Company description

Common Ground CSA is a small vegetable CSA farm in Rochester, WA in our 35th season. We provide weekly CSA shares to 100 families in our community May through October, with additional Winter season shares for 40 members. All shares are priced on a sliding scale in an effort to make good food accessible to more people, and we donate vegetables to the food bank when we have more food than the CSA can use. We grow vegetables intensively on about 2 acres, while managing another 2 acres in fallow. We grow organically but are not certified.

We strive to create a CSA that is truly a community and to find customers whose lives and kitchen habits fit well with a weekly box of mixed vegetables. We have a very high retention rate and many of our customers have been with us more than ten years, and some for all thirty five years! Once or twice a year we have an on farm potluck/party and we write a newsletter monthly to let our members know what’s going on in the fields. We pride ourselves on the freshest produce that you can get, in a quantity that satisfies an active cook who loves vegetables.  We have been called ‘the ex-farmers CSA’ by members who have farmed previously and now choose us to provide their vegetables.

Our team includes farm owner Tierney, Assistant Manager KT and CSA founder Julie who together have over 50 years of vegetable farming experience. We hire one full time crew member for the season and several work traders join us on harvest mornings twice a week throughout the season. We use tractors mainly for our primary tillage, initial field prep and clean-up, and then most of our cultivation and field management is by hand, with hand tools or with walk-behind tillers.

We are growing on land in Rochester, WA that is owned by the Community Farmland Trust and leased to us with a secure, long term lease. We are going into our fourth season on this land. We also grow vegetables and use barn space on the adjoining property owned by our CSA founder and we have one satellite field about 20 minutes away that will require occasional work days.

 

Job description

We are looking for a full time crew member for the 2025 season (and beyond?) starting ASAP. This position involves being a part of all aspects of small scale vegetable production: seed starting, field prep, transplanting, cultivating, basic irrigation tasks, compost, harvest, and wash and pack. You will be using a rototiller, weedwacker and possibly a mower (training provided).  It is possible that employees may be trained in deliveries. Although this position is not specifically geared toward training to take on a manager role, employees are encouraged to engage actively in conversations about field management.

We begin seeding and some limited field work in February, pick up a bit in March and we generally bring our crew on full time in April and provide full time employment through October. We work five, eight-hour days a week with a one hour lunch break, and take weekends off. In the shoulder seasons, particularly April and October, there may be days where it is just too wet to work but we do our best to keep hours consistent. Our week includes two weekly harvest mornings, Tuesdays and Fridays, where we are joined by a small group of work traders to focus on harvesting, washing and packing the vegetables that will then be delivered to customers that afternoon. The remainder of the week is spent on field tasks.

We intentionally create a work culture that is inclusive and supportive to women, trans and non-binary folks, as well as people of all races, because we recognize that these people have not traditionally been encouraged to join, or been provided support within, many agricultural jobs. As a team of women and non-binary farmers ourselves we feel very strongly about providing a place that provides a safe, supportive and empowering place to learn, practice and continue to hone these skills. We also value a culture that acknowledges that work/life balance is important – we work hard while we’re at work, we are absolutely committed to our jobs and the success of our farm, and we expect those who work with us to show up excited each day to give it their all. But we know to be sustainable we need to build a system that allows us to rest, spend time with our families and pursue other activities that bring us joy, even during the growing season.

Although this position is not specifically geared toward training toward management, working and farming as a team is one thing that drives us. We encourage all employees to engage actively in conversations about field management, and are always on the lookout for people who have interest in the possibility of continuing to farm with us and evolving into management roles. 

Our ideal candidate:

·         Has a joyful attitude towards work, ability to lift up to 50 lbs  and work in both cold/wet and hot/dry weather.

·         Is a quick learner, curious, not afraid to ask for help/clarification

·         Is fully committed to their job but able to recognize their personal needs/balance

·         Is detail oriented

·         Loves plants, vegetables and cooking!

·         Enjoys working with others as well as independently.

 

These things are great too!

·         Farm experience, especially vegetable production.

·         Machine operation and maintenance: Experience with rototiller, weedwacker, tractor, ability to drive a manual is a plus!

·         Knowledge of vegetable pests and diseases.

·         Interest in the possibility of multiple seasons.

·         Other farm adjacent skills like marketing, accounting, etc.

Compensation

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

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline