Field Worker - part time

Just the job you have been waiting for.

Put your physical body to work, and provide yourself a purpose by particpating in the entirety of an organic food growing system.

White Barn Farm is located smack dab in the suburbs of Eastern MA. It is a small scale, high intensive market garden. We provide our retail Farmstand, CSA, and local restuarants with an abundace of organically grown food all year long.

Looking to join the team here at White Barn Farm?

Check out this job description to seek your inner farmer.

Typical day (working with mother nature is not perfect, but we try our best to provide you with the best possible way to complete your daily tasks) -

Come prepared to work with outdoor work gear and get your hands dirty, with proper footwear, sun protection, rain gear, fully fed and hydrated.

Typical schedule:

Arrive at work at 8am (depending on heat we may start at 7am some mornings to rescue our precious greens from the heat)

• Farm and personal check-in with Field Manager Meredith

• Harvest list will be distributed

• Head out to the fields using our nostalgic Chevy pick up truck, boom box in tow.

• Harvest (using an extremley sharp knife) - we will be cutting, bunching, pulling, packing, counting, working with teams of two or three, to optimize our harvest efficiency. Pushing ourselves to provide our customers with fresh, beautiful, and efficiently harvested vegetables. The faster and harder we work the more fun we have!!!!

• Drive full trucks to the wash station for the produce to be cooled down, freshened up, and washed.

• Head back out and repeat until the list is accomplished by 11-12pm, most days.

• Each Farm hand will have a partial shift each week to work in the wash station, to gain knowledge and understanding of how important our produce is to our consumers.

• Around 12ish we stop for lunch. As much of the crew as possible stops for laughs, personal check-ins, smiles and all around good ol' morale boosting in the shade. Topics that may be discussed - food, tv, hiking, backpacking, biking, music, food, cooking, favorite places to eat, art, culture, travel, environmental issues, comedy specials, books and food. Take this time to relax, rest, and recharge. BRING a lunch.

• AFTER lunch tasks:

• planting

• cultivation

• irrigation

• mulching

• bed prep

• adding amendments

• broadforking

• trellising

• All things that go into vegetable production for plant health, yields, soil health, and weed suppression.

• 4pm-ish quitting time. Leave with a sun tan, some extra muscles you may not have known existed, and a smile on your face with all that your team accomplished. A good day of work, feeling satisfied and ready to conquer the next day!!!

Expectations:

WORK DAYS - 3 to 4 days a week

8 hour days

start date: May 25th

end date: August 25th

Perfect summer job for college students.

This is an extremely small crew and you will be working with highly experienced people on this farm. We have a very gender diverse farm crew with people who are super committed to their job and their craft. You will also be working directly with the owner of White Barn Farm, whose agricultural experience spans beyond 20 years.

If you are a hard working, intelligent, committed, strong, passionate, positive worker, this can be a wonderful place to learn about yourself and small scale suburban agriculture.

• we work through elements - ALL of them.

• we will sweat

• we will get wet

• we will get tired

• we will be pushed

• we will be rewarded

By the end of your season working at White Barn Farm, you will have gained a deep knowledge of how to grow food, work with others, and provide your community with something extremely tangible. You will truly have particpated in LIFE.

Compensation is $15/hour.

Benefits and Perks

*$1/hr worked added to a gift card for you to use at White Barn Farmstand. 10% employee discount once funds on your card are used up

*one WBF t-shirt, then 30% discount on all other WBF swag

*paid sick time accrues at 1 hr/30 hrs worked, up tp a maximum of 40 hours, and can be used after 90 days from your start date.

*paid vacation time accrues at 8 hours for every 140 hours worked, up to a maximum of 80 hours, and can be used after 90 days from your start date.

Experience is helpful but not necessary.

There is opportunity for growth within the business for a successful candidate.

Interview process:  Hiring process includes a working interview 

Application Process: Please email to info@whitebarnfarm.org and meredith.reba@whitebarnfarm.org

• a Letter of Intent

• your Resume

• Contact Info for Two References 

Qualifications:

• Can lift 50lbs repeatedly, using proper body mechanics

• Has a valid drivers license

• Ability to complete repetitive tasks for a long period of time in all kinds of weather

• Flexibility -  able to shift gears and adapt to variable tasks

• Takes pride in and thrives on efficiency and productivity

• Takes instruction and correction well and is able to ask questions

• Fast learner - Ability to quickly pick up new techniques

• Is punctual and prepared (water bottle, proper attire, footwear, sunblock)

• Works well alone or with a group

• Has a spirit of dedication/enthusiasm

• Communicates well

*No extra charge for the suntan and the workout.