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Building a Set of 4 Board and Batten
Cabins - Over 90% local and salvaged
materials
Phase 1 of the Earthship Inspired House
nearing completion
Duroc-Berkshire Hogs Pastured Rotational
Grazing Program
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Work Exchange at Living Roots Farm
and Organic Farm School
Update: We are not currently taking any
work exchangers at Living Roots.
The work exchange is only 3 farm work days
a week, giving the work exchanger 4 days of
flexibility and more freedom. During these 4
days, it's a possibility for the work
exchanger to do more farm work (if they want
a fuller experience), focus on sustainable
living skills (off-the-grid/homesteading
skills, culinary arts, healing arts, etc.),
personal growth/reflection, or do whatever
they like (such as work another job).
Besides farm work, sometimes our work
exchangers focus more on building or
maintenance for Living Roots. Please specify
on your application if you want to work more
with building/maintenance and have skills in
those areas.
We have two options for you: a Long Term
Work Exchange and a Short Term Work
Exchange. Long Term Work Exchangers can
become long term residents at Living Roots
and hold significant roles and
responsibilities. Short Term Work Exchangers
are those that are looking for a shorter
learning experience. Typically our minimum
length of stay for Short Term Work
Exchangers is 2 weeks; however, sometimes
(especially during the summer), we take
people for shorter amounts of time (for a
week or so). For those who come for a week
or less for a short educational experience,
a campsite is provided, but food is not.
Please email to confirm availability of
short term work exchanges.
All Work Exchangers will work 3 full days a
week (approx. 21 - 28 hours/week depending
on need and season) plus take part in the
animal chore rotation. This is in exchange
for housing and food (except as mentioned
above for very short work exchanges, food is
not provided).
Housing will be bunkspace in a shared
off-the-grid cabin in our tiny house
village, camper, campground spot, or a
private cabin - depending on availability.
Other perks for staff include: individual
garden plot in shared garden space and use
of community center (healing arts, creative
arts, culinary arts).
Educational Opportunities Could Include
(Based on Season, Current Happenings at
Living Roots, and Work Exchanger Interest):-
- The Farm Process - Seed
Starting, Season Extension, Soil
Preparation, Planting, Tending,
Harvesting, and Farmers Market Sales
- Animal Farming -
Humane caretaking for cattle, goats, pigs,
and chickens, including butchering skills.
- Permaculture Gardening in
our perennial gardens.
- Healing Arts - massage
and yoga training to better balance the
farming process - intended for beginners
to both massage and yoga.
- Sustainable Living Skills
- we often make cheese, yogurt, and bread.
Lots of cooking and creativity in the
kitchen! Fermentation!. There are many
opportunities for experiences in
Sustainable Living, which depend on the
season. They include: off-the-grid living,
using a solar oven, drying herbs and
produce in a solar dehydrator, herbal
medicine making, food
preservation/fermentation (canning,
freezing, kimchi, sauerkraut), natural
building, etc.
The 3 days of farm work (or other
organizational work) and some light resident
shared domestic chores are the only
requirements to being a work exchanger here.
Other learning aspects, such as healing
arts, or culinary arts, are optional.
If one wants a more structured learning
approach to farming, they should apply for a
spot in our Farm School Apprenticeship
Program.
The farm owner, Michael Hicks, has been
organic gardening and farming since 2002. He
has been operating educational aspects
within the farm since 2006! Over 200 people
have worked with him in a work exchange or
educational capacity during these years.
Many have taken away countless skills and
have had many life changing experiences that
have helped them live the life they want to
live. We welcome you to join our team!
Our market farm produces just about any
vegetable you can imagine for our 110 family
CSA, Farmers Markets, local coop, and local
farm stop (farmer cooperative). Main crops
are garlic/onions, brassicas and hardy
greens, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes,
squash, peppers, figs (high production from
hoophouse), peaches, and beans. Other crops
include: strawberries, raspberries,
blackberries, peaches, pears, melons,
Jerusalem artichokes, yacon, eggplant, okra,
other roots, etc. We grow over 300
varieties of produce each year. Also
winter production in 3 hoop houses. And
the farm has chickens, pastured pigs, a
goat, and grass-fed cows which you will also
get to work with.
The Farm is within walking distance of
Tucker Lake (Springs Valley State Recreation
Area) and the Hoosier National Forest (lots
of trails), and biking distance from Patoka
Lake, French Lick, and Paoli.
We welcome you to join us in sharing the
abundance of this land!
