A wonderful part of farming is the diversity of types of work through the day and the season. With our small team, we train everyone to participate in core activities like bed prep, transplanting, plant care, and harvests. But to build a lean and efficient team, we also find it helpful to have some degree of specialization within the myriad of tasks (rather than everyone needing to be an expert on absolutely everything).
Each member of the farm crew can have 1-3 “focus areas” from the following list, in which they will receive more in-depth training and have greater responsibility. If applying for the experienced farm crew positions, please rank your top choices for specializing (1-4, with 1 being most-exciting).
Focus area descriptions & responsiblities:
GREENHOUSE: work with main greenhouse lead (Mary) to accomplish:
daily waterings and weekly fertigation treatments
mixing up potting soil, seeding and potting up of seedlings
scouting for pest and disease issues, administering IPM protocols
assessing plant performance and moving/ organizing plants in greenhouse
record keeping in the greenhouse notebook and electronic spreadsheets
coordinating with field/ transplant leads on transplant readiness
Qualifications:
detail oriented with good observation skills
organized and comfortable with record-keeping and tracking
good time management, and drive for efficiency
FIELD PREP and PLANT CARE: Work with Mary and Noah to carry out seasonal and weekly tasks to prepare permanent beds for planting and turnover, and keep plants healthy. Tasks/ responsibilities will include:
using both tractors (4-wheel Kubota and BCS walk-behind) to apply amendments, prepare beds for planting, and turn beds over
calculating, mixing, and applying soil amendments based on soil test results
operating flame weeder for pre-seeding and pre-emergence weeding
co-ordinating and directing fellow team members in soil-preparation steps including broad forking, deploying and removing silage, tarps and stale-bedding to minimize weeding
monitor field blocks weekly and help plan out the needed plant care such as weeding, thinning, pest management, pruning, bulk harvests, etc.
Special Qualifications:
able (with training) to safely operate both tractors. some tractor experience preferred
ability to use reference materials such as SOP’s and manuals to follow procedures consistently after initial training
good spatial reasoning skills to plan movements of materials, tools, and people across the farm to maximize efficiency
good communication skills and comfort with leading a team of co-workers to execute tasks
IRRIGATION: Monitor and perform irrigation tasks throughout the farm. Responsibilities include:
operate 5HP pump that powers main field and pasture overhead irrigation
carry out overhead watering shifts that water most of the growing spaces via hand-lines and impact sprinklers
perform basic repairs and maintenance on both overhead and drip irrigation systems
set up and maintain/ troubleshoot drip irrigation and micro-sprinkler systems running off of farm well and timers
check soil moisture levels and adjust micro-irrigation schedules according to needs
HARVEST & WASH-PACK COORDINATION: will train with Mary and Noah to be able to organize and direct the farm team in an efficient flow to harvest, wash, and pack produce on harvest days. Responsibilities will include:
generating harvest list for the day based on status of the crops, incoming orders, and projected needs of the market and farmstore.
communicate with chefs and growers co-op on availability, make offers via text and the Local Food Marketplace website
organizing a packshed flow for the day and directing the team of 4-6 people to maximize efficiency and ease on busy harvest days
maintain quality and food-safety standards, including ensuring that the whole team is aware of and follows food-safety guidelines
compile wholesale orders and print invoices for co-op and local deliveries
maintain walk-in cooler organization, update team on changes and practices
enter harvest records and
Special Qualifications:
excellent communication and people skills, ability to foster good team environment
passion for efficiency and smooth flow in the workspace, and willingness to experiment
to make harvest-plan for each day (two harvest periods per week) based on current status of crops, orders from wholesale accounts and estimate needs of market and farmstore
LAYING HENS: work with Noah in all aspects of care of the flocks of pastured hens, including:
daily welfare of hens (feeding, watering, egg collection, adding bedding, etc.)
washing and packing eggs
monitoring health and condition of hens and their barns
moving barns and electric netting fence to new pasture on 10-14 day cycle
carrying out pasture irrigation around the pasture-rotation cycles
FLOWERS: will work with flower lead (Mary) to:
maintain flower plantings (support/ trellis installation and maintenance, pruning, deadheading, etc.)
perform daily flower harvests (these happen early in the morning in hot part of summer).
assist with making market bunches and CSA bouquets
Qualifications:
enough familiarity with flowers to identify or learn the ~30 varieties we grow
ability to follow directions/ training for fast-paced harvesting—flower harvest is harvest, not leisurely picking, with time targets for all types of bunches
ability to learn proper harvest techniques for various types of flowers and fillers
willing to work at least one weekend day in the regular schedule or in rotation with others on the flower team
MUSHROOMS: Work primarily with mushroom lead (Noah) to develop and establish mushroom cultivation as a new enterprise on the farm.
weekly inoculation of media
monitoring growth and fruiting stages of mushrooms
regular cleanings of growing spaces
checking and maintaining systems for environmental controls (temp, humidity, etc)
Special Qualifications:
familiarity with general mushroom life cycle and growth needs
good record-keeping and attention to detail
ability/ willingness to research and troubleshoot as we develop this enterprise