Ferme et Foret in Wakefield, Quebec is seeking an Ecological Farm Worker!
ABOUT Ferme et Foret
Our farm is a hybrid that is about 50% maple, 25% prepared food, 10% cultivated crops, 10% wild harvested crops, and 5% livestock. In addition to tapping about 2800 trees and making maple syrup, butter, sugar, and candy, we also produce granola and a few others prepared food products; grow asparagus, garlic, berries, and shiitake mushrooms; harvest wild apples, nettle, sumac, plums, and herbs for teas; and keep a flock of laying hens.
We are located in the rolling Gatineau Hills north of Ottawa, near the artsy Quebec anglophone village of Wakefield. The landscape is a patchwork of small fields and forest. Our farm is 100 acres of forest and 50 acres of fields. We share the farm with another family who keep some sheep.
We sell from an honour-system farmstand, at the local farmers’ market, through a producers’ cooperative, to a few stores, and through our own online store/delivery system.
We are not certified organic, but we use no pesticides/herbicides or chemical fertilizers of any kind. Sean (one of the two owners) has a Permaculture Design Certificate and applies some of that thinking to the farm. Basically, we try to work with natural forces rather than against them, and keep things pretty small-scale and oriented to the local community.
DESIRED QUALITIES
- A high energy individual, able to be self-motivated and work independently or with others.
- Passionate about producing quality food.
- Able to produce high-quality results in a timely, efficient manner.
- Preferably has some farming and/or kitchen experience.
- Aged 15 – 30 (to make their wage eligible for subsidy).
- Preferably bilingual.
POSITION TASKS
- Repairing maple sap tubing in the sugarbush.
- Moving about 50 sometimes heavy shiitake logs per week into and out of soaking tanks and harvesting the mushrooms.
- Daily collection, washing, and packing of eggs, and caring for a flock of 80 laying hens.
- Food transformation, including maple butter and wild apple cider.
- Operating a wood-splitter to split firewood; stacking firewood.
- Harvesting and cultivating berries and garlic.
- Harvesting wild foods such as nettles, wild apples, sumac, and wild plums.
- Going to a farmer’s market. Opening, closing, and stocking an unmanned honour-system farmstand.
- Possibly doing food deliveries into the city.
- Other random jobs that always come up on a farm!
JOB DETAILS
Term: Ideally, someone who is available to work immediately until November 30, 2024, with the possibility of some winter work, and full-time work in February, March, and April next year during maple syrup season. This being said, we’ll consider other start and end times for the right candidate.
Hours per week: We’re looking for 20 – 35 hours a week, but are flexible, based on the the candidate’s needs.
Wage: $17 an hour pay.
Other perks:
- A 10% employee discount and some free farm produce.
- An off-grid straw-bale cabin on site is available to rent for $400/month.
TO APPLY
Please submit your resume and cover letter to lefarmteam@fermeetforet.ca
Deadline to apply: May 24, 2024
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 Ferme et Foret
Website: https://fermeetforet.ca/
Facebook: facebook.com/fermeetforet/
Instagram: instagram.com/fermeetforet/
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