opening at earthworks urban farm

EarthWorks Urban Farm are looking for a Community Outreach Specialist who will be responsible for supporting the work of the CSK EarthWorks Urban Farm team by interacting with and supporting the local community by informing those in the community of EarthWorks services, scheduling volunteer opportunities, and providing valuable information regarding initiatives within EW and the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.

Essential Duties and Tasks Include:

• Demonstrate, exemplify and support the Capuchin Charism and Provincial Mission, Vision and Values throughout all professional responsibilities and activities.
• Manage the Earthworks office and indoor workspace, creating a welcoming environment.
• Schedules volunteer groups in collaboration with CSK Volunteer Coordinator Team
• Send out email updates.
• Update social media resources.
• Create occasional promotional documents.
• Answer EarthWorks email, phone, and snail mail, providing answers or directing messages to who is best suited to answer.
• Provide Tours of EarthWorks.
• Coordinate tabling events.
• Coordinate speaking engagements and deliver public speaking engagements.
• Assist in greenhouse and fields.
• Assist with market days Comply with Province and ministry policies, procedures, guidelines and standards

The desired education and experience level for this position are: A High School Diploma, strong customer service and communication skills, strong attention to detail. Experience in administration, volunteer coordination and public speaking are strongly preferred. Valid drivers license required. Chauffeur’s license preferred.

Please send letter of interest and resume to: employment@thecapuchins.org and make sure to include EarthWorks Community Outreach Specialist in the subject line.

Alternatively you can send the same documents to:

Attention: Human Resources EarthWorks Community Outreach Specialist,
The Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order
1820 Mt. Elliott Street
Detroit, MI 48207

If you would like more information about the great work that EarthWorks does, click HERE

boston food forest coalition are looking for a new project coordinator!

The Boston Food Forest Coalition (BFFC), a grassroots non-profit land trust, is a growing “community of practice” linking gardeners across greater Boston to permaculture projects. Neighbors come together, creating food forest gardens in their neighborhoods, and these open spaces engage and strengthen communities, producing food, hosting cultural events, and sharing experiences and skills with all ages. BFFC has a growing membership of 1,500 people in the greater Boston area. Since we launched, BFFC has offered over 150 free hands-on workshops (with topics from compost tea, permaculture design, medicinal herbs, mushroom logs, soil regeneration, biochar, mounded agriculture, companion plants and guilds, winter pruning, making elderberry syrup, nature art, and more) taught by herbalists, permaculture gardeners, designers, professional farmers and others in our community. The Boston Food Forest Coalition is currently composed of eight sites across the city, in Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, West End, Dorchester, East Boston, and Roxbury. The goal of the land trust is to support hundreds of forest gardens, stewarded by neighbors and community organizations. Imagine each with its own harvest festival and cultural events, sharing abundance, mitigating urban heat island effects, capturing rain-water, sequestering carbon, reducing stress, and regenerating life in the city. Healing ourselves, our communities, and the land.

job: full time teaching farm manager position in upstate ny

North Country School and Camp Treetops seek a full-time Teaching Farm Manager to oversee a year- round farm program intended for both food production and education of middle school aged children.

North Country School is an independent boarding and day school for grades 4-9, and Camp Treetops is a seven-week, overnight summer camp. They share a spectacular 200-acre campus in the Adirondack High Peaks region of upstate New York. The farm operation includes five acres of mixed vegetables and flowers, 35 acres of pasture, two commercial-size greenhouses, 500-tap maple sugar operation, and a multi-barn complex that houses animals raised both for consumption and for teaching purposes. Our animals include pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, goats, and horses. For more than 75 years, students and campers have benefited from active participation in the care of barnyard animals and the growing and harvesting of food. Nationwide, we are one of only seven Founding Programs of Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard Project. In recent years, the farm has served as nexus for much of our sustainability education.

