Crooked Horn Farm in Winlaw (close to Nelson/Castlegar), BC is seeking a Lead Farm Hand and Field Manager/Apprentice!
ABOUT Crooked Horn Farm
Crooked Horn Farm is a certified organic mixed vegetable farm in the Slocan Valley. Our farm is right on the beautiful Slocan River, and a short walk or bike ride to Winlaw. Now going into our 15th season, we grow a wide variety of vegetables for our summer and winter CSAs, grocery stores and restaurants, the food bank, and through our new farm stand.
We grow on about 2 acres, so most of our tasks are accomplished with a walking tractor, hand tools, and good old human power. We care about our soil, and grow cover crops, practice remineralization, minimize tillage, promote biodiversity, and host restored wetlands at the back of our farm. This season we are excited to start growing oyster mushrooms again, make wood chip compost with our new chipper, and put up more high tunnels.
DESIRED QUALITIES
We are looking for experienced help and ideally you have at least 1 or 2 years on a vegetable farm or similar agricultural experience, related post-secondary education, or you have done physically demanding outdoor work like tree planting or landscaping.
Must have a positive attitude, a solid work ethic, be able to work in all types of weather, be able to work quickly and efficiently doing sometimes repetitive tasks, and understand the hustle that a small diverse farm requires. You need to be adaptable and versatile, and be able to switch between tasks that require attention to detail and bigger “get ‘er done” projects.
We are non-discriminatory and LGBTQ+ friendly. We work really hard, but also have a good time, try to keep it fun and enjoy dips in the river on a hot day. We work closely together as a team so good interpersonal and communication skills are a must.
We do not have on-farm accommodation, but would do our best to help you find a place. You must have own transportation and be legally able to work in Canada.
JOB TASKS
Tasks include making soil mix and compost, seeding trays, bed prep, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, pruning and trellising, washing and packing, washing bins and crates, assisting customers, pest and disease monitoring, moving/constructing greenhouses, and everything else we do to grow our amazing vegetables.
For the Field Manager/Apprentice position, you will also learn to use our flame weeder, walking tractor and its implements, and training will be focused on a more diverse set of tasks to turn you into one of us! This would become more of a management role, so you will participate in weekly walks of the whole farm and help to create task lists and prioritize tasks, and be leading the crew on project days. The purpose of the apprenticeship is to fully train you in most aspects of our business so you can return next year with all the skills you need to hit the ground running.
JOB DETAILS
Term: A full season commitment from April to end of October/early November. Ideally this is a permanent seasonal position.
Hours per week:
Lead Farm Hand: 25-40 hours/week
Field Manager/Apprentice: 40 hours/week
Wage: $19-20/hour. There is the possibility of joining our extended health benefits package as well. You can also take home weekly veggies.
TO APPLY
To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter detailing your experience, your goals, and why you want to work with us this season to info@crookedhornfarm.ca.
When applying, please mention you saw this posting at youngagrarians.org
LEARN MORE ABOUT Crooked Horn Farm
Website: http://www.crookedhornfarm.ca
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/crookedhornfarm
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