The Web site of Silverbrook Farm in Dartmouth, Mass. includes information about apprenticeships available at the 40-acre farm, established in 1690:
What you will learn: Apprentices will learn how to write local, state and federal grants for farm development and equipment....
I'm a customer of this farm and appreciate its eggs and vegetables. The Web site suggests the apprentices learn plenty of other farm-related skills, too. Still, it's a pretty striking departure from the image of the farmer as an independent self-sufficient pioneer living off the land, that the first item listed in the "what you will learn" section about farm apprenticeships is grantwriting skills for seeking aid from local, state, and federal governments. Applicants for the apprenticeship "MUST BE CAPABLE OF LIFTING 50 POUNDS!" It makes you wonder if that is the weight of the completed grant application after you print it out.
