Farm Assistant - Food Project Farm

Reports To: Food Project Manager Pay: $20.60-$22.50 /hour with English language fluency Pay: $21.60-$23.50 /hour with English and Spanish language fluency Preferred start date: March 1, 2024 Growing Gardens’ mission is to cultivate community through sustainable urban agriculture. Over the last 22 years, Growing Gardens has brought gardening, nutrition education and produce donations to over 162,000 Boulder County residents. Our organization values the diverse skills and individuals that come together to create a thriving community and workplace. We are committed to the work we do, have fun, and enjoy the relationships we build with community members, the land, and the plants that we surround ourselves with. Job Title: Farm Assistant- Growing Gardens Food Project Job Status: Full-Time, Seasonal, Hourly Employee 40 hours per week March- October 31, 2024 Job Term: This is a grant funded one year position, ending October 31, 2023. There is potential and desire of Growing Gardens to extend this to multi-year position. Benefits: 40 hrs of PTO for the season, in addition to 3 federal holidays (pick from Memorial Day, Juneteenth, July 4, Labor Day, Frances Xavier Cabrini Day) and 2 growing team shutdown days. Total of 80 hours of paid PTO and Holiday leave Paid Sick Leave accrues at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, max of 48 hours. Qualified applicants will be interviewed starting November 15th until the position is filled. Candidates from minority or marginalized groups or with multicultural backgrounds or experience are especially encouraged to apply. Growing Gardens is dedicated to the principles of equal employment opportunity. We actively foster an environment that is free of racism, discrimination, bias, and harassment; where all individuals are treated with dignity, safety and respect. Job Purpose: This is a grower/farmer position supporting operations (production and educational programming) at our 2 Food Project Farms, located in Longmont, CO. We practice low-till, organic, and garden scale methods for intensive production of vegetables. A majority of the produce from the farm is donated through the OUR center and other local community partners. The farm supports a reduced-priced Farm Stand on Thursdays from July- Sept.The Food Project Farm also provides farm-based educational programming to local teens during a summer program and hundreds of preK- elementary aged children through farm field trips in the spring and fall.. Growing Responsibilities 80- 90%: ? March-May: ? Greenhouse production for spring sales, donation program and partner organizations, and for our own farm production. ? Focus: Seeding, transplanting, pest and disease management, other greenhouse needs, and seedling distribution ? March - October: ? Outdoor, active soil and plant care, on our 2 Food Project farms , where we grow diversified vegetables for local distribution in the city of Longmont. This position also supports our 2-acre farm in Boulder in a similar capacity about one day a week ? Focus: Seeding, transplanting, weeding, pest and disease management, cover cropping, irrigation installation and repairs, mowing, and harvesting, washing and packaging produce ? Working hands-on with volunteer and community groups ? July-October: Assisting with Farm Stand Programming Support- 5-10% ? Work regularly with and lead volunteer groups and the public on the farm ? Serve as a mentor for 10 teens in our Cultiva Youth Program at the Food Project Farm site (9 weeks in June-Aug) ? Assist with educational and community programming at the Food Project Farm, specifically bilingual programming Admin and Event Support - 5-10% of Time ? Attend weekly staff meetings ? Assist with record keeping ? Support farm events or other programming as needed. This may include set-up, break-down, and staffing of events. Required Qualifications ? Must have at least 1 season experience working on a production farm ? Strong communication and conflict resolutions skills ? Up to 2 weekend days per month (usually Saturday) seasonally and Thursday evening Farm Stand work 2-3 times a month (mid July - mid Oct) is required. Additional evening or weekend work for events. ? Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions, year-round ? Ability to engage in physically active work every day on uneven terrain ? Ability to interact with volunteers, interns, youth, people with differing abilities and the general public on a daily basis ? Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively with a team ? Ability to pass a background check because our programs work with children and teens Highly Preferred Qualifications ? Bilingual Spanish/English ? Experience working with diverse, bilingual populations in Boulder, Weld, and/or Broomfield counties. ? TO APPLY: No phone calls please. Email your resume, cover letter, and contact information for two references with “Farm Assistant- Food Project” in the email subject line to: [email protected]. You are also encouraged, but not required, to submit 2 letters of recommendation with your application.