. When apprentice application meetings were held, we all turned down the “opportunity”, each for our own reasons, the verbal abuse, the sickness, but several realizing that the sum of our labor for the summer merely as interns was worth upward of two hundred thousand dollars, and all we each made was five hundred dollars. We had been given the “laundry list” Joel and Daniel so strongly preached against giving to interns, and we weren’t even well compensated. It wasn’t worth our time or effort to apprentice. Somehow the Salatins were shocked by our decision. Clearly displeased, in the following days they were moody to say the least.
I left not long after the Salatins confessed to the water contamination, realizing that I would never recover if I stayed at Polyface continuing to do the sun-up to sun-down labor required of me, by men who to be quite honest, now terrified me. “If you’re not throwing up…come down to chores in the morning” they told me when I had such a high fever that I couldn’t stop shaking from chills. I couldn’t in my right mind remain in an environment with management that had knowingly made me sick, then attempted to hide my sickness and make sure I didn’t reveal how I’d contracted it. The people I had thought would be professional and would value teaching the next wave of regenerative farmers, didn’t actually care about me, or any of us at all. They preached a “family” sermon about taking care of their own, but what they showed us was the exact opposite. That was definitely not what I expected.
What did I learn? How to kill and process chickens, herd cattle, use a sawmill, and drive a tractor? Sure. But the things I’ll never forget are the things I saw behind the scenes, behind the pristine curtain Polyface has woven around itself. I’m not asking Polyface or the Salatins to be perfect--no one is, and everyone can have a hard year or some managerial hiccups--but if they’re going to claim an organic (in the non-agricultural sense) soul, they should be real and honest with their patrons and audience. Beyond simply putting forward a good face, the Salatins directly lied to us about the water situation on the farm. The greatest showman is still nothing but a liar.
For the few literature enthusiasts who might be reading this, I have never experienced such quick character development in such a short amount of time among a group of people on the page, screen, or in real life. We had begun the summer as ten Polyface enthusiasts, (I, the eleventh intern was the exception, having only heard of Joel Salatin about once before submitting my application). I’d stumbled upon the Intern Application via a friend who told me Polyface was an all-natural farm run by a family who deeply cared about bettering the land they cultivated, and educating other farmers, young and old alike, to do the same. The Salatins, apparently experienced and revered farmers, were offering a hands-on summer internship, free of charge. To a girl who decided against college because she did not want to spend massive sums of money on a book-based education when she knew her mind was not stylistically suited to it, this was a dream come true. With a spotless reputation, thousands of followers, and a great many recommendations, I surmised that even if the Salatins were not all everyone thought they were, they’d most likely still be professional, and run the internship like a well-oiled machine. After all, it had been up and running for twenty plus years.
Shocked when I was accepted into the program, I loaded my truck with a summer’s worth of belongings. I knew from talking to previous interns and apprentices that the summer wasn’t going to be easy, not even remotely close to easy, and the Salatins were not always fun to work with either, but I felt ready for the physical and mental challenge. I was accustomed to year round farm work from the wonderful job I had to give up in order to go to Polyface, from caring for my own flock of layers I had to sell before moving, and from helping friends on their dairy and hog farms. Heck, I’d survived a week-long State Police Citizen Academy complete with physical training, and the mental strain of being hollered at by men more than twice my height and width. And the Salatins certainly wouldn’t be yelling in my face. I was thirsty for an agricultural education, and Polyface seemed like the Mecca of the Agricultural Community. There was no better place to work and learn. During their Internship/Apprenticeship session at their Annual Intensive Seminar, Joel and Daniel emphasized the importance of accurate marketing; if a farmer is looking for someone to educate in return to labor, he may search for an intern. If he is looking for someone to complete a “laundry list” of chores, his search is for grunt workers and farm hands, NOT interns. Preaching such a clear and adamant message from its pulpit as it were, it seemed I could trust Polyface to teach me.
THE DAY TO DAY
My discovery at Polyface was not one of excellent education. The other interns and I quickly picked up how to work together and efficiently complete all our morning and evening chores, rain or shine. Other tasks varied throughout the day, and headed up by Daniel--Joel was often nowhere to be seen. There was little managerial organization, but eventually as a team we also learned how to maintain our own semblance, independent of Polyface leadership. One of the first things we learned to do was to kill any broiler chicken that was weak or smaller than the rest and feed it to the pigs, so as not to waste feed on a bad bird—a practical practice. There were often predator attacks on the broilers as well and after morning chores we usually came in from the fields with at least two carcasses a piece; it was no one’s fault, just nature taking its course, a normal occurrence on any farm. That is why I found it so odd when we received direct orders to keep anything dead out of eye-shot of any visitors or tourists, even if it meant hiding the birds somewhere and coming back for them later. We weren’t allowed to throw the birds to the pigs if anyone was around either. Why hide the natureness of nature when the whole message of the farm is respecting and revering it?
