Crew Member

We’re looking for 1 or 2 seasonal Crew Members to participate in nearly all aspects of organic vegetable production and marketing. Work starts in the first week of April; end-date is flexible: end of October through mid-November. Pay is $16/hr., plus farm produce, plus the ability to purchase items we buy from other farms (pasture-raised meat, eggs, etc.) at cost (ie discounted from retail value). 40-hour work week with flexible timeframe, but Saturdays are a huge help as that is our biggest marketing day. We will consider applicants who are only able to work part-time (though full-time is our preference).

Duties to include: Propagation of seeds in greenhouse, soil preparation, transplanting, direct-seeding, cultivation/weeding, harvesting, marketing (via our farmstand, our Food Bank work, and to local restaurants), and cover-cropping. Crew members, if willing, learn how to use our tractors and attachments (basket weeder, rototiller, bush hog, etc.) Other motorized tools: weed whacker and light construction tools. Non-motorized tools include Japanese paper pot transplanter, wheel hoe, collinear hoe, and Hatfield transplanter.

FOOD SECURITY. Since the onset of Covid, the farm has spearheaded a Food Security Initiative, raising money from our customers and local charities to subsidize our deliveries of Grade A, freshly-picked produce to the Kent Food Bank every Friday. This winter, we have expanded our plans for the initiative. We have several grant proposals in place which, if successful, will help us create a gift-card system such that low-income residents can receive pre-loaded gift cards for purchasing items directly from the stand any day of the week, thereby expanding their access to fresh, local, healthy food and also eliminating the stigma attached.

Work Experience/Skills Desired

Looking for workers with the following attributes:

· Love of working outside, which entails physical work under occasionally challenging conditions (heat, humidity, dirt, bugs, cold, wet);

· Cheerful attitude

· Reliability (ie showing up on time, fully ready to work);

· Pro-active communication skills regarding issues like requested schedule changes as well as suggestions for improvement;

· Ability to work unsupervised at times, which entails ability to retain instruction sets, ability to seek us out and raise questions when the realities of the field and the instructions don’t jibe, and tendency to keep up efficient pace even when working alone;

· Good powers of observation;

· Strong basic math skills (incl. ability to use a calculator);

· Love of food and produce;

· Previous work experience on a farm preferred but not necessary.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Expected hours: No more than 40 per week

Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Ability to Relocate:

• Kent, CT 06757: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person