Farm manager – 1-acre, mixed vegetable, non-profit, community farm (6855)

Job summary

Lead our 1 acre farm in the production of spring, summer, and fall vegetables (winter optional) for distribution to our customers and to our local food bank. Produce high quality, delicious, and nutrient dense vegetables for the community. Grow a diversity of vegetables to create a rich learning environment for farm visitors (volunteers, kids groups, ect.) and to support the CSA. Utilize volunteers and the resources of the community to maximize our goals of food access, nutrition, agricultural education, and outreach.

About the farm

We are now wrapping up our successful second season of producing food for our local food bank with the use of volunteers as our primary labor source. Right now we are hosting two volunteer sessions per week for 2.5hrs where we get 5-10 volunteers out to the farm. They are amazing to work with and help primarily with planting in the spring and harvesting through the summer and fall, but also some take on larger responsibilities like daily watering vegetable starts in the greenhouse giving the farm manager full days off. The farm also offers field trips to local schools and hosts three summer camps throughout the summer. This job would be great for a first time farm manager or one with many years of experience. There is flex in our production amounts as everything produced additional to our CSA can go to the food bank. There is also a lot of room to grow this farm in terms of our production amounts and educational offerings.

Responsible for the complete process of vegetable production, from seed to post-harvest handling. Create a crop plan/schedule for all sowings and plantings. Order all materials and supplies necessary. Manage an offsite greenhouse (in Orangevale) as needed for vegetable production. Prepare beds for planting: mowing and tilling with a BCS walk-behind tractor, using tarps, and/or amending as needed for fertility. Irrigate crops using our drip-tape irrigation system with battery operated and programable control valves. Cultivate the fields to prevent the crops from being choked out by weeds, namely Bermuda grass. Prune, trellis, and shade crops as needed. Direct the harvest of all crops at peak maturity. Direct post-harvest handling of produce and transport boxes of produce to a refrigerated unit located on an adjacent property. Record harvest totals (in lbs) and keep track of the number of CSA boxes distributed to paying customers. Host volunteers on the farm regularly (twice a week) through the main growing season with the aim of creating positive experiences. Utilize volunteers in productive ways that minimize the amount of work needed to be done by the farm manager. Manage a 20-week (or longer) CSA to generate income for the farm (20-40 shares worth). Advertise and collect sign ups in the pre-season, then organize CSA box packing and pickups throughout the season. Assemble bags of produce from the farm for distribution by the food bank. Coordinate with food bank staff to integrate smoothly with their systems. Promote the farm regularly on social media and through list serve newsletters to generate interest and support. Host occasional field trips and tours of the farm. Keep the farm tidy for 3 kids summer camps per season. Responsible for the functioning of all needed farm equipment (BCS, irrigation system, ect.). Organize a schedule for yourself to complete all of these functions and provide your own transportation.

Passionate about our mission and goals
A friendly personality to interact productively with farm volunteers, creating a welcoming space
Attentiveness in providing instruction on proper techniques and monitoring volunteers to minimize risks that they may create for themselves or others
Networking with the wider community in a way that generates support for the farm

Previous experience with most all of the mentioned responsibilities, most likely coming from 1 or more years worked on production vegetable farms