TIME OFF
Our days off, every other weekend or so, were supposed to be free of chores, but if we didn’t help out or stay on site for the day we’d often receive a subtle jab from Daniel. A few of us wanted to visit home, or nearby friends or family in our time off, which also often yielded unpleasant comments and reactions from management. While most interns stayed up late Sunday night to hang out or go into town, I (an adult) was actually given a Sunday night curfew by management of nine o’clock PM if I left town to visit my boyfriend.
CAMPYLOBACTER
Over the course of the summer, all but one of us got sick, which we had been told to expect due to the rigorous work we were doing. However, this sickness was different than anything merely work-induced; it was unlike heat exhaustion, strained muscles, or simple dehydration, though we all endured those to boot.
I’m sorry if the details are unpleasant to read about, some of us were reticent to confess to each other the symptoms that had prevented us from appearing for nearly a week at a time each. What most of us had in common was about a week of a high fever, insuppressible body chills, intense body aches and stomach pain, accompanied by frequent, often bloody diarrhea. The first time it hit me, I assumed it was just a nasty bug or exhaustion that we were all doomed to catch, and it was just my turn to deal with it. My concern turned to alarm as the amount of blood in my stool increased per trip to the bathroom. I advised management of my situation and told them I wanted to go to the ER. They strongly urged me not to, and instead recommended I go to the back door of the house of an ER doctor they knew personally; nothing in me found that suggestion appropriate. Severely dehydrated, and too light-headed from rapid weight-loss to drive, I somehow managed to find a bar of cell service to call my boyfriend for help. When he came to pick me up the next morning, I’ll never forget the horrified look on his face when he saw how pale and thin I was. At the Augusta Health Emergency Room, in Fishersville, VA, a couple tests and bags of IV fluid later, a doctor told me I had some bacteria in my intestinal tract, but she felt it would clear up on its own, without antibiotics. I was simply given prescriptions to take as needed to control my symptoms. The doctor also advised me to stay hydrated, drink as often and as much as I could. None of us knew that the very water we were relying on at our cabins was the root of our troubles.
My symptoms eventually subsided, and I started gaining strength back. I thought the bacteria had worked its way out, but almost exactly a month after my ER visit, I got another fever complete with body aches and chills. The following morning, I was experiencing diarrhea again, which quickly became bloody, and turned solely to hemorrhaging. Once again dehydrated and terrified, it was all I could do to throw together a quick bag of things and find someone to drive me to the hospital. This time the doctor seemed slightly more concerned, and after more testing informed me that I had contracted campylobacteriosis, an intestinal infection due to a bacteria called campylobacter which can be contracted most commonly from poultry or contaminated water. He gave me antibiotics to take daily, the first dose of which I received at the hospital. I got back to the farm around 11:30 but by 1:30 a fellow intern was rushing me back to the hospital after a reaction to the antibiotic left me in agony unable to do anything except lie on the floor shaking. I left the farm for a couple days so I could finish out the antibiotics and cope with the reaction to them in an air-conditioned house with friends, my boyfriend, and a hospital nearby. Once again my symptoms subsided for about a month.
JOEL & DANIEL
Although I may not have been at my peak physically, the other interns were plowing ahead, our duties were always completed well and in a fairly timely manner. There ended up being some very intense drama regarding one of our apprentices, which was not handled well by the Salatins. They repeatedly called us to meetings and used emotional tactics and appeals to manipulate us and make us feel undeserving of any of their valuable time and attention. Over the summer, one doggedly hardworking intern was coping with many trials in his personal life, including the death of his wife, yet during one of these meetings, Joel insensitively accused him of “moping around”, saying that they considered firing him for it. Another night after dinner, Joel stood up and aggressively accused us of stealing an air filter from one of his personal chainsaws. He went on to claim that he was told we’d been saying he was unworthy of any respect, intimidating, and not a Christian. He passed out a card to each of us and told us to circle “yes” or “no”, demanding that we either affirm or deny all of the above statements. What followed was a tense hour or so of Joel crying, and Daniel’s veins bulging out of his neck while he yelled at us, banging his fist on the table, threatening to send away whoever had said Joel was not a Christian. It was one of the strangest and most unnerving moments I’ve ever experienced. Everyone was shocked and speechless. As a Christian, and even just as an individual, if someone was questioning my worthiness of respect, my approachability, or the credibility of my faith, I would immediately be concerned about what I was doing to cause questions to arise. Instead, we were being outright threatened with termination of our internship if any of us held to the statement that Joel was not a Christian. I completely understand that anyone can have an emotional “off” day. However, the other interns reported several instances of Joel yelling, cussing at them or simply being short and unfairly rude with them.
