search by region
Pacific-West West Central Mid-West South-East North-East
  • Region
Pacific-West West Central Mid-West South-East North-East
  • Location
  • to search by radius, close this filter and enter a zip code in the search box above
  • Compensation
  • Type
  • Category
this job's deadline has passed
This job expired on January 11, 2020

Farm Manager Kids' Food Basket

  • Date Posted November 12, 2019
  • Location Grand Rapids, MI
  • Category Agriculture / Nonprofit
  • Job type Full-Time
Company description

Kids’ Food Basket believes all children have a right to equitable, consistent access to the nutrition they need to grow. We got our start 17 years ago by serving 125 kids each school day through our Sack Supper program, and now we serve nearly 8,800 kids each school/summer program day throughout Kent, Muskegon and Ottawa + Allegan counties. Nourishing healthier generations of children is at the core of Kids’ Food Basket’s mission and is what we strive for daily through our four Commitments:

 

  • We Nourish our future by providing ready to eat healthy food on a daily basis to children in need,
  • We Grow by increasing healthy food access for our communities through the growth and distribution of sustainably grown vegetables and fruit,
  • Our community Learns through the use of our facilities and farm as classrooms to foster learning and empowerment across economic barriers,
  • We Engage our diverse community to work for Good Food for

 

If you are passionate about nourishing children to reach their dreams, then consider joining our team!

Job description

Job Title:        Farm Manager
Reports to:     Program Leadership
Date:              November 12, 2019

 

Kids’ Food Basket seeks an experienced Farm Manager to join our mission-driven team. The ideal candidate will have 3+ years of farming experience and is ready to lead this new position with energy, knowledge and a no-task-too-small attitude.

 

The Farm Manager position is a hands-on role, responsible for managing our production operations as well as furthering programming objectives with the facilitation and leadership of Volunteer and Experiential Learning programs. Qualified candidates have experience managing a greenhouse as well as planning and scheduling planting and harvest to meet the Farm’s goals. This person will have the ability and skill set to motivate their team to regularly meet deadlines and achieve goals. This role will require cross-functional collaboration within the organization. Additionally, the Farm Manager will frequently represent Kids’ Food Basket in the community and with external partners.


Duties and Responsibilities

 

Farm Operations

  • Responsible for complete end to end operations to include long term strategy and daily operations of the farm and greenhouse
  • Responsible for plant health; equipment procurement, operation, and maintenance; and established food safety protocols
  • Develop a crop plan consistent with sustainable standards to achieve harvest goals for distribution. This includes propagation schedule, yields needed, crop selections, plans for rotations & sequencing of plantings, soil fertility, cultivation, pest and disease management, harvesting, and year-end reporting
  • Conduct production planning, resource allocation, and scheduling for all farm activities
  • Ensure that goals for both yield and quality are consistently met or exceeded
  • Responsible for harvesting produce and scheduling appropriate resources to support
  • Direct the design and maintenance of irrigation systems

 

Resource Management
  • Maintain clean and safe farm grounds, including mowing, weed whipping, washing harvest containers, cleaning farm equipment,
  • Responsible for management of farm staff and interns and the safety of all farm staff and volunteers
  • Report to and communicate with collaborative partners inside and outside Kids’ Food Basket
  • Maintain a daily work log to plan and record details of field work accomplished, including inventory of equipment and supplies
  • Provide insight to annual budgeting activities to estimate costs of farm inputs and outputs
  • Plan farm schedule based around yield, education, and volunteer needs
  • Participate in the Urban Farm and Experiential Learning Committee
  • Perform tractor and equipment maintenance and upkeep such as arranging service, maintenance, cleaning, etc.

 

Sales & Distribution
  • Build and maintain relationships with wholesale and retail produce purchasers
  • Design and implement sales and distribution strategy in collaboration with other staff

 

Other
  • Clearly communicate the mission, objectives and methods of growing on the farm to community members and volunteers in concert with Experiential Learning Program Staff
  • Other duties as assigned

 

Experience and Qualifications

 

  • 3+ years of direct farm management experience preferred
  • Bachelors’ degree (or equivalent experience) in agronomy, horticulture, or management
  • Greenhouse operations experience
  • Experience growing healthy produce without chemicals or pesticides and have familiarity with Certified USDA Organic practices
  • Experience working with Farmers market, CSA, direct sales
  • Proven ability managing teams to achieve desired outcomes, delegating and reorienting as necessary to achieve objectives
  • Must be able to operate a tractor and necessary attachments as well as a utility vehicle
  • Demonstrated experience managing multiple tasks simultaneously
  • A self-starter who understands the end goal and works independently to achieve objectives and key results
  • Strong interpersonal skills and capable of communicating with individuals and groups inside and outside the organization
  • Substantial experience with food safety procedures, protocols, documentation, and leadership regarding the importance of food safety throughout the farm and greenhouse.

 

Compensation: Commensurate with experience.

 

Benefits: Offers a comprehensive benefit package.
 

 

Kids’ Food Basket is an equal opportunity employer. Our policy provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, creed, ethnicity, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religious belief, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, qualifying disability, height, weight, marital status, veteran status or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Kids’ Food Basket complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities.

Compensation this position is : salaried Application instructions
This job expired on January 11, 2020
DeadlineNovember 29, 2019

Share this job