The teaching farm manager is responsible for the care of all animals; vegetable and flower production; hiring and managing farm interns; and farm record keeping. He or she also works with School faculty and Camp counselors to integrate the farm and garden into academic curricula and daily activities, including preparing children for community-wide events like chicken and potato harvest. Applicants should have experience working in schools or other child-centric teaching environments, and should have demonstrable ability to manage a small staff and to delegate. A strong background in agriculture, knowledge of animal care, background in herd management, and competence with farm machinery are required. The qualified applicant will have experience with horse management and an ability to work closely with the NCS/CTT riding staff, who oversees a robust camp and school riding program. Supplemental farming skills, including basic carpentry, masonry, plumbing, electrical, and mechanical are a plus. Compensation and Benefits: Compensation and benefits include housing and meals; access to campus facilities including a lake, rock climbing crag, rope tow and ski hill, forest trails, wood shop and arts studios; group health insurance and retirement plan. Salary is commensurate with experience.

Minimum Qualifications:
• A desire to work at an educational institution with animal and plant production systems
• A demonstrable ability to coordinate complex tasks in a rapidly changing environment
• A desire to work with teaching faculty and camp counselors to integrate farming systems into a middle school curriculum and camp programs
• A demonstrable ability to supervise and mentor interns
• A demonstrable ability to plan production systems through time
• A demonstrable ability to operate a variety of hand tools, power tools and farm machinery • A desire to work outside in a variety of weather conditions

General Responsibilities:
• Depending upon the season, coordinating and accomplishing all aspects of greenhouse and field plant production systems and/or animal care at the barns and/or maple syrup production

• seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, soil building
• acquire and sell horses, acquire and coordinate the harvest of production animals
• lead morning and afternoon work crews

• work within a budget and provide accounting of all purchases within numerous budget lines
• coordinate school or camp community work projects
• develop and coordinate garden/barn program activities
• application of organic pesticides
• collaborate with our kitchen staffs to produce food for the community
• daily mentorship and supervision farm/garden interns
• provide multiple teaching and learning opportunities for interns
• maintain written records pertaining to the farm
• maintain a 500 bucket sugar maple stand and coordinate with our school program staff to work with students in the production of maple syrup
• daily barn chores and other related barn activities such as animal maintenance, stall cleaning
• general carpentry with respect to maintaining farm buildings and pasture fences

  To apply, or for more information, send an email to: applicant@ncstreetops.org, or send a request via U.S. mail to: Attention: Farm Manager/Educator Search Committee, North Country School and Camp Treetops, 4382 Cascade Road, Lake Placid, NY 12946.

job opening: field manager at new morning farm pa.

credit: new morning farm

New Morning Farm are looking for an experienced Field Manager, who will be responsible for equipment, soils, crop establishment, etc.  The successful candidate will work with a great team, the best equipment, excellent soils and incredible markets.  This is the perfect opportunity that will allow you to see how your own decisions and efforts can result in high-quality, profitable, organic crops.  The salary is $33-36K to start, plus profit share. This position is ideally a long term position that may include the possibility of work-to-own. 

Specific Responsibilities:

• Applying amendments, tillage, plastic laying, bare ground, and stale bed preparation
• Operating and maintaining 50-70hp tractors, vacuum seeder, 2 types of transplanters, bed shaper/plastic layer, manure spreader, rotavators, etc.
• General maintenance and repair of buildings and vehicles, general facility and familiarity with tools and welding helpful
• Crop establishment including seeding, transplanting, and cover crop planting
• Record-keeping to meet requirements of organic certification, including soil amendment, planting, transplanting, and maintenance
• Training and supervision of others in the operation of various tractors, implements, vehicles and other equipment
• Work closely with farm manager and owners in establishing seasonal and longer-term strategies for crops, soil, and equipment

New morning farm also offer a number of apprenticeships each year, click HERE to read more about their apprenticeship programme, applications will be processed this month so don’t leave it too long to apply!!

Please email jobs@newmorningfarm.net, if you are interested in applying.

assistant gardiner position in vermont.

Bread and Puppet Theater, in Glover, Vermont, is looking for an organic gardener to assist the head gardener in the theater’s gardens which total about an acre.The position is for mid April to mid October of 2018. At the height of the season (June-August) the farm feeds 80-150 people.  Storage crops and preserves from the garden are provisions for a small company of 2-12 during the rest of the year.

Applicants should have experience working on an organic farm and managing volunteers. Bread and Puppet Theater are looking for a candidate with good communication and self directed organizational skills as well as an enthusiasm for the grassroots life. The successful candidate will work closely on a daily basis with the head gardener, helping manage all aspects of the garden’s operation including planning in the spring, planting, cultivation, guiding volunteers, harvesting, maintaining a close association with the kitchen and community, and closing down the garden in the fall. This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in living communally in a vibrant, socially active artist collective. Food, housing, and a small stipend are provided.