On one car ride after my second (and third) trip to the ER, I remember Daniel subtly manipulating our conversation to see if I’d told anyone in the ER where I was living or where I had contracted the campylobacter, saying it could drastically affect Polyface’s reputation. I remember thinking that was a strange comment for someone with nothing to hide.
THE OUTCOME
A month after completing the antibiotics, I relapsed again. I was baffled at the sudden, forceful recurrence of all my symptoms. I left the farm emotionally and physically exhausted to attempt to recoup yet again. A couple days after I’d left, a fellow intern texted to let me know the Salatins had admitted to knowing all summer that the water at the hunt camp where we were staying was contaminated, and had no proper filtration system. Our cisterns were basins which caught rain run-off from our roofs, a fantastically resourceful concept aside from the fact that without a good filter, we were ingesting all the bacteria of anything the rain washed off our roof as well. A couple days later, with no warning, the water at the hunt camp smelled and tasted like a pool at the YMCA, due to the amount of chemicals the Salatins had poured into it. Suddenly it seemed they were not quite so interested in an all-natural, regenerative solution. A real water filter was finally installed a few days following that, the results of it were visible within mere hours. Our crisp white filter turned to black before the day was done.
Once Polyface enthusiasts and supporters, we interns were distraught, frustrated, torn and slipping into survival mode. When apprentice application meetings were held, we all turned down the “opportunity”, each for our own reasons, the verbal abuse, the sickness, but several realizing that the sum of our labor for the summer merely as interns was worth upward of two hundred thousand dollars, and all we each made was five hundred dollars. We had been given the “laundry list” Joel and Daniel so strongly preached against giving to interns, and we weren’t even well compensated. It wasn’t worth our time or effort to apprentice. Somehow the Salatins were shocked by our decision. Clearly displeased, in the following days they were moody to say the least.
I left not long after the Salatins confessed to the water contamination, realizing that I would never recover if I stayed at Polyface continuing to do the sun-up to sun-down labor required of me, by men who to be quite honest, now terrified me. “If you’re not throwing up…come down to chores in the morning” they told me when I had such a high fever that I couldn’t stop shaking from chills. I couldn’t in my right mind remain in an environment with management that had knowingly made me sick, then attempted to hide my sickness and make sure I didn’t reveal how I’d contracted it. The people I had thought would be professional and would value teaching the next wave of regenerative farmers, didn’t actually care about me, or any of us at all. They preached a “family” sermon about taking care of their own, but what they showed us was the exact opposite. That was definitely not what I expected.
What did I learn? How to kill and process chickens, herd cattle, use a sawmill, and drive a tractor? Sure. But the things I’ll never forget are the things I saw behind the scenes, behind the pristine curtain Polyface has woven around itself. I’m not asking Polyface or the Salatins to be perfect--no one is, and everyone can have a hard year or some managerial hiccups--but if they’re going to claim an organic (in the non-agricultural sense) soul, they should be real and honest with their patrons and audience. Beyond simply putting forward a good face, the Salatins directly lied to us about the water situation on the farm. The greatest showman is still nothing but a liar.
John
My experience as a Polyface intern in the summer of 2019 was as I've been describing to my friends and family: "a bright sunny day with some intense dark clouds that would sometimes drench what could have and should have been a bright and beautiful summer." In short, the idealistic picture painted of what the internship would be didn't match up with the reality. I'd like to start off with the positives both for me as an individual and as I see in the program.
I was a bit of a black sheep as far as the culture of the team went, possibly the least "classically religious" of anyone on the farm (as far as I could tell) and at times quite a crude individual. Nevertheless everyone on the farm welcomed me onto the team with a big smile and arms wide open. I'm still pleasantly surprised by the warmth and how well I got along with the family, staff and team (even being told I'm a lot of fun by Joel!). I can't speak highly enough of my fellow interns, or the crowd that Polyface attracts. The individuals that came to all the events we hosted without fail came with open hearts, open minds, and a love for Mother Earth. For my team: intelligent, hard working, incredibly fun and hilarious in ways I truly did not expect, everyone bared their heart to me like a brother, so I'm truly grateful for the team Polyface put together. My team was the shining star of my experience. They taught me more than I ever learned in school and more. This includes those on staff and our apprentices, some of which I became very close with.
I knew virtually nothing about farming coming into the experience from Chem Lawn Commercial Landscaping and Construction. I had hardly any experience around animals and none with the care or processing of farm animals. Leaving the program I feel confident I could manage a diverse farm. I'm in no ways a master (except perhaps at QC and evisceration, unofficially setting the farm record at 23 seconds with a bunch at 24 seconds Ethan and I need to run it back!), the program did as it promised and gave me enough knowledge and confidence to start a multi-species farming enterprise. I think with a sharp mind and paying attention not only to your own experience but asking questions and watching/listening to your peers, an individual with no farming experience would stand to gain quite a bit from the program as I did.
On the flip side of that statement is that I felt the educational aspect of the program really slowed down after the first 2 months, and outside of small specific tasks it felt stagnant, like we were just there for the work. Couple that slow down in education with a shift in the attitude we received from management around that time regarding the small errors we made or straight up not processing turkeys fast enough, it started to feel like there was an asymmetrical payoff (especially for a lot of the interns who had way more experience than myself). In fact, our fears were even confirmed by Daniel later in the summer that "production has outrun education" and after the dismissal of one of our apprentices we were told that additional education we were seeking was basically out of the picture. I do have to give Joel credit, he took our list of questions very seriously and did his best to answer as many as he could before the end of the summer, but it was just far from what most of the team expected as far as education went. By the end, in the morning we were handed tasks written up on a post-it from the apprentice manager and broken up into teams to accomplish what needed doing.
We'd discussed a number of concerns and ideas that previous interns thought might be beneficial for the experience, for me the biggest one being small team processing. I thought it was a tremendous idea and even on their top of the line equipment would have been an extremely valuable experience as I wasn't expecting to have 10-12 highly skilled people to help when I started my farm. I must have asked 4 or 5 different processing days to have a team of 3 or 4 and process 100 chickens, every time met with dismissal or non-acknowledgement of the request. Thankfully I was able to experience this with fellow intern, DJ and his friend Tara, whom I went to work with after the experience. What was presented as an education turned out to be training. As philosopher Nassim Taleb says "Training leads to self definition, education leads to self discovery". We were told not to bring up alternative methods and to focus on the Polyface way. Our main reason for being there was to help Polyface be profitable, although oddly an offer for an intern run lumber business refused.
The darkest part of the experience however was the "itis" and the infamous chainsaw incident. To start, in the application for the Internship applicants are warned that almost all interns get sick for a few days then are better afterwards. It's purported that it's brought on by never working so hard in their life. Coming from 12-14 hour work days of landscaping, tree work, and construction followed with vigorous weight lifting and HIIT, I thought I'd be immune, not so. Almost all of us fell very ill at various points in the experience, and had lasting medical issues throughout. 3 weeks in I was hit with flu like symptoms of which I'd never felt before. After loading up for a buying club run in the morning with an apprentice I felt and looked so ill I was told to take a long breakfast. I promptly fell asleep for 4 hours, and spent the rest of the day feeling like I was wrapped in concrete, sleeping until the next morning. What followed was the effects of Campylobacter, the "itis" we were all stricken with, which took over a week to work through me. It was discovered in the drinking water (rainwater collected from the roof) at our housing. Eventually a UV and particle filter were put into the water system at the house. The worst part of this being that our water was tested at some point prior to this filter being put in (you need a sample to know what to design a system for) and at no point were we told that our water was being tested and perhaps we should stop drinking it. We were told after the filter was put in that it was tested and what was in it. During that lag time Emma was sick and hospitalized for the second time, and the rest of us experiencing... less than desirable digestive symptoms.
The chainsaw incident started for me when I heard Joel hollering in the shop that someone had sabotaged his chainsaw by removing the air filter, questioning the mechanic as to whether he had put it back together properly, and insinuating that there was a farm terrorist, not from without but within. That 5 minute conversation is one I'll never forget. A few others heard it directly and in "the healthiest grape vine around" soon everyone had heard the story, some laughed and brushed it off, others became concerned and spoke to staff about it. It was brought to a head after dinner the eve of our "apprentice talk" with us interns being accused of sabotaging the chainsaw, that someone had done this to get back at them, and I can say with absolute certainty that none of us did. What followed was what I can only describe as a manipulative scare tactic. We were told that potentially some of us would be going home or that Joel would no longer be interacting with us, as someone had gone to the staff and accused Joel of being "intimidating, difficult to work with, and not a Christian". I had indeed gone to staff about the first two, but would never question his faith, none of us had or ever would. We were passed note cards with Yes and No on them and told to circle one for if we had said ANY of those things. Those who answered yes then had to defend their answer to the family. After a long, uncomfortable conversation we resolved the inquisition and moved on.
I could go on about the dismissal of one of our apprentices, the circumstances and fallout of which lead to a very hard divide between the interns and most everyone else on the farm (hence the sticky notes with tasks), with some amazing, strong individuals caught in the cross fire, but I've said as much as I'd like to as far as personnel issues.
As far as the program, I'd say if Polyface wants to continue raising up the next generation of farmers they need to scale back production to allow for a better education, the internship of how I imagine it was years ago. No solo farmer is going to do what they do, and the experience doesn't translate as well as it could. Otherwise, they need to hire and pay employees/seasonal help if the goal is to compete with Walmart. The educational business has outgrown its time and stated mission and is no longer what it's presented as. As far as potential interns, or whatever they're going to call them now, while I love those who I shared the experience with, they were overqualified, people like myself with no experience would benefit the most from any program like this, provided the necessary changes are made.
Would I do it again knowing how it'll go? You bet. I've forgiven those involved for the misgivings and mistakes made. I've flown off the handle plenty, wrongly accused people and lied. We're all human. The world is a far better place because Joel Salatin and Polyface are in it. Their message and example is something the world needs, I still recommend his books. I shared the negatives I did to show that he's human like you and me, not the messiah some people hold him up to be.
Sadly we remember more vividly the negatives that life throws our way and the positives seem to distill down to a mood, a memory of a feeling and a few amazing details. What's lost in this summary is the hardest laughs I've ever had, the best friends I've ever known, the deepest conversations I still can't touch since leaving, the thrill of hard work in the sun for the benefit of the world and some of the most valuable knowledge I've ever gained, about relationships of all kinds and about myself. As I was at checkouts, in the first and fifth months, I'm extremely grateful for the experience and the trials that came with it. I'm so excited to see where we go from here and how this experience altered all of us.
I was a bit of a black sheep as far as the culture of the team went, possibly the least "classically religious" of anyone on the farm (as far as I could tell) and at times quite a crude individual. Nevertheless everyone on the farm welcomed me onto the team with a big smile and arms wide open. I'm still pleasantly surprised by the warmth and how well I got along with the family, staff and team (even being told I'm a lot of fun by Joel!). I can't speak highly enough of my fellow interns, or the crowd that Polyface attracts. The individuals that came to all the events we hosted without fail came with open hearts, open minds, and a love for Mother Earth. For my team: intelligent, hard working, incredibly fun and hilarious in ways I truly did not expect, everyone bared their heart to me like a brother, so I'm truly grateful for the team Polyface put together. My team was the shining star of my experience. They taught me more than I ever learned in school and more. This includes those on staff and our apprentices, some of which I became very close with.
I knew virtually nothing about farming coming into the experience from Chem Lawn Commercial Landscaping and Construction. I had hardly any experience around animals and none with the care or processing of farm animals. Leaving the program I feel confident I could manage a diverse farm. I'm in no ways a master (except perhaps at QC and evisceration, unofficially setting the farm record at 23 seconds with a bunch at 24 seconds Ethan and I need to run it back!), the program did as it promised and gave me enough knowledge and confidence to start a multi-species farming enterprise. I think with a sharp mind and paying attention not only to your own experience but asking questions and watching/listening to your peers, an individual with no farming experience would stand to gain quite a bit from the program as I did.
On the flip side of that statement is that I felt the educational aspect of the program really slowed down after the first 2 months, and outside of small specific tasks it felt stagnant, like we were just there for the work. Couple that slow down in education with a shift in the attitude we received from management around that time regarding the small errors we made or straight up not processing turkeys fast enough, it started to feel like there was an asymmetrical payoff (especially for a lot of the interns who had way more experience than myself). In fact, our fears were even confirmed by Daniel later in the summer that "production has outrun education" and after the dismissal of one of our apprentices we were told that additional education we were seeking was basically out of the picture. I do have to give Joel credit, he took our list of questions very seriously and did his best to answer as many as he could before the end of the summer, but it was just far from what most of the team expected as far as education went. By the end, in the morning we were handed tasks written up on a post-it from the apprentice manager and broken up into teams to accomplish what needed doing.
