Hosted at Perennial Roots Farm in Accomac, Virginia
Biodynamic Apprenticeship
Preparation making
and practical farming
Learn how biodynamic preparations are made, cared for, studied, and shared with growers, alongside the daily work of a living farm.
JPI Research Farm brings together the Josephine Porter Institute and Perennial Roots Farm in a hands-on educational apprenticeship. Gardening, animal husbandry, composting, preparation making, and careful observation belong to one learning program.
Enrollment dates and final participation terms will be confirmed before enrollment.
Google sign-in is required for the résumé and photo uploads.
Two connected settings
Follow the whole path
With JPI
Learn preparation making, materials and sheaths, seasonal making, handling, storage, and batch records, labeling, inventory, packing, and order fulfillment under supervision. Connect this work with library study, workshops, webinars, study groups, and questions from growers. The planned program includes free attendance at all JPI events, webinars, and study groups as an apprenticeship benefit.
With Perennial Roots Farm
Learn practical gardening and farming, animal husbandry, pasture care, and composting. Follow the connections between soil, crops, animals, manure, compost, and long-term fertility through seasonal work and observation.
The two settings meet in the sheaths, preparations, and research plots. An individual learning plan, supervised practice, and regular feedback help connect everyday tasks with developing skills.
Activities follow the season, available materials, and mentor capacity. Paid outside courses, outside conference admission, and travel are not automatically included. Free JPI attendance does not require weekend participation.
The planned daily rhythm
A daily rhythm of work and learning
- MorningsWork with Perennial Roots Farm: harvesting, weeding, feeding animals, and tending garden plots. Practical instruction takes place alongside the work.
- MiddayBreak for lunch and an afternoon rest.
- AfternoonsJPI work: helping with preparations, order fulfillment, research plots, documentation, observation exercises, and journaling.
Across the week, apprentices tend experiments, take measurements and photographs, and connect their observations with study and discussion. Not every activity takes place every day.
Teaching, study, research, and records belong within the planned program day. Start and finish times, total weekly hours, weekend arrangements, and essential animal- and crop-care coverage will be confirmed before enrollment. Participation in farmers’ markets is optional.
Practical support
A place to live and learn
Room and meals
The planned residential support includes:
- A private room, with utilities covered.
- Access to a full bath and shower.
- A generous supply of garden produce.
Apprentices are responsible for arranging and preparing their own meals. Occasional group meals may take place at the farm and during workshops.
Learning stipend
A weekly learning stipend is part of the program plan, subject to confirmed funding and final terms.
The amount, performance criteria, review process, payment arrangements, and funding must be confirmed before enrollment. Performance is not measured by whether an experiment produces a favorable result.
Tuition has not yet been decided. The written offer will confirm residential support, any fees, and remaining personal expenses. Garden produce is provided for apprentices to prepare their own meals; full board is not included.
Observation and research
Three controlled experiments
Each apprentice is expected to conduct three controlled plant-growth experiments per year during the growing season.
Plan a defined question with mentors, establish a treatment and an appropriate control, and maintain comparable care. Keep dated photographs, weights, measurements, and records of what happened. Compare the results and prepare a practical account of each experiment.
The purpose is honest observation, not a predetermined outcome. No difference, an inconclusive result, or crop failure can still teach something when the records are sound.
How the annual research requirement fits the agreed term, including interruptions or crop failure, will be settled before enrollment.
Who this is for
Bring curiosity and care
The program is for aspiring farmers and gardeners, people interested in preparation making, and growers who want to improve their observation, records, and experimental practice. Applicants do not all need the same starting skills.
What matters is a willingness to learn, reliable care of living things, patience with repetitive work, honest recordkeeping, clear communication, and the ability to ask for help. Responsibilities increase with instruction and demonstrated readiness.
Biodynamics is not an intellectual path. It is a path of the WILL.
Application
Application information
The written application asks about your goals, experience, practical work, learning, and research. Specific examples help mentors understand what you have observed, practiced with supervision, and done independently.
- Your contact information and current location.
- Your available dates and planned absences.
- Your work and training experience, with a résumé and applicant photo.
- Two work or training references and one personal reference who is not a relative, with permission to contact them. Explain if you cannot provide these.
Complete the application in Google Forms. Sign in to your Google account to upload your résumé and photo. Application responses and uploads remain private to the program team.
Open the applicationGoogle Forms opens on its own page because forms with file uploads cannot be embedded here.
For program information, contact Stewart Lundy at stewart@jpibiodynamics.org. Please do not email sensitive identity documents or Social Security numbers.
What happens after an application?
The proposed process is a written application followed by a phone or video conversation and, where practical, a farm visit. Before acceptance, applicants receive a written offer covering the agreed schedule, teaching, responsibilities, support, costs, research expectations, and arrangements for concerns or early departure. An application is not an enrollment agreement or an unpaid work trial.