Ideally, interested candidates would be free to go to the far this summer to see the farm and meet the head gardener.

If you or somebody you know is interested in applying for this position, please send a letter of introduction which details your experience and interest in addition to your resume and contact information for two references to tamarschmnn@yahoo.com.

wonderful job opportunity in the country at the schumacher centre for a new economics.

credit: NASA

The Schumacher Centre for a New Economics is seeking a Development and Communications Director to join their non-profit organisation in Western Massachusetts, to further the transition to a new economy. The centre’s mission is to educate the public about an economy that supports both people and the planet.  They believe that a fair and sustainable economy is possible and that citizens working for the common interest can build systems to achieve it. Much of the work of the Schumacher centre is in the area of sustainable local agriculture, land access, land trust with an ever present focus on communities and the commons.

apply to work with mofga!

Credit: MOFGA

The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) are hiring! They have just announced two  new exciting full time positions, Director of Development and Community Engagement Coordinator.

Both roles will remain open until MOFGA find the best candidate possible for the position, however the first review of candidates for the position will begin on September 6th for the Director of Development, and August 14th for community engagement coordinator position. So if interested in either post, be sure to get your application in before the relevant date!

To find out more information about these roles or to how to apply, click HERE 

(some more) awesome western ranch apprenticeships

photo credit – Dustin Blakey

The New Agrarian Program at Quivira Coalition has some more really great apprenticeship openings in California and Colorado.

All the details below:

 

Cobblestone Ranch

Eight-Month Ranching Apprenticeship in Chico, California

holy, moly, 2017 ranch apprenticeships!

photo credit – Lars Plougmann

Great news! We found a couple exceptional ranching apprenticeship opportunities with The Quivira Coalition New Agrarian Program. The organization is seeking some eager greenhorns for several 2017 positions on ranches out west.

The New Agrarian Program offers apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture through partnership with mentor ranchers and farmers who are part of the Quivira community. In particular, this program aims to build resilience on Western lands by training the next generation of stewards in agricultural best practices, and by training ranchers and farmers to be mentors.

Our apprenticeship program works closely with carefully selected rancher and farmer mentors who are dedicated stewards of the land; practice beyond organic, regenerative methods of food production; provide excellent animal care; and who are natural teachers for young agrarians.

There are still 4 positions open!

Brett Gray Ranch

Eight-Month Ranching Apprenticeship in Rush, CORound River Resource Management, LLC is a land resource and livestock management company dedicated to restoring and improving agricultural operations through the principles of Holistic ManagementTM in a sustainable manner and consistent with the goals of the resource owner.The name Round River is derived from the metaphorical river described by Aldo Leopold that flows endlessly into itself, circling around and around in a never ending circuit that symbolizes the current of life. Leopold’s illustration describes the manner in which energy streams from the soil into plants, then into animals and finally back into the soil in a continuous circuit of life. Round River Resource Management was founded in 2008 to manage the Brett Gray Ranch and other agricultural enterprises following the principles of Holistic ManagementTM and to provide educational and business opportunities that help young, innovative people enter the ranching business.Start Date: Flexible start date.

For more info:  http://quiviracoalition.org/New_Agrarian_Program/Brett_Gray_Ranch/index.html

TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Louis Martin at louis@roundriver.biz.

Cobblestone Ranch

Eight-Month Ranching Apprenticeship in Chico, CAThe Cobblestone Ranch is a sheep operation based on private property and on federal wildlife refuge lands managed specifically for wildlife habitat. Breanna Owens runs approximately two hundred ewes (with expansion plans over the next few years to increase to five hundred ewes). She uses a rotational grazing strategy on the refuge with the overall goal of maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat and specific goals of reducing thatch, shrub and weed control, and stimulating new herbaceous growth. She moves the sheep one to two times a week, in paddocks ranging from one to five acres depending on seasonality and management objectives. Owens sells lambs as grass-fed and -finished either as feeder lambs to a direct marketer or as finished lambs to a regional processor. She plans on transitioning a portion of the flock to organic and selling through a regional CSA.Start Date: Flexible start date.

