“I’ve been at Rainshadow for two full seasons. My first year I was an apprentice, and my second year I was a full-time employee. I know I can speak for the many people who have come to learn from Rainshadow, that this place and these people, this land and all forms of life who inhabit it – WILL change your life. It will change the way you think about food, the way you relate to the Earth and all of the beings you share it with, you will gain a lifetime’s worth of handy skills, you will fine tune your senses, you will tap into your power and your unique gifts, you will be inspired, and empowered. The educational experience provided at Rainshadow is unparalleled. It is deep and dirty, challenging and beautiful, and all around a great time. Thanks to my experience here, I am able to leave here with the tools necessary to start a farm of my own. Organic farming is the revolution we need in the world, and we need more people doing it. Sarahlee and the rest of the farm crew are incredible people, and incredible at what they do. Passion, drive, and stoke is what Rainshadow runs on, and best believe we pour that in our cups daily, with a lil bit of honey.” –Christine Boyle

“Farming at Rainshadow has been one of the most profound experiences of my life, it has nurtured me to start a farm. Talk about exploring the multiverse of agriculture, this land offers to expand your learning on what it takes to operate a regenerative full-diet, farm-to-table, farm. This experience isn’t for the light hearted, you will work harder than you ever have before, mistakes will be made, you will feel very challenged, and the reward is an unimaginable amount of knowledge, empowerment, understanding of ones self, how to communicate, and be embraced by a big farm-family. I have gained the confidence and knowledge to start my own farm operation. I came to this land knowing very little about farming, but I had a strong ambition to learn what it takes to nurture the land to produce food for a community.. Learning from Sarahlee, I have been pushed hard and challenged, empowered, and given the safe space to ask anything, and find opportunities to make my ideas a reality. In fact Sarah will always encourage new farmers to explore their ideas, and find ways to help make them work. I am leaving this farm with more than I ever could have asked for and a family to be supported by.” — Adam Lavender

“I recall the 1st time I read about Rainshadow Organics down in Texas. Seeing photos of the 25acre fields and greenhouses fueled the fire I needed to began my farm journey in Oregon. After speaking to Sarahlee, we both agreed Rainshadow provided all the tools I needed to learn how to grow crops and manage a thriving operating farm. Once arriving with a narrow minded outlook toward farming, Sarahlee and the Rainshadow team provided extensive information and teachings about farm to table concepts and managing a operational farm. The learning and hardwork Rainshadow provides builds character and gives future farms the exact training needed to one day operate their own farm. I love Rainshadow Organics.” –Christopher Fields

“As an apprentice at Rainshadow Organics I found the space to be curious again. I also learned to be comfortable being sore, but happy to be doing what I love. I met some of the most fascinating people in my life, and made friends that feel like family. Throughout the program I was challenged in many ways and I will always appreciate Sarahlee and her family for providing the opportunity to live and learn with them. The food they’re growing teems with diversity and I’m always excited to see how the farm is levelling up from season to season. I would highly recommend the apprenticeship program at Rainshadow to beginning farmers and those looking for a place to expand their agricultural proficiency!” –Nick Cremona

“Living and learning at Rainshadow was my first experience into the world of organic farming. For me this experience opened my eyes to the general dysfunction and destruction of our modern day conventional food systems and revealed the importance of eating locally raised, nutrient dense food sourced directly from responsible small scale farmers. I didn’t realize it when I first signed up to go to Rainshadow but it falls into a very unique category of being a “full diet farm”. The unique systems at Rainshadow allowed me to explore small and large scale vegetable farming, animal husbandry, small scale grains, and how all of these systems can cohesively exist and build upon one another. Another benefit of seeing all of these production methods is that it allowed me to learn which areas of farming I particularly enjoy. Some specific skills that I learned while at the farm include: operating 2 wheel and 4 wheel tractors, milling grains with the stone burr flour mill, greenhouse construction, cooking from scratch for large groups of hungry farmers, seedling propagation, crop planning, and growing and storing crops to eat during the winter months. Learning at Rainshadow gave me a great base of knowledge that I have continued to add to as my wife and I now head into our second season of having our own small farm business. Looking back at the various cohorts of student farmers that have farmed at Rainshadow, I want to say there have been 2-3 students from each year who have gone on to start their own farming endeavors. If you are hoping to start your own farm someday Rainshadow is one of the best places that you can start out!” —Pearce Jensen, 2018-2020

“My wife and I were so grateful to have participated in the internship program at Rainshadow Organics for the 2018 farming season. Coming into the season with only home gardening experience, were excited to explore the processes of growing food and engage in the local farming community. Learning right away the challenges and hardships that are part of growing food on the high desert, we were gripped by the intensity of being part of the broad scope of farming practice that is Rainshadow Organics. As an intern, the opportunities to participate in all tasks from propagation, transplanting, harvesting, production and processing of food are placed in your hands from the beginning. Caring for the animals that are part of farm and ultimately the food chain is one of the most valuable aspects of this farm and we were to understand that they are animals and living beings and deserve to be treated as such. Sarahlee has a deep love and connection to the family land that she stewards and the experience that she has to teach and provide to the next generation of farmers is invaluable. The opportunity to be part of such a great team of farmers and interns provided a distinctly different experience than any other farm that we looked into. Interns were expected to challenge themselves and each other while learning what it meant to become stewards of the land and reap the rewards of providing for our communities. In the years since, we have not continued large scale farming, but continue to use the techniques and values that we learned at Rainshadow every day. We are better students, teachers, neighbors and farmers because of this experience. I would recommend this program and this farm to anyone that is serious about learning this aspect of life and challenging themselves mentally and physically. The rewards are great.” —Kevin & Katie (2018)

“I came to Rainshadow with no farming experience and lots of enthusiasm, but I didn’t know where to start. Working and learning at Rainshadow gave me confidence and a broad range of skills that set me up for starting my own farm. Those skills include working on a team and independently, building compost, sowing seeds, cooking for large groups, and raising meat chickens from chick to bagged and sellable. With this solid foundation, I was able to find a niche in my current community and provide the people with more options for local food.” –Kyle McKnelly