Production Assistant (Field Leader)

We are looking for a well-rounded farmer to join our team year-round! This is a field work position requiring manual labor for long hours under outdoor conditions. This position also requires taking responsibility for leading the crew during routine daily tasks like planting and harvesting. Our farm is located on a large historic estate and is just 20 minutes from downtown Charlottesville. We operate a 23-acre, 375-member vegetable CSA program and also raise chickens, pigs, and cows. Please read full description below or at this link: https://www.bellairfarm.com/now-hiring

To apply, email us with your resume and why are are interested!

Hours: This position is full-time salaried and year-round, with seasonal variation. On-season hours (April-Nov), you can expect approximately 45 hours per week and off-season (Dec-Mar), more like 30-35.

Start Date: Immediate, or by end of Feb

Compensation: This position is salaried at $30,000 per year plus healthcare. Other benefits include one-hour paid lunch, free veggies and eggs, paid time off, crew discount, and farm access for walking and swimming. Access to farm budgets and other documents is available.

We’re looking for someone who:

Has at least 2 years experience in a manual labor field with excellent references

Has a knowledge and/or strong interest in vegetable production

Has a knowledge and/or strong interest in livestock (beef, pork, egg) production

Can work outside in hot, cold, or wet conditions

Can repeatedly lift and carry 60+ lbs

Is a self-starter

Can effectively manage other field crew during straight-forward tasks like harvesting

Has attention to detail

Is able to excel in a fast-paced work environment

Has an understanding of the importance of food safety

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage people from marginalized communities to apply!

Prefered, but not required skills:

Tractor operation experience

Manual transmission proficiency

Small engine starting proficiency

Irrigation and electric fencing experience

People-management experience of some kind

Experience with greenhouse management

General Duties (60%)

Harvesting vegetables according to our harvest standards

Greenhouse seeding/ field-planting vegetables

Weeding, trellising, installing landscape fabric, row covers

Field clean-up: pulling plastic and landscape fabric

Performing daily animal chore routine

Washing vegetables

Organizing walk-in cooler and providing Michelle a daily inventory

Crew Leadership (20%)

Act as a default crew leader when Nat or Michelle aren’t present. For daily tasks like planting, weeding, and harvesting:

Make sure the harvest is correct: from the right beds in sufficient quantities and at the correct quality standards

Make sure transplantings are correct: the right varieties in the right spacing and planted properly

Keep crew momentum up and set folks in tasks appropriate to their strengths.

Communicate frequently with management about crew performance and morale as well as changing field conditions

Make sure farm SOPs are being followed

Help ensure record keeping systems are functioning. Help with systems design issues as they arise.

Greenhouse Management: (10%)

keep work stations organized and help keep seeding, watering, and fertilizing on schedule

monitor plant health and greenhouse systems (fans, heat mats, etc)

manage employee performance in the greenhouse (effective watering, proper seeding, pulling correct plants for planting, etc)

help advocate for important tasks that need doing in the greenhouse

help develop and maintain systems for retail plant organization; working with inventory manager

Specialized Labor Tasks (10%)

execute field seedings according to field schedule with G tractor

execute field tillage and cultivation on G tractor, JD5075M or other

execute specialized labor tasks around animal husbandry (setting up new paddocks and moving animals)

Install fencing or irrigation systems

Turn on/off and monitor irrigation systems as needed

help with record keeping around field seedings, cultivation, fertilization and harvest records

Winter Duties

Animal chores

Market shifts (we are flexible on this one)

Hoophouse work: Covering and uncovering greens, seeding, and harvesting

Microgreens work: planting, harvesting, washing, packing

Systems modifications

Repairs and maintenance