Author Bio: Honors College Fellow Isabel Powers, a Biomedical Engineering Major from Conway, Arkansas originally aimed to spend the summer studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. The COVID-19 outbreak of 2020 outbreak cancelled these plans, so she decided to work for the nonprofit Heifer International at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas. Heifer Ranch is the headquarters of Heifer USA and works to improve sustainable agricultural methods so that small American farmers can survive against bigger competition. There, Isabel learned about the many facets of organic farming and the work that goes into running a nonprofit.
After being trapped inside for the remainder of my spring semester due to the pandemic, I decided I needed a change of pace. My study abroad plans were cancelled so my parents recommended an internship. Unfortunately, I was too late to apply to most opportunities. That’s when my parents recommended that I look into Heifer Ranch. Heifer Ranch was always in need of new volunteers and, as a farm, they couldn’t work from home. It was the perfect opportunity. So, I sent a few emails to the volunteer coordinator and was easily accepted into the program as a residential volunteer.
As someone who has grown up in a city, I didn’t have any prior experience with farming. The staff at Heifer were great about teaching me what I needed to know and happily answered any questions I had about the process. Everyone that came to the farm had a mandatory two-week quarantine period where they were introduced to the basics of their job and could get adjusted to the new lifestyle. After the quarantine period I moved in with the other volunteers. I loved my roommates and the best part about Heifer being a global organization is that two of my roommates were French! We were able to get really close over the summer and now I have lifelong international connections. The volunteers were from many different countries such as France, England, and Germany. The people on the Ranch felt like a second family. There were also a variety of different types of people working there. Some, like me, were students in need of sunshine while others were farmers looking to gain experience. The ages of the volunteers ranged from 19-84, so it really was something you could do for a lifetime. Heifer provided food, housing, and other necessities so there was no reason to leave the Ranch. We lived in a virus-free bubble.
Heifer Ranch has three teams that you can work with: maintenance, garden, and livestock. I was a garden volunteer, so I lived on the ranch and worked 40-50 hours a week in the gardens. My job in the gardens was so gratifying. Something about being in the sunshine with constant exercise every day made me extremely happy. I learned about every part of gardening, from tilling the ground to building the greenhouses to starting the seeds and harvesting the food. We would also clean and package the produce to fill customer orders and take the deliveries when needed. I learned how the prices worked from the farmer to the customer and what plants were profitable. I learned how to maintain and keep plants alive. This was an organic farm meaning it was very labor intensive, but I loved it. One benefit of being on the garden team was that I could eat the produce we couldn’t sell. This meant I always had fresh tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and other things to cook with on my lunch break. Another benefit was that I got to visit all of the baby cows and chickens whenever I wanted without having to constantly take care of them. I am so glad I got to have this experience with these wonderful people, and I would highly recommend it to anyone willing to put in the time and effort.