Skinny Dip Farm is hiring a core crew member. This is a year round, salaried position on our certified organic vegetable farm In Little Compton RI and Westport MA. Our goal is to run the farm with a core crew of experienced farmers that help manage the farm and lead our seasonal crew in getting the job done.
About the Farm:
Skinny Dip Farm is owned and operated by Hannah and Ben Wolbach. We started it in 2011 and are just wrapping up our 13th season in operation. We farm both at our home, on about 1.5 acres in Little Compton, and on another 4 or so acres of leased land in Westport. We grow a wide variety of crops which are sold at farmers markets, through a small CSA, to restaurants and caterers and through an online store. We primarily grow vegetables, with an emphasis on salad greens, but also grow flowers (+/- .25 acre), herbs and some other oddball crops like dry beans and flour corn. We also run chickens on cover crop as part of our fertility plan and aim to send about 250 to slaughter annually. We grow and sell year round, with winter production in 4 unheated high tunnels, 3 cat tunnels and outside for as long as we can, which is pretty deep into December most years in our ocean influenced South Coast locations. We manage our two properties differently, leaning towards minimal till, intensive methods on the home property and tractor based extensive methods on the leased land, though that is and has been evolving. We run the farm with a small crew, 6 people in 2023, who are very involved in most aspects of running the farm. We take great pride in the quality of our produce and our commitment to caring for the land we farm. All in all, the farm is very successful and we are able to significantly invest profits into our operation. We are a family farm, our two daughters (7 and 9) are around, helping out, making mischief and love befriending the farmers.
About the job:
We are looking to add 1 or 2 folks to our core crew of full time, year round employees. Depending on how many people we hire, the core crew would total 3 or 4 farmers. This core of farmers make the farm go round, straddling the line between being a crew member and an assistant manager—getting the myriad of jobs done while also coaching our seasonal crew and taking the lead in specific areas of interest. Right now, we’re specifically looking for someone who would be excited to be a crew leader, list manager, task prioritizer, wash stand expediter—a glue that holds us together while keeping an eye on the big picture type of person. Areas of interest or expertise that would be a good fit right now would be small scale, intensive, minimum and no till production, Small fruits, crew organization and efficiency. We also need a farmers market lead at one of our markets.
We are looking, first and foremost, for a really great person—we’re going to spend a lot of time together—with a strong commitment to growing quality produce and caring for the land. Applicants should have significant vegetable farming experience and be ready to step into a wide variety of roles including, at times, crew leader, washstand manager and harvest coordinator among other responsibilities. We really value good communication skills and the job will require working closely with Ben and Hannah to implement their farm plan.
We assume that those applying:
- Love working outside
- Know how to work hard, desire to work smart
- Are physically capable—can lift 50 lbs repeatedly, are ready for hands and knees work
- Have a driving record clean enough to make it onto our insurance
- Have several years of experience working on farms and are considering farming as a vocation
- Are interested in working multiple seasons at Skinny Dip Farm
The workload will ebb and flow with the season—a 50 hour workweek during peak season will be balanced with a lighter winter schedule and average out to around 40s hour/ week. Hours are mostly Monday-Friday though some weekend work and a share of greenhouse tending may be asked. Perks include 2 weeks of paid vacation, time and financial support for farm conferences and trainings. This is a year round, salaried position that includes housing or a housing stipend if you already live locally.
Housing is a room in a shared house with other member(s) of our core crew that is quite nice and adjacent to the farm’s Little Compton fields. We are open to hiring a farming couple or to housing a non-farming partner, though a non-farming partner would be asked to pay rent. Must be open to sharing the house with a dog and bunnies. Pets are a possibility, but would need to pass the sniff test with current non-human residents.
Exact compensation will depend on experience, and if you live onsite, but our goal is to create a situation for the assistant manager to be able to save money towards one day launching their own venture. Start date is somewhat flexible. We really get rolling in March and will want our core crew in place by then the end of March at the latest.
To Apply: Please send resume cover letter to [email protected]. Feel free to reach out with questions, or to request more information.