Company description

New Beat Farm is a horse-powered, diversified farm growing certified organic vegetables, cut flowers and pasture raised lamb. Our farm is located in the heart of Waldo County’s rich agricultural community. This beautiful agrarian landscape is also just 15 minutes from the coastal town of Belfast, 35 minutes from Waterville and 45 from Augusta. We are grateful to only be 10 minutes away from MOFGA’s (Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) education center and the site of their Common Ground Fair.

We have 7 tillable acres, of which 4 are in production every year and the rest in a two year perennial cover. We have about 35 acres in pasture and hay-land on our farm and 35 acres of leased pasture/hay just a little up the road from us. With this extra land most years we can produce all our hay and pasture needs for our three draft horses and our flock of 35 Dorset/Cheviot ewes (and their lambs).

We market our produce and lamb through a year round Multi-Farm CSA, two farmers markets in Belfast, and a few wholesale outlets. We sell our flowers through the farmers markets, to other florists, restaurants, and do design work for weddings and special events throughout the season through our sister business Belladonna Floral. In the fall we also operate a custom cider pressing business, Pressed for Cider, pressing apple and pear cider for market and for custom orders. 

We farm because it is the best way for us to live by our ideals and give back. Our farming reflects our interest in building healthy self-sufficient communities. Our farming systems reflect our commitment to the health of our soils and a passion for building on-farm fertility, to produce the most nutritious food for our customers and ourselves while trying to reduce off-farm inputs from outside our bioregion. Deciding to work with draft power is one way in which we work to achieve this goal, helping reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and off farm fertility. Other ways are through building up soil fertility through cover-cropping systems, reducing the need for chemical pest control through proper rotation and fertility management, employing outstanding members of our local community, and trying to farm at a scale where we can stay intimately connected to every row foot of ground we grow on.

 

 

Job description New Beat Farm's crew members are hard working, self motivated individuals , who are passionate about organic agriculture,  love to have their hands in the soil, excited to learn new things and thrive in a fun, fast paced collaborate work environment. They help the farmers in executing the daily needs on the farm while keeping in mind the bigger picture of the season. They will be involved in all aspects of the farm and will receive in depth training in our farm systems to give them the confidence and knowledge they need to be valuable members of our farm family. 
   
Everyone on our crew is important to the success of our farm and are expected to take responsibility for their work, listen carefully to  direction and driven to get the job done. They are able to work well in groups as well as have the confidence to work productively on their own. Work on the farms is diverse and is at a scale where our workers take part in a variety of aspects of the farm.

This work includes:

• greenhouse seedling production of field crops and seedlings for sale
• high tunnel production management
• field crop planting of vegetables and flowers
• weeding
• harvesting
• harvest and flower bouquet making depending on experience
• washing and packing produce for market
• irrigation management
• building and repairing farm infrastructure.
• working our farmers market booths

Crew members may also be given independent work projects based their  abilities,  interest and farm needs throughout the season that could include, succession seeding in the fields and greenhouses, high tunnel management, irrigation management, and individual crop management.

Our work varies seasonally and has weekly patterns. 

Mondays and Thursdays we are mostly bustling about harvesting for our variety of markets. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays are project focused days, planting, weeding, seeding etc. We mostly work as a crew but there will be times throughout the week when you will be asked to work efficiently and productively alone. There is a one hour (unpaid) lunch break in the middle of the day, where you are welcome to cook your meals in the farm house. Once a week we all get together and Adrienne and Ken cook a farm lunch for the crew. We want our workers to enjoy the fruits of their labor and they are welcome to the abundance of second quality veggies we harvest.

Farm Schedule and Hours:

• Work days Mondays through Fridays and Saturday mornings
• Full time crew works 4 out of the 5.5 days of the work week
• Part time positions available for folks willing to work at least 2 days/wk
• 7 to 5, May through mid-November
• Some pre-season and post season work available

We value balance in both our own lives and those of our crew and are committed to keeping our work hours to our scheduled time. With the exception of days when we are bringing in hay we try to make sure everyone leaves on time. We accomplish this by showing up ready to work on time, being effective, efficient workers who can prioritize tasks, know how to transition quickly from one project to the next, and enjoy the challenge of getting the job done on time.

Qualifications:

• At least one year of experience on a production vegetable farm, landscaping, or other physical outdoor work experience
• Ability to work hard outside in a variety of weather conditions with a positive attitude
• Can lift 50lb, and has the physical health and ability to work often times repetitive tasks for long periods of time squatting or kneeling
• Ability to work well in groups and independently
• Pays attention to detail, able to hold onto multiple levels of instruction
• Goal oriented with a drive to see the job through
• Passion about the general success of the farm
• Ability to keep a positive, "can do" attitude throughout the season
• Good communication skills
• Ability to take constructive criticism and interest in challenging themselves to learn new things

Compensation: 
Pay commensurate with prior work experience starting at  $11 to 12.5/hr depending on past work experience. 
We have a limited amount of rustic on farms housing available for modest rent, otherwise we will use our community network to help you find housing within 15 miles of the farm.

Compensation this position is : hourly Application instructions Deadlineno deadline