Three Oaks Farm is seeking a manager for an established 2 acre certified organic farm on the Saanich Peninsula, Vancouver Island. Owner has been farming for 20+ years and would like to take a back seat. Great opportunity for experienced farmhand to step up to management without the difficulties of establishing a new farm.
All of our produce is marketed through Saanich Organics via our CSA, restaurants and grocers, and 2 Farmers Markets. Some background on Saanich Organics: We are a group of like-minded, food-security driven, community oriented farmers that have been growing the organic food movement here on Southern Vancouver Island for 20 years.
We have a great reputation among the market go-ers and chefs for reliability and excellent quality. We are grateful to all the individuals, chefs, and small grocers in Victoria who have made purchasing local and organic a priority. We are committed to what we do and we enjoy it very much and hope you do too.
ABOUT THREE OAKS FARM
Three Oaks Farm has been in operation at this location since 2006. We have 4 greenhouses and the rest of the land is in field crops. We grow 30-40 different crops and emphasize succession planting to have a steady supply of short term items. Salad greens, tomatoes, strawberries, leeks, peppers, carrots are some of our bigger crops. We do a lot of tomato plant sales (and other starts) in Spring for a retail outlets as well as our own farm stand. We use a tractor and spader for the bulk of our cultivating, and a rototiller for bed prep and path management. Irrigation is through a mix of drip lines and overhead watering. We work hard but have fun at it and if we’re ahead of the game we like to take an extra long lunch or go for a swim.
More about Three Oaks Farm: www.saanichorganics.com
QUALIFICATIONS
Applicant must:
- have at least 1-2 years experience in diversified organic vegetable production
- have experience supervising others
- be willing/interested in operating farm machinery (rototiller, mower, tractor)
- be committed to certified organic principles • be an organized, efficient, and tidy worker
- be an excellent communicator
- be able to work under pressure while maintaining supportive and communicative atmosphere with apprentices and other staff
- be able to see the whole picture while being extremely detail oriented
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Management of day to day operations of seeding, potting up, transplanting, weeding, irrigation, prepping beds, harvesting, washing and packing produce for sale
- Management of apprentices and occasional volunteers
- Oversee irrigation
- Estimating harvest offerings twice/week
- Record keeping re seeding dates, fertilizer application, manure management
- Working cooperatively with other 2 farmers of Saanich Organics when it comes to marketing
- Ordering of seeds and soil amendments as needed
- Maintaining long term farm fertility and attentiveness to the big picture for the farm
- Working with established systems but innovating where necessary!
JOB DETAILS
Start date would be mid March, or at the latest, April 1 2018, till mid- December. Option to continue the following season(s) will certainly be there for the right party.
Competitive wage offered for 40 hrs/week plus unlimited access to produce. Please email for wage details. Hours are Mon-Fri 9-5, with some flexibility. Accommodation on farm may be a possibility.
TO APPLY
Interested parties please send cover letter and CV to rachel@saanichorganics.com.