From: Seaside, Oregon
Arrived: Oct. 2024
University: Azuza Pacific, majored in Psychology and minor in Environmental Studies
Favorite Animal: Pigs
Let me introduce Kara Spell, 22 years old. She found Deck through her sister, Summer, who was an intern last year and is now an apprentice.
“I visited Summer and I really like the space and the environment. As I finished up school I was really ready to be out of the academic setting and do more with my body and my hands and the earth,” she said. “And also just wanted to hang out with her!”
Kara doesn’t have a goal of being a farmer. “I just wanted it to be a learning experience and have fun. And that’s helped me be open to a lot more. I’m down to do whatever - and learn!”
She stepped into the pig rotation during the winter, which wasn’t her first choice. But she found she loves working with the pigs and now feels fortunate that she gets to do her dairy herdsman rotation during the summer when the weather is lovely and the farm so beautiful to walk.
“So that was a win-win for everyone,” she said. “Also I stepped in for market driving when that was needed and that’s something I would never have seen myself doing a few years ago when I didn’t even have a car. Now I’m comfortable driving the box truck in downtown Portland!”
She loves working with the animals the most, though. “I really like the pigs! I don’t have a strong sense of smell, so that helps. But they are also just really funny. They are kind of like dogs: they get the zoomies, they bark and they’re really curious. They are fun to be around. Everyone loves the calves, but I have a special spot for the pigs.”
She got the opportunity to help birth a calf this past week. “I was closing and one of the cows had looked really close to giving birth. So after I fed the dogs I decided to take a peak at her and I saw a little hoof peaking out. I called the other interns because you don’t normally get to see them being born.”
But the cow was struggling because she was laying with her head downhill and not making progress at pushing. With the help of farm manager Raul Lopez, she started pulling.
“It was slippery and he was a large calf. It was tough,” she said, seeming impressed. “But he’s doing great. He’s hanging out with the bulls today, being little enough to slip under the fence.”
Kara is a professional river rafting guide. She has worked as a guide for several years on the Deschutes and the Spokane rivers. And now she’s getting into white water kayaking. This has been a fun challenge for her.
“I took lessons this past summer and bought a boat. A week or two later, I took the kayak out on the main river I’ve worked on for more than 10 years, and it turns out it's a lot different in a kayak!” she laughed. “I went down our biggest rapid which is class 4 out of 5 classes, and I ended up swimming a lot of it which was kind of scary. I realized that I didn’t know it as well as I thought on that level. It didn’t scare me off, but it was definitely one of my more scary swims and it brought me down to a more realistic level. It is a new sport for me.”
That fearlessness may be important in the future. She has plans to pursue a career in emergency management and natural disaster response. She has a wilderness first responder certification and might look toward studying for EMT certification.
“I grew up in a tsunami zone and my school did tsunami drills twice a year starting in kindergarten. That aspect of living anywhere has always been relevant to me and I have found that I am good in emergency situations, staying calm,” she said. “Working on a farm can only enhance those skills!”