any other wwoofers or wwoof hosts?

[Rainey]

I saw a couple replies in the life goals thread that mentioned WWOOF (worldwide opportunities on organic farms). We've been a host farm for a few years now and I've meant to ask if there are others on RT who have participated as hosts or volunteers and how it worked out. We've had some good help and guests we've enjoyed and some not so much. But we get better each year at being clear with people before they come so last year we only had people who knew what they were getting into. And from the stories our wwoofers have told, I guess the host farms are as different from each other as the wwoofers.

 

[dayna]

I'd love to hear about your set up!

I'm building an ohana (cabin) for guests and wwoofers and am curious to see some of the amenities I should include. I'm still a couple years out from being a host. I want secure nice housing , many hosts here put folks in tents. I don't want the rats eating the visitors!

 

[Rainey]

Before we signed up to be wwoof hosts, we had various visitors/volunteers who spent time with us spring through fall. They stay in a farmhouse that we close up in the winter because it is only heated with a woodstove. I think there is quite a range of accommodations that hosts provide--I think it can be pretty basic. Some farms have lots of wwoofers all through the season and have sort of a bunkhouse with a kitchen. They may depend on wwoofers to get their work done. We only take one or two wwoofers at a time and don't expect to have them in a steady stream. We learned years ago not to plan more work than we can do ourselves and then to have other things that we'd like to do if we have extra help.
We offer wwoofers the same accommodations and expect the same things from them as we do from other volunteers--it's all described on our farm website--stfrancisfarm.org--or on our wwoof host listing.

 

[akane]

oooo there's some close. Some days I like that I have a full plate of animal and garden chores and sometimes I wish I didn't so I could just run off and do things.