Company description

Bar Harbor Farm is a diversified organic farm on beautiful Mount Desert Island, growing over 60 varieties of vegetables and flowers on about 4 acres. We are certified organic by MOFGA, and employ many no-till methods. We grow wholesale for restaurants and run a summer CSA and autumn CSA.
 

Our farming practices focus heavily on soil health and biodiversity. We utilize cover cropping as well as the planting of hedgerows and gardens, with everything from young apple trees to gooseberries to echinacea and calendula, with birdhouses and bee houses placed all around the property to encourage the presence of many different birds and pollinators.

Our CSA runs for 16 weeks in the summer and 6 weeks in the fall, and offers a wide variety of produce from culinary herbs to greens to root vegetables, and we grow a few new varieties every season. Two of our farmers manage flower production - one large perennial garden where we offer pick-your-own flowers for CSA members, and three beds for market production of cut flowers, which we sell in bouquets at our small roadside flower stand. 

 

We are seeking candidates who share a similar passion and vision for farming - whether you are interested in soil science, ecology, land stewardship, food systems / growing nutrient-dense food, flowers, or building community - we do a little bit of everything here and we love what we do.

Job description

Several of our crew are headed off to college, and we are seeking a qualified candidate to fill the position of full-time assistant manager to work alongside the field crew. Responsibilities include managing irrigation systems and greenhouse/seedling watering, social media/marketing (occasional posts updating our CSA members, and a brief weekly email newsletter), and overseeing small-scale cut flower production. The ideal candidate has at least 1 year of full-time experience in a managerial role with organic farming. Housing is available on-farm, but candidate must be able to relocate to the farm by the end of September.
 

This year, this position will run from the end of September to the last week of November, and we encourage candidates to apply who will be seeking employment for next season as well (first week of April - last week of November). Staff benefits include private on-farm housing, competitive wages, $100 stipend per season for farm workwear/gear, three paid personal days per season, and free access to our amazing organic veggies and flowers. Candidates who have experience with no-till farming and who are tractor-safety certified are highly encouraged to apply. 

 

Responsibilities:

• Assist with organizing and supervising daily farming tasks
• Manage crop production and overall farm maintenance (bed prep/field work, irrigation and watering, transplanting, direct-seeding, greenhouse seeding, cultivation, harvesting, cover-cropping, mowing, tarping)
• Understand standards of first-quality produce; ensure that veggies and greens harvested for the CSA and wholesale clients meet quality standards
• Monitor and perform basic maintenance required with regular use for standard farm equipment (checking oil and refueling as needed: BCS walk-behind tractor, Kubota tractor, lawnmowers & weed-whackers; greasing lubrication points on Kubota tractor)
• Utilize no-till tools for various field tasks (broadfork, wheelhoe, scuffle hoe, etc)
• Safely operate Kubota tractor for various field tasks (removing rocks, moving sandbags and tarps, occasional brush-hogging, etc)
• Perform heavy lifting tasks daily 
• Weekly veg deliveries to town and restaurants
• Weekly digital marketing (email newsletter for CSA members, occasional social media posting)
• Oversee cut flower production: field maintenance, harvest, bouquet arranging for roadside flower stand

Required Skills: 

• Proficiency in basic organic farming and gardening practices
• Basic math skills for calculation of field amendments
• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to lift and move 50 pounds 
• Ability to work while moving between positions of standing, kneeling, and squatting
• Ability to effectively communicate and work as a team
• Basic knowledge of social media use for simple marketing (Facebook and Instagram)
• Driver’s license
• Tractor safety certification
• Minimum one year of managerial experience in a farm setting 

Preferred (but not mandatory) Skills:

• Mechanical knowledge for troubleshooting equipment issues with BCS and Kubota tractors
• Carpentry skills or basic familiarity with hand tools and/or power tools
• Knowledge of soil science 
• Knowledge of, or artistic interest in, growing and arranging flowers for market

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $18.36 - $19.60

Application instructions

Deadline

September 08, 2024