We'd discussed a number of concerns and ideas that previous interns thought might be beneficial for the experience, for me the biggest one being small team processing. I thought it was a tremendous idea and even on their top of the line equipment would have been an extremely valuable experience as I wasn't expecting to have 10-12 highly skilled people to help when I started my farm. I must have asked 4 or 5 different processing days to have a team of 3 or 4 and process 100 chickens, every time met with dismissal or non-acknowledgement of the request. Thankfully I was able to experience this with fellow intern, DJ and his friend Tara, whom I went to work with after the experience. What was presented as an education turned out to be training. As philosopher Nassim Taleb says "Training leads to self definition, education leads to self discovery". We were told not to bring up alternative methods and to focus on the Polyface way. Our main reason for being there was to help Polyface be profitable, although oddly an offer for an intern run lumber business refused.
The darkest part of the experience however was the "itis" and the infamous chainsaw incident. To start, in the application for the Internship applicants are warned that almost all interns get sick for a few days then are better afterwards. It's purported that it's brought on by never working so hard in their life. Coming from 12-14 hour work days of landscaping, tree work, and construction followed with vigorous weight lifting and HIIT, I thought I'd be immune, not so. Almost all of us fell very ill at various points in the experience, and had lasting medical issues throughout. 3 weeks in I was hit with flu like symptoms of which I'd never felt before. After loading up for a buying club run in the morning with an apprentice I felt and looked so ill I was told to take a long breakfast. I promptly fell asleep for 4 hours, and spent the rest of the day feeling like I was wrapped in concrete, sleeping until the next morning. What followed was the effects of Campylobacter, the "itis" we were all stricken with, which took over a week to work through me. It was discovered in the drinking water (rainwater collected from the roof) at our housing. Eventually a UV and particle filter were put into the water system at the house. The worst part of this being that our water was tested at some point prior to this filter being put in (you need a sample to know what to design a system for) and at no point were we told that our water was being tested and perhaps we should stop drinking it. We were told after the filter was put in that it was tested and what was in it. During that lag time Emma was sick and hospitalized for the second time, and the rest of us experiencing... less than desirable digestive symptoms.
The chainsaw incident started for me when I heard Joel hollering in the shop that someone had sabotaged his chainsaw by removing the air filter, questioning the mechanic as to whether he had put it back together properly, and insinuating that there was a farm terrorist, not from without but within. That 5 minute conversation is one I'll never forget. A few others heard it directly and in "the healthiest grape vine around" soon everyone had heard the story, some laughed and brushed it off, others became concerned and spoke to staff about it. It was brought to a head after dinner the eve of our "apprentice talk" with us interns being accused of sabotaging the chainsaw, that someone had done this to get back at them, and I can say with absolute certainty that none of us did. What followed was what I can only describe as a manipulative scare tactic. We were told that potentially some of us would be going home or that Joel would no longer be interacting with us, as someone had gone to the staff and accused Joel of being "intimidating, difficult to work with, and not a Christian". I had indeed gone to staff about the first two, but would never question his faith, none of us had or ever would. We were passed note cards with Yes and No on them and told to circle one for if we had said ANY of those things. Those who answered yes then had to defend their answer to the family. After a long, uncomfortable conversation we resolved the inquisition and moved on.
I could go on about the dismissal of one of our apprentices, the circumstances and fallout of which lead to a very hard divide between the interns and most everyone else on the farm (hence the sticky notes with tasks), with some amazing, strong individuals caught in the cross fire, but I've said as much as I'd like to as far as personnel issues.
As far as the program, I'd say if Polyface wants to continue raising up the next generation of farmers they need to scale back production to allow for a better education, the internship of how I imagine it was years ago. No solo farmer is going to do what they do, and the experience doesn't translate as well as it could. Otherwise, they need to hire and pay employees/seasonal help if the goal is to compete with Walmart. The educational business has outgrown its time and stated mission and is no longer what it's presented as. As far as potential interns, or whatever they're going to call them now, while I love those who I shared the experience with, they were overqualified, people like myself with no experience would benefit the most from any program like this, provided the necessary changes are made.
Would I do it again knowing how it'll go? You bet. I've forgiven those involved for the misgivings and mistakes made. I've flown off the handle plenty, wrongly accused people and lied. We're all human. The world is a far better place because Joel Salatin and Polyface are in it. Their message and example is something the world needs, I still recommend his books. I shared the negatives I did to show that he's human like you and me, not the messiah some people hold him up to be.
Sadly we remember more vividly the negatives that life throws our way and the positives seem to distill down to a mood, a memory of a feeling and a few amazing details. What's lost in this summary is the hardest laughs I've ever had, the best friends I've ever known, the deepest conversations I still can't touch since leaving, the thrill of hard work in the sun for the benefit of the world and some of the most valuable knowledge I've ever gained, about relationships of all kinds and about myself. As I was at checkouts, in the first and fifth months, I'm extremely grateful for the experience and the trials that came with it. I'm so excited to see where we go from here and how this experience altered all of us.
