Job description

Full Listing and Application

Who We Are
Soul Fire Farm is a family farm that taps deep into our commitment to justice and dismantling oppressive systems that misguide our food system. Soul Fire Farm is a space where people of color and women in particular have access to the powerful connection to the land. We have a commitment to developing and supporting leadership of POC within the food system. Our small, production hand-scale farm and homestead that feeds our family plus 60-80 families in the nearby cities of Troy and Albany, NY through a sliding scale farm share CSA targeted to food desert communities. We intensively cultivate 1 acre in vegetables and small fruits, a nascent 1 acre mixed orchard, and 4 acres of pasture for egg and meat chickens. We are also expanding farming operations and soil building to increase production capacity. The nuts and bolts of our farm operations  and dedicated hard work, complement our deep commitment to liberation, interconnectedness with our broad community, connection with spirit, and love.

Job Description
The Manager Training Program is designed to empower the next generation of farmer activists. Apprentices should be passionate about farming as a career and will learn to manage all aspects of farm operations - soil amending, propagation, planting, weed management, pest management, irrigation, tractoring, customer relations, packing, delivery, billing, maintenance, and communications. The position begins April 4, 2016 and ends November 4, 2016.  Orientation is March 30-April 1. (Note that this job does NOT include working directly with the farm’s educational programming.)

Skills & Qualifications

• At least 1 full season of commercial farming (2-3 preferred)
• Passionate about a career in farming and interested in potential co-management/co-ownership of Soul Fire Farm in 2017 and beyond
• Able to lift and carry 50 lbs and work outside in adverse weather conditions
• Patience, flexibility, strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Current driver’s license and be a competent driver (or willing to get license before starting)
• Familiarity with power tools including chainsaw and basic carpentry tools is a plus
• Tractor familiarity is a plus
• Experience and/or appropriate training working with people of color
• People of color and those from other underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply

Farm Work
The daily work schedule is be 6:30 AM-4:30 PM with 2 hours total of breaks per day. Apprentices can expect to work with the farm manager about 60% of the time and expect to work independently about 40% of the time.

Apprentices are additionally responsible for completing assigned farm chores on the weekends/evenings. Morning farm chores take place during the scheduled work day. evening farm chores may fall outside of the work day. On certain days, the farm team will put in extra hours to accomplish a time sensitive task.

Compensation
$870 per month plus in-kind payment, including weekday breakfast and lunch, lodging, utilities, and the equivalent of a farm CSA share. (Valuation available upon request.) Workers compensation is provided. Health insurance and disability insurance are not provided. Apprentices are encouraged to carry their own health insurance.

Education and Leadership
Apprentices can expect a thorough orientation and clear daily instruction in the “why’s” and “how’s” of farming tasks. The farm manager will ensure that apprentices have exposure to a wide variety of farming tasks. As much as possible the farmer will strive to provide a thorough training on each task in advance to minimize the need for correcting mistakes later on. We also ask that apprentices adopt a “learner's mind” being open to the farmer’s methods, striving for mastery, and welcoming feedback. Apprentices are included in weekly farm planning meetings and will have access to farm planning documents and the farm’s library, including literature on agriculture, food preservation, and sustainable living.

Jonah is the farm manager in 2016 and the person with whom apprentices have the most contact. He is an Italian Jewish cis-man with no recent African/Latino/Indigenous heritage. It is important to consider how his identity may impact your experience. Leah is responsible for educational programming and some farming and is a biracial African-American cis-woman. Leah also works off of the farm to earn income and has less contact with the apprentices. The children attend school off farm and are away for most of the day during the school year. Certain programs enliven the farm with large groups of predominantly African and Latino-heritage people. In 2016, we anticipate programming for ~50 days out of the 200+ of your time living at the farm. On the other days, the farm may be quiet, with just Jonah and 2 apprentices, occasional volunteers and visitors, and the gentle presence of Mother Earth. Please consider if this is what you want.

Compensation

this position is: salaried

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline