TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation Summer 2024 Internship

The mission of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation (TKREF) is to provide healthy food on working lands in a way that regenerates the planet and inspires others to action. Our base of operations is TomKat Ranch, an 1800-acre grass-fed cattle ranch in the San Francisco Bay Area. Our team of ranchers, scientists, and advocates look to nature to guide our landscape management in support of our values. 

Program Overview

The TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation Internship runs for ten to twelve weeks in the summer. The internship is a paid, educational opportunity to provide broad exposure and experience to individuals interested in regenerative food systems. 

The internship is divided into two halves. The first half will be spent at TomKat Ranch and involves residing in Ranch Camp (glamping style tents with a shared outdoor kitchen and bathroom facility). The on-ranch program will include four weeks of curriculum to gain an overview of the work we do at TomKat Ranch – Regen 101, Regenerative Ranching, Regenerative Gardening and Food Systems, and Regenerative Gatherings. The second half of the program will involve completing a program-specific project assignment based on the intern’s unique personal and career interests and TKREF’s identified needs. Interns may, but are not required to, live on the ranch during the project-based half of the internship. 

Qualifications

Candidates must be at least 18 years of age.  A valid driver’s license and a clean driving record with no major infractions are strongly preferred. Documentation establishing the right to work in the United States is required. 

Candidates must be able to safely perform manual labor in varied climatic conditions and must be willing to work outdoors up to 8+ hours/day. Around 33% of duties require outdoor duty such as hiking steep slopes, working with livestock, operating small and large heavy equipment, working in heavy, dense vegetation including poison oak, driving off-highway vehicles, lifting heavy objects up to 50 pounds, scientific testing, and other duties relating to the assigned project program. Around 33% of duties require office work such as data entry and filing, research, basic word processing, participating in educational events, and administering the grass-fed beef business.

We are looking for candidates from all academic disciplines and professional backgrounds. Most prior interns have a college degree or are working towards one, however, this is not a requirement. Prior experience working outdoors and with livestock is desired, but not required. Successful applicants will be self-motivated, curious, hard working, and able to communicate well with a diverse team. Comfort communicating in Spanish is a plus. 

Hours and Duration

Interns will be expected to work approximately 40 hours per week and some evenings and/or weekends. Interns will have two, full-days off per week which might not be consecutive. 

The program will run roughly June 24 through August 16, 2024. The on-ranch portion will run July 8 to August 2, 2024, hours 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break and two, 15-minute paid breaks. The project-based portion will run from July 8 to completion.  

Compensation 

The compensation for this internship will be $20.00 per hour for up to 40 hours per week for up to 12 weeks. 

Application Procedure

2024 Internships are closed. Check back in the Spring of 2025 for new application procedures. Or sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about internship announcements.