Hunter
I was asked to write a review of my experience at Polyface during my 2019 internship. This document is positioned so that it will provide more insight about the program and help others make the decision to apply or accept the Polyface internship (now called stewards). I’ll do my best to be completely honest and to the point.
I feel the need to supply some context about myself and explain my perspective. I am married with three children and 30 years old. When I applied to Polyface, I was in the first year of a career change. I had left a management position in oil and gas, bought a small farm, and started a custom lumber business with the plan of integrity food production on the horizon. Upon accepting the internship, I had read all but two of Joel’s books and watched the majority of his videos on Youtube. I was well versed in the Polyface literature to say the least. I accepted the internship with the idea that it would shorten the learning curve for my integrity food ventures.
This review is about the internship/steward program. I will cover the good and the bad, but I will not complain about personalities or traits in people that I don’t agree with. We all fall short of perfection, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to psychoanalyze anyone on a one sided review.
The people of the program
I’ll start with what Polyface is great at...
They pick some amazing people. I’m not saying that because I was accepted. I actually feel that I slipped through the cracks. I’m saying that because my fellow interns are truly people of integrity, and I could call any of them right now if I needed something. That says a lot for an exclusive group of ten people.
The purpose of the program
I originally viewed the program as a co-laboring entity where I help Polyface accomplish their goals for the summer, and they help me develop my knowledge and skills for my future. This was accomplished to a degree, but it was not intentional on the program’s side. I can say this with honesty because I submitted my learning expectations to them before I arrived and went into detail on what I was willing to sacrifice to make sure this learning was accomplished. When I submitted the email, I got positive replies, but it was never mentioned again during the internship.
I feel as though the original intent of the program was more personal and interactive. Polyface is currently in a strange place of growth, and I feel that the program is/was being used to close that production gap. Not a single intern thought the academics were as in depth as the literature depicted. The interns as a group submitted a learning list, and Polyface did present information on about a third of the topics. The program felt very much like a work camp and is not structured toward academics.
Our group was very diverse, and this broadened the learning spectrum and expectations of the learners. A couple of the interns were experienced in advanced technical trades while others had never used certain hand tools. This in turn makes it more complicated to teach. I believe the group was designed that way, which does help leadership when interns can teach other interns. However, this leaves the ones at the top carrying the short end of the stick in terms of learning.
Communication
The communication between intern and leadership was good in the beginning.The leadership tried to answer questions, but to be honest they were too busy with operations and there were too many of us (11). I found it uncomfortable to try and dig deep for insight. The communication gap increased to a point of no repair when the interns stood up for the way we were being managed. After that, things turned into a blame game and an interns vs leadership situation. To be honest, the way this was handled ruined the whole summer for most of the group. Also, we were not asked for exit interviews or anything that offered insight to the interns’ perspective.
The Length of the program
Five months is too long. I understand it from Polyface’s perspective. The training curve on young people is long, and five months lengthens that further into profitability. I had everything I needed by the third month. I feel that most of the interns would agree. I think that having two, three month programs would be more successful. I also believe they could time the internship during standard college summer and open the program to a whole new class of people.
Food and Accommodations
The Polyface food products are good quality, and they were fair with the distribution of the larder. Some people wanted steaks, but that was excessive. The on-farm chef was great and tried to please everyone. I was disappointed that the majority of the sides were Food Lion basics, but I understand the budgeting issue as well.The accommodations were nicer than I expected and were well suited to the task of housing us all. There was a water cleanliness issue that was not handled well. There was also a sickness that kept circulating through the group. One person tested positive for campylobacter. There was at least one case of diarrhea each week.
The Labor
The work is hard, and the hours are long, but any determined person can complete the work. The labor is a big positive for people who have never experienced anything like it.
My recommendations for people interested in applying.
I believe the program is best suited for young people who are seeking direction in their future. If you are wanting to know if this style of farming is suited for you, this could be a great opportunity. You get the chance to see if you are capable. It really says something to sweat for a greater purpose and learn by doing.
I do not recommend this program to true professionals. If you have a clear vision of your farming future, then spend these five months building your own dream. Your learning curve is short enough to fight through the start-up.
Conclusion
When making a decision there is one question that always has to be answered: Is it worth it? Was the whole experience worth it for me? Yes, even though I left the program a little bitter in some areas. Writing this review has actually helped me work through some of that.