Please download
the application (please make sure
to download pdf application to your
computer, fill out, then save) and email
completed application, along with a
current photo of yourself, to Michael
Hicks, at michael (at)
indianacommunity.org. If you are applying
to come for a month or less work exchange,
you only need to fill out the first page
of the application. Contact us if there
are any questions.
What Others Have to Say about
their Learning Experiences at Living
Roots
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"Living Roots has been one of the
most dynamic catalysts for growth,
transformation, and vocation in my
experience." Lucas K.
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"Was thinking about staying for a
month or two and ended up staying 5
months! Learned a lot about organic
farming and sustainable community
living. In addition, I learned some
massage therapy techniques and how
to butcher a rooster! Michael also
has several outlets for selling his
produce and meat, so if you are
interested in learning more about
CSAs, markets, deliveries, etc.,
this is a good place. I also
experienced HUGE growth in cooking
from whole, fresh ingredients,
provided from the great variety of
farm veggies plus wholesale organic
staples. The lifestyle of only 3
working days also allows the
potential of supplementing farm life
with a paid part time job elsewhere,
which is what I did. The farm work
is certainly not for the faint of
heart, though! But my body felt so
strong, and the nature of the work
helped still my mind and be more
authentically myself. Very very
thankful for my time here" Kira L.
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"My husband and I worked here as
WWOOFers for about a month. We had a
really fantastic time! Living Roots
offers the opportunity to work hard
and learn a lot. We helped mostly
with harvests, weeding, animal care,
and selling at market. Be humble and
willing to learn and you will!
Micheal knows a lot about organic
farming and is a smart business
owner. He also taught massage
classes once a week which was
awesome! The community is sweet and
dedicated. We miss it already!"
Elizabeth E.
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"Words can not express my
gratitude for finding Living Roots.
This is a true haven that provides
the perfect environment to nurture
and revitalize your mind body and
spirit. It is hard not to feel at
home with such compassionate staff
and fellow farmers. I came in as a
first time WWOOFer with no prior
experience and was offered an
unbelievable degree of skills and
knowledge through the compassionate
teachings offered by Michael, the
owner of Living Roots Farm. Places
like this are exactly what this
planet needs and I feel honored to
have been a part of it. I will
always carry the skills that were
given to me at Living Roots to build
the best life possible for myself
and those around me." Brooke R.
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"I was a work exchanger at Living
Roots Farm during the summer of
2019. Living Roots quickly felt like
a home to me. It is an incredibly
fulfilling place to live, especially
for environmentalists. Living Roots
is a place where you can exist with
a low carbon footprint, using
sustainable and effective farming
techniques. I was impressed by the
integrity of those making Living
Roots a success. Everyone living and
working on the farm while I was
there had a story to tell. I
encountered many unique and valuable
perspectives. These people helped me
learn and mature a great deal!" Lena
M.
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"Living and working at Living
Roots Farm and Sustainable Living
Center has been by far one of the
most transformative experiences of
my life. As far as food goes, the
abundance of crops, even in the
winter while I was there was
astonishing and the amount of fresh
produce, eggs, and meat we all got
to share was very generous compared
to other farms I've worked on. The
work at Living Roots Farm was super
rewarding and Michael's very
knowledgeable and eager to share his
tried and true practices but is also
open to trying out new methods. If
you want to experience what life is
like on a real farm I cannot
recommend Living Roots Farm and
Sustainable Living Center highly
enough." Kendra J.
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"Michael has an extremely
beautiful property and I'm so glad I
got the chance to be a part of team
even though it was for such a short
amount of time. He's very
knowledgeable about farming and
homesteading as well as massage
therapy and I was extremely
impressed with how much I got to
learn from him. I would definitely
recommend Living Roots to anyone
wanting to learn new things and
experience a very raw type work."
Abagail B.
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"Michael taught me many valuable
farming lessons." Thadius W.
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An original song and video written
by Virginia B., a former farm
apprentice: 'O
Southern Indiana'
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"I apprenticed at Living Roots for
7 months. My younger
brother (who joined the
apprenticeship for the last two
months of my stay) and I wanted to
start our own farm. Aside from an
eagerness to learn organic farming,
we had very little farm-life
experience...I learned how to live a
mostly off grid, holistic farming
lifestyle through this
apprenticeship. We were taught to
balance the yang of farm work with
the yin of healing arts, such as,
Yoga and massage. Michael is a great
friend, farmer, and mentor, who
grows high quality food in a way
that focuses around sustainability,
soil health, and supporting our
ecosystem. We learned how to run a
Farmers Market, CSA, and how to
prepare the food we grew into
delicious meals! Farming can be
challenging on many levels but, it
is the most rewarding work I've ever
done. There are many skills I've
learned from this apprenticeship
which I still apply to my work/life
today… We are so very grateful for
the experiences we had at Living
Roots. We made great friends and had
the chance to learn from one of the
best Farmers around!" Raymond P.
