https://sienafarms.com/pages/four-season-field-crewmember
Four-Season Field Crew
We are seeking individuals who are motivated by a career interest in sustainable agriculture to join our 2023 team, for a year-long Field Crew position starting this winter! One or more seasons of previous farming experience is required.
Please note: our Four-Season Field Crew job description below is very similar to our Seasonal Field Crew position, except for its start date being late fall or winter 2022 rather than spring or summer 2023.
Siena Farms’ Field Crew members are hard-working, committed, honest, passionate individuals who participate in many daily farm operations, including production, harvest and post-harvest handling. We expect our Field Crew members to approach tasks thoughtfully, embracing a team effort to achieve the farms’ goals for quality and efficient work, along with their own goals of developing their farming career through professional work experience.
Our Field Crew members take on key roles for specific projects and tasks, help train seasonal apprentices into a variety of harvest and production systems, and assist harvest and production managers as apprentice crew leaders on a regular basis.
This is a full-time, season-long position with flexible start dates between November 2022 and February 2023, through a specific end date of November 21, 2023 (Thanksgiving weekend).
Responsibilities
Areas of responsibilities for Field Crew members will include but are not limited to the following;
Crop Production
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Planting, including greenhouse propagation and mechanical transplanting in the fields
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Winter greens production in heated greenhouses as well as unheated high tunnels.
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Cultivation/weed-control by hand and hoe
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Field work such as trellising, pruning, fencing & thinning
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Involvement in mushroom, cut-flower, and specialty crop production as well as our larger scale veggie production.
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Assisting Siena Farms production managers in the training and leading of apprentices through various field work tasks
Harvest
- Daily harvest of our 150+ varieties of vegetables, fresh herbs, mushrooms and flowers
- Post-harvest handling, including washing, curing, packing, and transporting produce
- Assisting Siena Farms harvest managers in the training and leading of apprentices through daily and weekly harvest tasks
Distribution & Outreach
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Preparation and packing of orders for restaurant deliveries and our retail stores in Boston
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Preparation and packing of CSA Farm Shares for pickup and distribution
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Participation in farm outreach events such as CSA member farm-tours & volunteer days
Networking & Planning
- In-depth crop planning sessions with our management team in January and February; reviewing and amending our 2022 crop plan line by line to build our 2023 crop plan as part of a broader annual business planning process each winter
- Group field walks during the season with Farmer Chris and farm managers to learn from the fields and crops themselves
- Support in developing opportunities for continuing to farm after the completion of season, post-Thanksgiving 2023, whether at Siena Farms or elsewhere
Our Field Crew members, like all of our employees, are held to high standards for organization, communication, positive attitude, respect and kindness for coworkers, work quality, and professional agricultural work ethic and schedule. Of all of these values, respect and kindness for coworkers is the top priority, as everything else follows from that.
Details
Schedule
- Position is seasonal with start dates between November 2022 and February 2023, and an end date at Thanksgiving 2023.
- Hours range from 40-55 hours per week depending on the season. Field Crew members work four, 10-hour days per week in the winter (a.k.a., three-day weekends during winter), and five, 10- or 11-hour days per week during the spring, summer and fall.
- Start time is at 7 a.m. year-round; end time is at 5 p.m. in the winter and spring, and 6 p.m. in the summer and fall.
- The farm as a whole is operational seven days per week during peak season (summer and fall) including holidays. Field Crew members’ weekly schedules during those months are either Sunday through Thursday (with a Fri/Sat weekend), or Tuesday through Saturday (with a Sun/Mon weekend).
Compensation
- This is an hourly position, with normal overtime hours paid at time-and-a-half.
- Perks include a weekly veggie farm share to take home, additional access to surplus produce, plus employee discounts at Siena Farms’ retail sites as well as at family restaurants Oleana and Sofra.
Other
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We do not offer on-farm housing
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We do offer employer sponsored health insurance to all full-time employees after 90 days from start date.
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Reliable transportation to and from the farm in Sudbury is required.
To Apply
Please email a letter of interest and a resumé to [email protected]. Application deadline is January 1, 2023. We look forward to hearing from you!