I’m stuck in the weird position of giving Polyface the recognition that they deserve for helping me find my farming direction while on the other hand offering accreditation to the interns who did have a terrible experience and are still being negatively affected by Polyface.
I hope to those seeking, you find this objective as well as informative.
I feel the need to supply some context about myself and explain my perspective. I am married with three children and 30 years old. When I applied to Polyface, I was in the first year of a career change. I had left a management position in oil and gas, bought a small farm, and started a custom lumber business with the plan of integrity food production on the horizon. Upon accepting the internship, I had read all but two of Joel’s books and watched the majority of his videos on Youtube. I was well versed in the Polyface literature to say the least. I accepted the internship with the idea that it would shorten the learning curve for my integrity food ventures.
This review is about the internship/steward program. I will cover the good and the bad, but I will not complain about personalities or traits in people that I don’t agree with. We all fall short of perfection, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to psychoanalyze anyone on a one sided review.
The people of the program
I’ll start with what Polyface is great at...
They pick some amazing people. I’m not saying that because I was accepted. I actually feel that I slipped through the cracks. I’m saying that because my fellow interns are truly people of integrity, and I could call any of them right now if I needed something. That says a lot for an exclusive group of ten people.
The purpose of the program
I originally viewed the program as a co-laboring entity where I help Polyface accomplish their goals for the summer, and they help me develop my knowledge and skills for my future. This was accomplished to a degree, but it was not intentional on the program’s side. I can say this with honesty because I submitted my learning expectations to them before I arrived and went into detail on what I was willing to sacrifice to make sure this learning was accomplished. When I submitted the email, I got positive replies, but it was never mentioned again during the internship.
I feel as though the original intent of the program was more personal and interactive. Polyface is currently in a strange place of growth, and I feel that the program is/was being used to close that production gap. Not a single intern thought the academics were as in depth as the literature depicted. The interns as a group submitted a learning list, and Polyface did present information on about a third of the topics. The program felt very much like a work camp and is not structured toward academics.
Our group was very diverse, and this broadened the learning spectrum and expectations of the learners. A couple of the interns were experienced in advanced technical trades while others had never used certain hand tools. This in turn makes it more complicated to teach. I believe the group was designed that way, which does help leadership when interns can teach other interns. However, this leaves the ones at the top carrying the short end of the stick in terms of learning.
Communication
The communication between intern and leadership was good in the beginning.The leadership tried to answer questions, but to be honest they were too busy with operations and there were too many of us (11). I found it uncomfortable to try and dig deep for insight. The communication gap increased to a point of no repair when the interns stood up for the way we were being managed. After that, things turned into a blame game and an interns vs leadership situation. To be honest, the way this was handled ruined the whole summer for most of the group. Also, we were not asked for exit interviews or anything that offered insight to the interns’ perspective.
The Length of the program
Five months is too long. I understand it from Polyface’s perspective. The training curve on young people is long, and five months lengthens that further into profitability. I had everything I needed by the third month. I feel that most of the interns would agree. I think that having two, three month programs would be more successful. I also believe they could time the internship during standard college summer and open the program to a whole new class of people.
Food and Accommodations
The Polyface food products are good quality, and they were fair with the distribution of the larder. Some people wanted steaks, but that was excessive. The on-farm chef was great and tried to please everyone. I was disappointed that the majority of the sides were Food Lion basics, but I understand the budgeting issue as well.The accommodations were nicer than I expected and were well suited to the task of housing us all. There was a water cleanliness issue that was not handled well. There was also a sickness that kept circulating through the group. One person tested positive for campylobacter. There was at least one case of diarrhea each week.
The Labor
The work is hard, and the hours are long, but any determined person can complete the work. The labor is a big positive for people who have never experienced anything like it.
My recommendations for people interested in applying.
I believe the program is best suited for young people who are seeking direction in their future. If you are wanting to know if this style of farming is suited for you, this could be a great opportunity. You get the chance to see if you are capable. It really says something to sweat for a greater purpose and learn by doing.
I do not recommend this program to true professionals. If you have a clear vision of your farming future, then spend these five months building your own dream. Your learning curve is short enough to fight through the start-up.
Conclusion
When making a decision there is one question that always has to be answered: Is it worth it? Was the whole experience worth it for me? Yes, even though I left the program a little bitter in some areas. Writing this review has actually helped me work through some of that.
I’m stuck in the weird position of giving Polyface the recognition that they deserve for helping me find my farming direction while on the other hand offering accreditation to the interns who did have a terrible experience and are still being negatively affected by Polyface.
I hope to those seeking, you find this objective as well as informative.
