The Eastern RI Conservation District is hiring a full-time Farm Manager for AgInnovation
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Full-Time, 40 hours per week, 5 days a week
1099 Position, $30/hour
Proximity to Portsmouth Preferred
About AgInnovation Farm
AgInnovation Farm is a student-centered working educational farm that connects students, schools, and the community through hands-on learning in sustainable agriculture, food systems, environmental stewardship, and local food access.
The farm supports student programming, school partnerships, food donations, Farm to School initiatives, GAP-aligned food safety practices, pollinator habitat, poultry care, orchard and food forest development, high tunnel growing, community garden spaces, and long-term local food production goals.
We are seeking a dependable, hands-on, and mission-driven Full-Time Farm Manager to support the daily operations, care, maintenance, and continued development of AgInnovation Farm.
Position Overview
The Farm Manager will help keep AgInnovation Farm safe, organized, productive, and ready for students, staff, volunteers, community members, and school partners.
This position requires someone who can work independently, solve problems, care for the land, maintain equipment, support food production, and communicate clearly with AgInnovation leadership. The Farm Manager must be comfortable working around and with students, allowing them to safely participate in meaningful farm tasks when appropriate.
The ideal candidate is practical, flexible, organized, reliable, and comfortable working outdoors in a school-based farm environment.
Primary Responsibilities
Farm Operations and Site Care
The Farm Manager will oversee the daily and seasonal care of the farm, including growing areas, pathways, shared workspaces, storage areas, and general grounds.
Responsibilities include planting, watering, weeding, mulching, pruning, harvesting, composting, soil care, pest monitoring, irrigation support, and general crop maintenance. The Farm Manager will help ensure that all farm areas are clean, safe, accessible, and ready for student programming, food production, donations, and community use.
The Farm Manager will also help maintain the high tunnel, student growing beds, pollinator areas, microclover spaces, orchard, food forest, community garden pathways, compost areas, and native plant spaces.
Farm to School and GAP-Aligned Practices
The Farm Manager will support AgInnovation Farm’s Farm to School goals by helping prepare the farm for school cafeteria use, produce donations, and local food access efforts.
This includes following and supporting GAP-aligned food safety practices related to harvesting, washing, weighing, packing, storing, and transporting produce. The Farm Manager will help maintain clean harvest and wash areas, support produce tracking, and keep basic records connected to harvests, donations, cleaning, and food safety procedures.
The Farm Manager will also communicate any supply needs, safety concerns, or maintenance issues that may impact Farm to School or GAP-related systems.
Student Engagement and Educational Support
AgInnovation Farm is both a working farm and a learning space. The Farm Manager must be comfortable having students work alongside them in safe, structured, and age-appropriate ways.
Student tasks may include seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, harvesting, composting, mulching, pruning, soil preparation, and general farm care. The Farm Manager should model safe work habits, explain tasks clearly, and help students understand the purpose behind the work they are doing.
The Farm Manager will communicate with the Education Director about student-ready tasks, safety considerations, materials needed, and areas that are appropriate for student use.
Equipment, Machinery, and Repairs
The Farm Manager must be comfortable maintaining tools, small machinery, landscape equipment, irrigation systems, fencing, farm structures, and the tractor.
Responsibilities include checking equipment, keeping tools and machinery clean and organized, troubleshooting problems, completing basic repairs when possible, and communicating larger repair needs to leadership.
The Farm Manager will help maintain sheds, gates, signs, tables, wash areas, chicken areas, fencing, irrigation lines, and other farm infrastructure. Safety around students, volunteers, staff, and visitors is a top priority.
Animal Care
The Farm Manager will support the daily care and safety of the farm’s chickens.
Responsibilities include feeding, watering, monitoring health and behavior, supporting coop care, maintaining clean poultry areas, and following biosecurity and sanitation procedures. Any concerns related to animal health or safety should be communicated promptly to leadership.
Community Garden and Volunteer Support
The Farm Manager will help keep the community garden area clean, organized, safe, and welcoming.
This may include maintaining shared pathways, supporting water access, monitoring common areas, helping with shared tools or signage, and assisting with community workdays or volunteer days when needed.
The Farm Manager must represent the farm professionally when interacting with community gardeners, volunteers, families, and visitors.
Communication and Professional Expectations
The Farm Manager will communicate regularly with AgInnovation leadership about farm priorities, production needs, repairs, safety concerns, supplies, student programming needs, and seasonal tasks.
This role requires professionalism, flexibility, teamwork, and a willingness to adjust as farm, weather, harvest, school, and program needs change. The Farm Manager is expected to support a positive farm culture built on respect, safety, responsibility, and shared purpose.
Required Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Valid driver’s license and clean driving record
- Ability to work 40 hours per week
- Experience working with and around students
- Ability to work outdoors in changing weather conditions
- Strong organizational and time-management skills
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities
- Experience using hand tools, small machinery, landscape equipment, or farm equipment
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and complete physical farm tasks
- Comfort working around chickens and farm animals
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work respectfully with students, staff, volunteers, families, community gardeners, and partner organizations
- Ability to follow farm procedures, food safety expectations, and safety protocols
- Ability to troubleshoot problems and complete basic repairs
Preferred Experience
Preferred experience includes farming, gardening, landscaping, sustainable agriculture, conservation, land stewardship, or related work.
To Apply
Please submit a resume, brief statement of interest, and three professional references to:
Sara Churgin
Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District
[email protected]
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. A background check is required.