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Tatlo Road Farm in Duncan, BC is seeking farm workers for the 2020 season!
About Tatlo Road Farm
Our farm is located on Vancouver Island, near the village of Crofton (population ~2000). We’re also about 20 minutes from Duncan and there’s public transportation that stops right at the farm. We currently grow on about 3 of our 7 acres, producing over 40 different vegetable crops- the whole gamut really. We have two greenhouses (and may be building more this fall) where we grow heat-loving crops in summer and some greens over winter. We are working on season extension and growing more storage crops. We use our 40hp tractor for tillage as well as a 7hp BCS for mowing and tilling in tight spaces, plus a lot of human power. Last year we began construct on on an improved wash/pack area, which we plan to complete this summer- we value having a comfortable and efficient work space for these tasks.
Our main marketing outlets are the Duncan Farmers Market, as well as a small CSA, and one major wholesale account. 2020 will be our 8th year in business, but in some ways we still consider ours a new farm; we are still growing in terms of production and marketing and we are also still busy installing and improving infrastructure- each year we have new projects on the go. That said we also have 8 years of experience working on other farms prior to starting our own and feel we have lots of knowledge to share. If you are interested in a career in farming yourselves (which we hope you are!), this is a great opportunity to be involved in the continued development of a viable farm- learn first-hand what it takes to run a sustainable farm for a living!
Our farm is Certified Organic with the Island Organic Producers Association (IOPA). We have great appreciation for the certification process and are active members of IOPA, as well as our farmer’s market and the Cowichan Agricultural Society. In addition, we feel strongly about selling high quality, beautiful and delicious produce. In general, our overall goal is to run a farm that is efficient, financially successful (i.e. able to support our family), and beautiful- an ethical farm business that’s built on ecology, integrity, and quality.
Desired Qualities
Our ideal candidates would:
- care about the quality of their work and pay special attention to detail
- have the ability to follow instruction well, but not be afraid to stop and ask for clarification
- show initiative and the ability to think ahead as a way to improve overall efficiency of a task(s)
- work fast, and be thinking about ways to work even faster
- have the ability to maintain focus throughout long stretches of repetitive tasks (think harvesting hundreds of carrot bunches, without losing count or letting quality slip)
- be receptive to feedback and adjustments for work processes
- be neat, tidy, and organized
- have a general love of food, working outdoors, and being physical
- be interested in agriculture and learning from us about the type of farming we practice
- be a team player and generally want to do good work
- previous farm experience not required, but can be an asset as well as general experience working with plants
- applicants interested in working the farmers market with us should also be friendly and outgoing, have a sharp memory as well as ability in quick basic math
Job Tasks
In the spring workers will help with propagation, bed prep, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, and infrastructure set up (e.g. irrigation, greenhouses, etc.). As the season progresses more time is spent on harvesting, washing and packing, including packing our CSA boxes; although we continue to have planting and weeding jobs until the end of August. Regular harvest work continues into the fall with the addition of bigger harvests of storage crops, plus general clean up and prep for winter. July-October there will be opportunity to help with marketing at the Duncan Farmers Market on Saturdays. There is also opportunity to take on more responsibility depending on interest and experience.
Job Details
Term: Early April through end of October. We have some flexibility around specific start and end dates.
Hours: Monday-Friday, on average 40 hours/week (maybe slightly less in spring/fall and more in summer), helping at market could be in addition to this based on prior agreement.
*We may be open to discussion about slightly different work schedules than that outlined above.
Wage: Starting wage (no prior experience) is $14.60/hour, or negotiable based on experience and responsibilities.
Perks include free veg, coffee or tea at lunch, the occasional baked treat, and the semi -regular post-work beer and chips!
Bonus of $0.50/hour (for total hours worked during the season) if worker fullfills their commitment of staying until the end of the season.
To Apply
To apply for a position email tatloroadfarm@gmail.com with:
- Your contact information
- A cover-letter/ letter of interest highlighting your qualifications for this role
- Your resume
- The name, relationship, and contact information for three references
- The dates you are available to start and an end date, if any
When applying, please mention you saw this posting at youngagrarians.org
Learn More About Tatlo Road Farm
Visit the Tatlo Road Farm Website
Like Tatlo Road Farm on Facebook