For more info:  http://quiviracoalition.org/New_Agrarian_Program/Cobblestone_Ranch/index.html

TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Bre Owens at breowens5@gmail.com.

James Ranch Artisan Cheese

Eight-Month Dairy and Cheesemaking Apprenticeship in Durango, COJames Ranch Artisan Cheese manages a small herd of Jersey cows for the production of raw milk and small-batch cheeses in the beautiful Animas Valley near Durango, Colorado. Operated by Dan and Becca James, James Ranch Artisan Cheese is one of several family-run enterprises on the larger James Ranch. This dairy and cheesemaking apprenticeship offers professional training for aspiring agrarians committed to a life and career at the intersection of conservation, sustainable agriculture, and artisan foods. The apprenticeship includes hands-on experience with all aspects of dairy operation and cheese production, including low-stress animal handling, milking, cheese making, affinage, biological monitoring, marketing, financial planning, Holistic Management, and land stewardship.Start Date: Before April 1.

For more info:  http://quiviracoalition.org/New_Agrarian_Program/James_Ranch_Artisan_Cheese/index.html

TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Dan and Becca James at cheese@jamesranch.net.

Vilicus Farms

Eight-Month Grain Farming Apprenticeship in Havre, MTVilicus Farms is a first generation, nationally recognized organic, dryland crop farm located in northern Hill County, Montana. Established in 2009, Vilicus Farms grows a diverse array of heirloom and specialty grains, pulse, oilseed and broadleaf crops within a 5+year rotation on approximately 5,000 acres. Vilicus Farms practices advanced land stewardship at a scale that matters. The Vilicus Farms Apprenticeship is intended to be a multi-season training and mentoring program that immerses highly motivated young professionals in organic farm operation and management – a journey that ultimately ends in farm ownership. Doug and Anna understand the challenges of taking a farm from vision to reality. Through the Vilicus Farms apprenticeship program they hope to give beginning farmers a real opportunity to start a successful organic dryland crop farm in the Northern Great Plains.Start Date: Before April 1.

For more info:  http://quiviracoalition.org/New_Agrarian_Program/Vilicus_Farms/index.html

TO APPLY: Please email a resume and letter of interest to Anna Crabtree-ones at anna@vilicusfarms.com.

job opportunities like this signal brighter days

Good Monday to you!

Here in the North East the weather seems hellbent on reminding us that its still winter… so when a job posting like this comes across our desks we feel obligated to share the warmth far and wide.

Most rural communities can trace their origin to some sort of food production. As industries come and go and we find ourselves headed back to the soil – to towns and villages that have been watching the population migrate in the opposite direction – we are reminded that food production can/is/will always be a vital part resilient communities.

And now a wonderful opportunity in Huntly, Scotland.

From the posting:

Town is the Garden: Gardener in Residence

Deveron Projects is an arts organisation based in the rural market town of Huntly, Scotland. Through creative critical work we aim to contribute to the social wellbeing of the town, connecting artists, communities and places. Deveron Projects has no building, instead the town is the venue; acting as studio, gallery and stage for artists of all disciplines invited from around the world to live and work here.

Through artist driven projects we explore, map, inhabit and activate new spaces and places around Huntly. We believe artists are cultural activists that can energise people and communities, adding vitality to our society. By utilising creative and playful processes art can be employed to untangle and overcome real-life challenges, invent and enact alternative possibilities, and help solve problems.

The Town is the Garden is a one-year creative horticultural programme aimed at improving Huntly’s potential to grow more of its own food and create a more sustainable local food economy. Through employing a Gardener in Residence we hope to develop Huntly into a garden town that celebrates locally grown produce.

It’s an ambitious project, but we’re certain there are some well callused greenhorns out there looking to dig into something like this.

You can find out more about this position here.

“there’s no place quite like oxbow” – paid seasonal work opportunities on washington farm and education center

Photo Credit: Oxbow Farm

Want to help grow, harvest, and deliver eye-popping veggies like you see in the picture above? Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center in Washington is hiring three Seasonal Farm Production Crew members. These are paid positions on 230-acres of idyllic forest, grassland, and food crops next to the Snoqualmie River. In addition to growing food, Oxbow also engages in research in conservation farming practices, grows native plants for sale at their nursery, promotes restoration and sustainable habitats, and acts as an education center for kids of all ages. As their website says: “There’s no place quite like Oxbow!”

