Company description

Siena Farms is an award-winning, 50-acre market farm growing diversified produce on the fertile soils of the Sudbury River valley, twenty-five miles west of Boston. We grow over 100 varieties of vegetables for our year-round CSA, our farmstores in the Boston Public Market and Boston’s South End, and area restaurants including family-owned Oleana, Sofra, and Sarma. We use regenerative, biological agricultural practices to build our soil’s health and productivity, free of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers.

Job description

Overview 

We are seeking a hard-working, committed, talented individual motivated by a career interest in sustainable agriculture to join our 2025 team as a Production Manager. Two or more seasons of previous experience operating tractors on a farm is required.

Siena Farms’ Production Manager is a core member of the year-round crop production management team for our 50-acre diversified produce farm. They, like all of our employees, are held to high standards for respect, kindness, organization, communication, positive attitude, work quality, work ethic, work pace, and work schedule. Of all of these values, respect and kindness for coworkers is the top priority, as everything else follows from that.

Primary responsibilities of our Production Manager include but are not limited to the planning, management, and execution of the following.

• Manage the year-round production of crops  including vegetables, herbs, flowers, winter greens, and other specialty crops
• Collaboratively develop and execute the 2025 crop plan, including monitoring and adjustments as needed
• Assist our Greenhouse Manager with production of transplants for field crops, microgreens, and high tunnel crops
• Safely operate and maintain farm machinery, including tractors, implements for tillage and planting, trucks and trailers, and small engine/electric tools
• Manage ground prep, mechanical planting and seeding, cover-cropping, mechanical cultivation, and pest and disease management
• Oversee field work such as season extension, fencing, weed control, trellising, pruning, etc.
• Conduct field assessments to monitor crop health and plan upcoming tasks
• Train and manage farm staff in crop production tasks, promoting sustainable practices and quality standards
• Communicate regularly with the rest of the management team regarding crop status, labor needs, and challenges
• Support farm upkeep and cleanliness, maintaining a productive work environment.

Secondary Responsibilities of our Production Manager, if and when the primary responsibilities described above are accomplished at any given time and/or when it is asked of them by their manager(s) based on priorities of the farm as a whole, include but are not limited to the following:

• Assisting with crop harvest, wash-up, CSA and order packing, deliveries, farm facility and infrastructure care and maintenance, new projects, etc. Particularly in autumn, members of the farm’s production team are expected to contribute meaningful labor toward the harvest team on an as-needed but typically regular basis.

Qualifications

• Two or more seasons of previous experience operating tractors on a farm is required
• Degree in agronomy or related field is preferred, but not required.
• Familiarity with the necessary tools and equipment to perform day to day tasks around the farm
• A basic understanding of how farm machinery functions, and the ability to operate the machinery safely
• A basic understanding of farm machinery maintenance
• The ability to lift and carry 50+ lb objects 
• A valid driver's license and safe driving record
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to work efficiently and both independently and collaboratively on a team
• Interest in operating tractors for a majority of work schedule, particularly in the summer months
• A deep interest in soil conservation and farmland stewardship

Schedule

Our Production Manager position is considered a full-time, year-round position, averaging 40 hours/week spread over 4 days per week in the “cold months” (December through March), and averaging 50 hours / week spread over 5 days in the “warm months” (April through November).

Core schedule during December through March is 7am – 5pm four weekdays per week (either M-H or T-F). Core schedule during April and May is Monday through Friday, 7am – 5pm. Core schedule June through November includes 5 days a week from 7am – 5pm, with either a “Saturday/Sunday” weekend, or a “Sunday/Monday” weekend. One paid hour of lunch break per day is allotted to all farm staff on any given work day. 

Compensation

• Competitive salary, generous PTO package, and fully covered health insurance benefits 90 days after start date.
• Perks include a weekly veggie farm share to take home, additional access to surplus produce, plus employee discounts at Siena Farms' retail sites as well as at family restaurants Oleana and Sofra.

 Other

• We do not offer on-farm housing
• Reliable transportation to and from the farm in Sudbury is required (we are located in an area that lacks sufficient public transportation).

Compensation

this position is: salaried, 50k-75k

Application instructions

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Deadline

December 31, 2024