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"My experience at the Living Roots
was enlightening in ways I did not
expect. The
holistic program put me in touch
with my roots through daily farm
work, healing practices and pure,
healthy foods. Even my dreams
vividly expressed the transformative
lifestyle that I was leading!
All in all, it helped me to
rediscover my own path and move down
it with newfound
confidence." Rachel M.
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"One of my favorite aspects of the
apprenticeship was learning body
kinesthetics and massage. Michael is
an excellent massage instructor, and
I feel as though my training was
better than what you'd receive in
massage school. It really takes your
farming experience to the next
level!:" Jen H.
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"Mother Teresa once said, "There
is no substitute for rolling up your
sleeves and working with people who
can make a difference. They get the
benefit of your participation and
you gain a direct understanding of
the real problems and potential
solutions." After my summer as an
apprentice with Living Roots, I know
this to be true. I have never walked
away from any other experience with
the same sense of having both given
and received so much (both
physically and mentally), which I
attribute both to the inclusivity of
the community at Living Roots, and
also the wide spectrum of topics
that the program covers. I entered
the program hoping to gain a better
understanding of how small, organic
farming could be successfully
carried out, and I without a doubt
did - but I also took so much more
from it." Hannah L.
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"I interned at the farm. I
had come originally for only 10
weeks but after learning quite a bit
about starting plants, massage, and
energy in general in the first 2
weeks I had decided it was best to
stay and nearly a whole season.
I wanted to know if those
little tiny plants we had
transplanted into such a big, stormy
world would really grow large and
produce food. Sure enough even
the scrawniest 2 inch tomatoes grew
taller than me by July!
Micheal let me take on quite a
bit of responsibility training new
interns as they came, caring for the
sales at the Jasper farmers' market,
even getting the chance to manage
that market, and be a part of the
decision-making of daily farm tasks.
By the end of the 6 months I
felt ready to start my own small
farm. I also enjoyed the
weekly massage sessions as they were
both greatly needed considering the
consistent physical labor on a farm
and also Michael teaches the
techniques thoroughly and with care.
Finally, the Jasper community
as whole I found very welcoming,
interesting, and enjoyed a number of
new, interesting friendships in my
time there." Mackenzie S.
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"Being an apprentice, taught me to
be more connected to the Earth, the
body of community, and
ultimately back to myself. In
order to successfully apprentice, I
feel that one needs to fully embrace
the idea of service to others. The
apprenticeship program provides the
opportunity to do this; not simply
on an intellectual level, rather as
a full embodiment of love for this
planet. This program offers
maximum benefit by integrating the
healing arts with organic
farming. I am now equipped
with whole new skillsets,
perspectives, and a phenomenal sense
of wellness and community." Shristi
T.
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"I really enjoyed my 3 weeks in
this farm...fresh, organic and
healthy food from the garden, yoga
class and massage a such good
combination with the hard
working...Amanda, Michael and the
little Leo are a lovely family,
Jasper is a really nice town to live
and if you want to learn a lot about
permaculture this is the right
place: Michael is always
enthusiastic to teach you
everything! and what satisfaction to
prepare and go to the farm market!"
Iris G.,
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"What I like most about the
program is the
introduction to the idea
of personal health with
farming. People growing the
plants must be healthy to create
healthy yields on the farm. By
teaching massage techniques and
encouraging yoga and spiritual
growth through the apprenticeship
program, Living Roots does a great
job at providing a unique and
educational experience for those
interested in farming, permaculture,
spiritual growth, and community."
Trevor R.
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"Living Roots provided me with the
opportunity to grow as a person,
while never losing its focus as an
organic farm operation. I met many
awesome people, many of which I
would consider great friends now,
and was amazed by how welcoming
everyone in the community was. Of
course, there are boundaries, but
when followed and respected, Living
Roots can provide you with such a
rich experience, socially,
economically, and even spiritually.
My favorite aspect was the ability
to personally interact with the food
we were growing, from soil to the
plate at such an intricate level.
Nothing went to waste, and the
sustainable principles I've learned
are something that will never leave
my mind. " Rob P.
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