Company description

Cedar Circle Farm and Education Center is a nonprofit, certified organic farm located on over 50 acres of conserved land along the Connecticut River in East Thetford, Vermont. Our organization has a deep commitment to developing regenerative agriculture systems for our annual vegetable and flower production and to offering educational programming that builds connections between our food, ecosystems, and community.

Our farm is a community hub with a farmstand, retail greenhouses, a farm kitchen, a coffee shop, a cut flower garden, education programs, and unique CSA options. It’s a place where folks can learn about and deepen their appreciation for organic regenerative agriculture.

Our staff is a reflection of our community and is the most essential aspect of our farm. When you join our dynamic team, you’ll have the opportunity to make valuable contributions to our greater mission of promoting organic, regenerative farming and the transition to a localized food economy!

Job description

Full Time
May to October

We believe it takes self-initiative, constant and thoughtful communication, a strong belief in the purpose/impact of our work, creativity, and love and appreciation for one another in order to accomplish the challenge that is diversified vegetable farming. We are currently seeking agriculturalists (or folks with experience in other related hands-on trades) who are ready to be a vibrant part of our mission to grow healthy and abundant food for our community in an ecologically conscious way.

As a member of our team you should expect to be involved in the day-to-day planning and problem solving involved in the operation of our farm. Together we grow vegetables and berries on ~15 acres in a given year while managing the fallow years for a remaining 15. In addition to our outdoor space we grow extended season crops in 10 high tunnels and produce retail vegetable starts for sale in conjunction with our Annuals and Perennials team. Our focus is on the full cultivation of the crops we grow at Cedar Circle, from seed to washed-and-packed product, and our farmstand team takes it from there.

One of the most exciting aspects of diversified vegetable farming is the variety of work involved. While specializing and honing skills in one particular area enables a farmer to take pride and ownership in the work that they do, having a varied set of responsibilities keeps the work sustainable, interesting, and engaging. Our team is always working towards a model that provides both of these experiences for all team members.

RESPONSIBILITIES

We are lucky to be in possession of many tractor-based cultivation tools that improve our quality of life and efficiency; however, we hold a reverence for traditional hand-based methods for their lack of disturbance, reliability, and connection to the land. We have a shop with a full time mechanic though times of peak demand may necessitate assistance from production team members who consider themselves mechanically inclined.

A non-comprehensive list of our day-to-day tasks is below.

Greenhouse, Propagation house:

• Seeding, thinning, watering, grafting, tagging and organizing (retail starts)

Greenhouse, In ground growing

• Season extension — Bed prep (BCS), transplanting, weeding
• Specialty crops — Lower and lean tomatoes, trellised cucumbers and peppers, etc.

Bed prep

• Tillage-based — Mowing, primary and secondary tillage, amending, mulched bed formation
• No-till — Mowing, tarping, roller-crimp

Weeding and pest management

• Hand weeding, hoeing, flame weeding, tractor based cultivation
• Deploying bought-in IPM
• Manual pest management (squish squish)
• Setup and removal of row cover

Transplanting

• Water wheel, bare-root

Irrigation

• Hook-and-latch overhead systems, lay flat and drip systems

Wash-pack

• Cooler management and ensuring proper storage conditions, ensuring rapid removal, cooling, and storage of crops during summer heat, washing/processing, quality control

Miscellaneous

• Outdoor trellis maintenance
• Farm maintenance — Organizing, moving, consolidating materials, etc
• Greenhouse maintenance
• Side-dressing
• Perennial crop maintenance
• Direct seeding
• Assistance with other departments (one-team mentality)

Harvest is an essential component of vegetable farming and our full season team works in conjunction with our teen ag program to pull off daily morning harvest. This provides an excellent opportunity to model efficient, skilled, and safe farming practices and to inspire up and coming agriculturists.

QUALIFICATIONS

• At least one season previous vegetable farm experience preferred (other work experience welcomed!)
• Small engine operation (e.g. string trimmers, irrigation pumps) experience preferred (willing to train!)
• Excellent time management skills
• Consistent attention to detail
• Positive, energetic interpersonal skills
• Clear, consistent communication skills
• Ability to work independently and within a team
• Flexible, creative, and able to perform well in diverse conditions and under pressure
• Ability to work for long durations in inclement weather – standing, sitting, bending over, or kneeling
• Interest to return for consecutive seasons is a huge plus!

COMPENSATION

This is a seasonal position, full-time May through October (other time commitments considered) with flexibility to work weekends during certain parts of the season. We try to stick to a 40 hour work week to the best of our abilities. The full season crew member is an hourly position with benefits including sick time accrual, a 403(b) retirement plan, fresh produce, and a discount to our farm stand. Salary range is $15-17/hr, depending on qualifications.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline