Vegetables farms in the USA typically start their planting in the spring (April/May) and will be harvested by fall (September/October). In some regions of the US (California, Hawaii) farmers can grow vegetables year around.
Vegetable farmers are usually small in area (20 to 40 acres) and they produce diversified types of row crops. For example: Lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, sweet corn, celery, carrots, pepper, bell peppers, etc.
During the training period, interns will be involved with the planting, harvesting, preparing seedlings, care of irrigation system, operate small farm machinery (50-150 hp tractors), maintenance of farm machinery; cultural practices like weed control, spraying chemicals, fertilizer application, pest control management, etc.; post harvest processing, packing, stacking and loading produce; and other general farm task (maintenance of yard, mowing grass, painting and fixing buildings, etc.).
Also interns will learn to determine cost of production, bookkeeping, marketing practices, time management, and problem solving skills. The skills acquired will varies according to the host and interns abilities.
Important notes
1. There's a limit of farms available for these types and depending on the financial situation and weather conditions it will vary year to year. Also, there is some activities, not mentioned above, that can be available and vary year to year. To obtain more information, please, contact the IFAA representative or coordinator.
2. Placements for women are limited to certain types of activities due to the difficulties due to suitable places to live. These categories are: grain crops, beef cattle, and fruit orchards.