WE ARE HIRING!!!
COMMUNITY FARMER POSITION MEADOWLARK FARM 2022
Meadowlark Farm is looking for someone to join our team for the 2022 season! We are a certified organic farming community in our 28th season of growing organic vegetables and herbs. Cultivating the land is at the heart of our farming practice, which we do intensively on 7 acres, using 4 hoophouses to extend our growing seasons. We stick to our basics - growing over 70 different vegetable varieties like salad greens and heirloom tomatoes, while also branching out and trying new and exciting things like baby ginger and microgreens. We grow food for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members, local food co-ops, grocery stores and restaurants, taking great pride in nourishing people’s minds and bellies. The farm exists because of the hardwork and dedication of a multigenerational community that has supported the farm since its beginning. We like to practice the ideology that “everything worthwhile is done with other people”, which we learned from organizer and educator Mariame Kaba. We connect and learn together by growing and eating good food, and we are excited to welcome someone new into this community!
Logistics/Benefits:
Responsibilities and Learning opportunities:
Qualifications
Meadowlark Farm is looking for someone to join our team for the 2022 season! We are a certified organic farming community in our 28th season of growing organic vegetables and herbs. Cultivating the land is at the heart of our farming practice, which we do intensively on 7 acres, using 4 hoophouses to extend our growing seasons. We stick to our basics - growing over 70 different vegetable varieties like salad greens and heirloom tomatoes, while also branching out and trying new and exciting things like baby ginger and microgreens. We grow food for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members, local food co-ops, grocery stores and restaurants, taking great pride in nourishing people’s minds and bellies. The farm exists because of the hardwork and dedication of a multigenerational community that has supported the farm since its beginning. We like to practice the ideology that “everything worthwhile is done with other people”, which we learned from organizer and educator Mariame Kaba. We connect and learn together by growing and eating good food, and we are excited to welcome someone new into this community!
Logistics/Benefits:
- Full time position, Monday - Friday 8:00-5:00. Harvest days 7:00 am start
- Full season commitment required: April - October
- On-farm housing for the full season, if needed. Rent and utilities (water, electric/gas, internet) are covered 100%
- $13/hour if living on farm, $15/hour if living off farm
- Weekly boxes of fresh vegetables, herbs and eggs
- Paid time off
Responsibilities and Learning opportunities:
- Seeding and transplanting organic vegetables and herbs in the fields and hoophouses
- Learning about greenhouse management, including seeding techniques, fertility processes and monitoring “hardening off” sections for frost, sun damage or insect damages
- Learning about hoophouse philosophy, management and succession, focusing on how Meadowlark practices unique ways of season extension
- Trellising and pruning
- Microgreen production and harvest
- Weeding by hand and learning how to use farm equipment, with lots of attention to detail
- All aspects of drip irrigation (we water 7 acres of garden, hoophouse, greenhouse and pack shed with house well)
- Harvesting and processing large quantities of herbs and vegetables, cleaning, weighing and packaging them for wholesale and CSA
- Large scale salad mix production, harvest and packing
- Herb production for fresh and dried herbs
- Delivering produce to wholesale accounts and CSA drop off sites when necessary
- Taking care of chickens and collecting eggs
- Intentional practicing of community care with our multigenerational team
Qualifications
- Past farm experience is ideal but not required.
- Ability/willingness to work in all weather conditions for extended periods of time
- Strong ability to work collaboratively within a team, both taking direction and problem solving when appropriate
- Ability to work with people of varying ages
- Ability to work independently
- Good communication skills
- Comfortability with asking for help or accommodations when necessary
- Ability to do repetitive physical work with good humor and efficiency. This means comfortability with bending, kneeling, squatting and working on the ground for prolonged periods of time.
- Ability to lift 50 lbs comfortably and safely
- Attention to detail, with the ability to sort, weed and harvest quickly and efficiently
- Punctuality
- Curiosity about farm systems and learning from other experienced farmers
- Must have reliable transportation to and from work, as well as a valid driver’s license
- Covid-19 vaccination and ability to wear mask indoors if necessary