Laughing Apple Farm on Salt Spring Island, BC is seeking a Field Crew!
ABOUT Laughing Apple Farm
Who we are: Laughing Apple Farm is located in a scenic and quiet spot on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. We have been farming here for 26 years and have developed efficient organic methods for producing a diversity of food year-around on a small scale. We have 3 acres under cultivation for vegetables, six greenhouses for year-around production, two 200 square ft heated spaces for year-around production of lettuce and microgreens, 500+ apple trees, ~ 30 plums/pears/peach trees, 70 cherry trees, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We have a thriving community-supported farm stand, a year-around farm membership program (like a flexible CSA), and we sell locally to chefs and other CSAs.
Our goal is to make delicious, beautiful, and nutritious produce and we are continually working to improve our knowledge and methods so that we grow better food and be better stewards of our land. We think providing food for people who live nearby generates community connection and is a worthy and fulfilling occupation for a lifetime. We try to encourage young people to learn to farm.
DESIRED QUALITIES
Preferred qualifications:
- 1-2 years’ experience with organically producing and marketing crops
- Be able to work quickly in a fast-paced environment with humor, compassion and efficiency
- Attention to detail
- Physical and mental endurance – be able to work standing, kneeling, bending, lifting repeatedly
- Be flexible and adaptable when situations change
- Know how to take care of yourself – get enough rest, food and water – and be able to communicate your limits
- Be able to lift 50 pounds
- Have experience working outdoors – both on nice days and in heat/rain/cold
- Have the ability to work together with others as a team member
- Be able to work efficiently on your own
POSITION TASKS
Main tasks during the season:
- Help with chicken care
- Seeding and transplanting
- Bed preparation (broadforking, weeding beds, raking)
- Weeding
- Preparation of vegetables for sale (washing, bagging, bringing to farmstand)
- Harvesting crops – vegetables, berries
- Watering seedlings
- Irrigation checking
- Washing bins and sanitizing
- Help with haying
- Help with apple pressing
POSITION DETAILS
Start: As soon as possible. For the right person this could become long term employment.
Hours per week: Work week is usually M-F 9 am – 5:30 pm, with a ½ hour unpaid lunch break. During the hottest part of the summer, hours may be different.
Wage: We pay $18 per hour to start, with the opportunity to work more hours at the busiest time. We will consider raising this wage for experienced people.
TO APPLY
Please send a resume and cover letter to Mary Laucks, mlaucks@telus.net. Please explain why you want to work here and what you feel you bring to this job in the cover letter. We review applications as they arrive. Please include at least 2 references from previous relevant jobs.
When applying, please mention you saw this posting at youngagrarians.org
Please note that Young Agrarians does not have the capacity to pre-screen job opportunities. Please screen your potential employer to ensure that you are entering into a fair exchange that meets your needs and expectations. Try asking the farm for references of past workers, or ask people in the community if you are unsure.
LEARN MORE ABOUT Laughing Apple Farm
Website: https://laughingapple.com/
View more Farm Jobs and Internships on our Job Board
