Job description

About the Farm
Three years ago we founded Letterbox Farm, a collectively owned and operated farm in Hudson, NY.  We are a young but profitable start-up, producing specialty vegetables, pastured poultry, pork, rabbit, eggs and herbs.  We supply to array of restaurants and Farmers’ Markets in the Hudson Valley and New York City, and run a small full-diet CSA on site.

Having secured permanent land tenure in late 2014, we are in a rapid growth period, working to develop the systems, tools, and team we need to run a mid-scale, diversified operation.  For the 2016 season, we will be raising 2-3 acres of vegetables, greens, and herbs, 3000 broilers, 500 laying hens, 25 hogs, and 500 meat rabbits.

We are now seeking a fourth teammate to lead production of market vegetable crops.  This is a two-year position with potential for long term employment or partnership.  This person will be expected to take leadership over the majority of the tasks and crops in vegetable production (currently 2-3 acres, building to 5 acres), while other members of the team manage other aspects of the farm, including livestock production, greens & herbs production, sales and marketing, equipment maintenance and repair, and construction.

The Position - Vegetable Manager
This is a multi-faceted role that includes planning work, developing systems and crop care practices, performing farm work, managing crew, and otherwise sharing in the overall responsibilities of managing and maintaining the farm.  You will occasionally be asked to do tasks outside your management area, such as covering for livestock chores or a market day.  Some degree of job customization is possible based on skills, interests and talents of the applicant.

Responsibilities
Pre/Early-Season - 35-40 hrs/week

• Work with team to adjust & revise vegetable crop plan
• Work to create additional systems for efficiency - harvesting, washing/packing, greenhouse seeding, transplanting, weeding, movement/flow of vegetable production within broader landscape of the farm.
• Create written protocol for the above
• Train incoming seasonal crewmembers

Mid-Season - 45-55 hrs/week

• Manage crop plan implementation: delegating or performing soil work, bed prep, greenhouse seeding, direct seeding, transplanting, irrigation, and weeding/cultivation.
• Weekly farm walk through; Update to do list, prioritize tasks and plan weekly schedule.
• Plan workflow and lead crew in vegetable production tasks, 2-3 days per week.
• Participate in harvests 2-3 days/week.

Late-Season 35-40 hrs/week

• Flexible participation in miscellaneous tasks during season’s wind-down:  more frequent harvests, animal chores, cleanup projects, building and other projects as needed. Performing or delegating fall clean-up tasks, garlic planting and covercropping
• Managing harvest, cleaning and storage of storage crops (including developing processes for the above)
• Work with team to develop crop plan, budget, and labor needs for following season; make recommendations for future investments.

Desired Skills & Qualifications

• At least 2 full seasons of full-time farm work in vegetable production
• At least one season in a management capacity (farm manager, asst. manager, or crew leader)
• Competence in operating cultivating tractor, PTO tractor, brush hog, and rototiller; basic maintenance and operational skills required (additional training and orientation provided)
• Experience growing in both small-scale intensive and larger mechanized vegetable production systems a plus
• Carpentry skills and ability to design and build simple tools a plus
• Strong planning & organizational skills; attention to detail, systems thinking, ability to prioritize and organize tasks
• Strong teamwork and communication skills; patience, flexibility, and emotional maturity.

Compensation & Expectations: This is a salaried position with a baseline salary (based on experience) plus profit-share.  Additional benefits include a full-diet CSA share (meat, eggs, vegetables, and starches, $1000+ value), and 5 days paid vacation/sick leave.  All managers are expected to assume responsibility for the tasks on their watch and may occasionally need to work longer hours to make sure critical tasks and emergencies are resolved.

Compensation

this position is:

Application instructions

Deadline

December 15, 2015