To apply and to learn more about the position, click on over HERE for more information, while here’s a quick and dirty overview of the position:

As a member of our energetic Farm Production Crew you will have the opportunity to work within all aspects of our operation, including in the field, pack shed, and order delivery. Your primary responsibilities will be harvesting, propagation house, hand-weeding, hoeing, transplanting, post-harvest handling, CSA packing, cleaning, and deliveries. We harvest, wash, and pack product daily for our CSA program, wholesale, and restaurant accounts. Strong attention to detail and operating efficiently while performing time-sensitive tasks in a rapidly changing environment are a must for this position.

 

ann arbor: historic biodynamic farm seeks head farmer(s)

Photo Credit: The Community Farm of Ann Arbor

Attention all experienced biodynamic farmers! The Community Farm of Ann Arbor is seeking a head farmer or head farmers. Located in the greater Ann Arbor area, there are almost too many pros to list for this beautiful historic farm, but we’ll give it a shot:

• established in 1988, it was the first CSA in Michigan
• an opportunity to learn from retiring farmers Anne and Paul, who have 26 years of experience
• they have a cow, 4 goats, bees and “a flock of chickens named Jessica”
• they use a solar tractor!
• the farm has a non-exempt educational arm, which means farm tours and teaching opportunities
• serves a dedicated community of close to 80 families

Interested applicants (as an individual OR a team) should click HERE to learn more about the position and the farm. They’re looking to hire soon, pay is dependent on experience, and consider these two things while you’re applying:

The two most important aspects of the farm are that it is Biodynamic and that it is a CSA. Ideal candidates will have: a familiarity with Biodynamics and a willingness to undertake the spiritual work it requires, and a commitment to original CSA principals in operating through the development of consensus.

help wanted on cut-flower farm in bovina, ny

Treadlight Farm, established in 2015,  grows specialty cut flowers on one acre in the hills of Delaware County, 6 miles outside of Bovina, NY. We sell our flowers at farmers markets locally and in Westchester County, to wedding clients, and to flower designers and florists. Our crops are grown organically (though we are not certified) in permanent, no-till beds, and are cultivated and harvested by hand from May through October.

We are looking for a farm crew member to assist in all aspects of our farm work for the coming season: seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting, packing, greenhouse care, flower arranging, and more. Through your work you’ll learn no-till production practices and the daily workings of a relatively new, rapidly expanding farm operation. This is an ideal position for someone interested in small-scale intensive farming, no-till agriculture, market gardening, and ornamental plant production.

swell jobs at groundswell in ithaca, ny

Looking for rewarding work in upstate New York? The Groundswell Center in Ithaca is hiring! They have a range of full-time, part-time, and seasonal positions, including Farming and Business Specialist, Development and Fundraising Manager, Farming Assistant, and Educator. Get those typing fingers and applications going – they’re looking to hire by the end of February or early March. One look at their mission will tell you that it’s a fabulous place to work:

Our mission is to engage diverse learners and empower them with skills, knowledge and access to resources, so they can build sustainable land-based livelihoods and equitable local food systems. We help people become successful small-scale farmers and homestead food producers through practical, on-farm training. Our peer-to-peer networks build community and foster skills-sharing among farmers, homesteaders and “food citizens.”

Learn more about the positions and Groundswell by clicking HERE.

quivira coalition seeks coordinator for their beloved new agrarian program

Photo from the Quivira Coalition.

The Quivira Coalition, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds resilience by fostering ecological, economic and social health on Western landscapes, seeks a coordinator for their New Agrarian Program (NAP). Now, we can’t even tell you how awesome the Quivira coalition is in less than 500 words, so we’ll just like to some of the other times we’ve told you, like here, and here, and here, to name a few. Or just take our word for it. They’re hiring for a part-time coordinator, a position that requires living in sunny Santa Fe, and which offers excellent benefits.

Full position description below!

NAP offers apprenticeships in regenerative agriculture in partnership with mentor ranchers and farmers who are part of the Quivira community in the West. It aims to provide the next generation of food producers with hands-on, on-the-ground mentoring from seasoned mentors who are dedicated stewards of the land; practice beyond organic, regenerative methods of food production; provide excellent animal care; and are skilled and dedicated teachers.