Coronavirus Update:  We have rearranged many plans to adapt this season, including our crew setup. So that we can maintain separation from the wider world and feel safe working with each other here on the farm, we are only hiring for full-time crew, living together in on-farm housing. Since living and working together outside fosters a crew dynamic similar to outdoor education, wilderness work, etc, we are specifically interested in hiring people who have that sort of outdoor work and community-living experience, or live-in farm crew experience. Our intent is that the farm will be a great place to be with neat people during the coronavirus, doing work that people will appreciate now more than ever.

Second Spring Farm is a 5-acre vegetable farm in Wheatland, VA, 45 miles northwest of Washington, DC and 10 miles from the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers in the Blue Ridge mountains. Within the neighboring 400 acres there are five quite different sustainable farming operations, a dozen farmers (some retired), and a couple dozen farm workers (mostly in their 20s), making for a dynamic farming community. We are going into our 9th growing season and have developed a stable, profitable farm business based around a mix of CSA and wholesale sales, efficient tractor-work, and dedicated workers who are a part of the social life of the Wheatland farm neighborhood (although at a 6’ distance, this year). We have two to six people working on the farm depending on the time of year. Each season’s vegetable sales provide the sole income for the farm and farmer; while there are many things to enjoy about the farm life and we attempt to have a positive effect on the wider world, this economic reality underlies our daily efforts to pack out the freshest, most delicious, and most beautiful vegetables for our 200 CSA shares each week. Since farms like ours are more resilient than conventional systems in times of crisis, there is unbelievable demand for our food this year and the CSA may grow well past 200 shares. Our work takes on more urgency and purpose as people rely on us to provide fresh, safe food during this time of stay-at-home directives.

---Full-time---
We are hiring 4 people to be part of the core of the farm crew: sharp, curious people with vegetable farm experience (or aptitude) who are interested in a more in-depth look at an efficient small-scale vegetable farm, and who we can rely on to sweat the details and get stuff done. If this sounds like you, this position would be a good fit if you have excelled at being a part of a farm crew and are now looking for the “next level” farm job with more involvement in all aspects of farm operations, or if you have enjoyed doing similar outdoor, physical, and/or detail-oriented work and are confident in your ability to rise to the challenge of a full farm season. Our approach to production and planning is more similar to that of a larger farm, but since we are a smaller farm, you would understand and be a part of all sides of these systems from seeding to selling. This is not a position of management, but it is a position of responsibility.

• Starting pay: $10-12.00/hr, depending on experience and ability.

• Housing: Rustic housing provided, with community kitchen.

• Season: Late April through late November (flexible), 35-50hrs/wk depending on time of year and your interests; 7-9hrs/day Monday-Friday with some Saturdays in July and August

Of course, many people who work on farms like ours have never done such a thing before: We enjoy teaching people about the farm and work, and do hire people with less vegetable farm experience for full-time work (starting at $8.00-$9.00/hr). If you think you might enjoy spending a summer on a farm within a community of other farmers, we would like to talk with you. The farm season is late April through late November; we accept applications for any part of this season.

More information about our farm can be found on our website, www.secondspringcsa.com.