Farm Share and Harvest Coordinator Pearson Organics, LLC
- Date Posted January 20, 2021
- Location Lake City, MN
- Category Agriculture
- Job type Full-Time
Pearson Organics LLC is a family farm operated by Kristin Pearson in Lake City, MN. In 2020 we made the transition from 5 leased acres to a new 100 acre property in Lake City. The new farm has allowed Pearson Organics to scale up its offerings to reach more communities and families in SE Minnesota.
Nestled in the Gilbert Creek Valley just west of Lake Pepin, the farm sits at the Northern edge of the Driftless Region of Minnesota. This area is known for beautiful scenery, great trout fishing, bluff hikes, beautiful river towns, and agriculture. Lake City (the birth place of waterskiing!!!) is a quaint little town with all the required amenities (grocery, hardware, restaurants) and and is within a 20 minute drive of Red Wing which has a Target, Wal-Mart, Menards, etc and an hour drive of Rochester, and Winona. A slightly longer drive will get you to the Twin Cities.
Pearson Organics is committed to
-growing vegetables without chemicals and synthetic fertilizers
-utilizing practices that maximize soil health and ecological resiliency
-contributing to growing the food system and economy of our local communities and SE Minnesota in a sustainable manner
Job descriptionSummary:
As the farm continues to refine and implement new systems and procedures, the Farm Share and Harvest Coordinator will oversee day to day management of the Farm Share (CSA) program and all harvest, wash, and pack operations on harvest days and other times during the week as necessary.
Primary duties:
Maintain a safe, respectful and positive work environment for all supervised employees.
Work alongside owner and field manager to create harvest lists for CSA.
Participate in field work, greenhouse work, and other farm tasks as needed.
Learn different harvest methods, be able to train crew members on them and maintain harvest standard with crew as season progresses.
Lead the crew on harvest days: delegate tasks to crew members and set standards for safety, quality, technique, work pace, and attitude.
Oversee harvest, wash, and pack tasks to ensure:
food safety procedures are followed
proper and safe harvest and washing technique is followed to maximize quality and salability
ensure produce moves from the field to the cooler and off the farm in an efficient and organized manner
Manage cooler/storage inventory
Set up pack shed for each harvest day
Ensure all harvest records are kept and maintained throughout season.
Maintain accurate inventory on the CSA ordering platform and pull reports for harvest days.
Communicate regularly with CSA members regarding ordering and delivery.
Communicate with owner to keep supplies, tools, etc. stocked and in working condition.
Ensure supervised employees keep farm work spaces (pack shed, vehicles, greenhouses, crew areas) safe and organized.
Job Requirements:
Willingness to put employee safety and food safety at forefront of all activities
Good organizational and communication skills
Ability to take initiative, work in both a group and independently
Attention to detail while working in a fast paced environment
Experience managing others and previous experience working on a vegetable farm or other farm are strongly preferred
Physical Requirements:
Ability to lift up to 60 pounds, work in squatting or bent positions for prolonged periods and perform a variety of repetitious farm tasks with hands, arms and other body parts.
Eagerness to work outside in a variety of weather conditions - hot, cold, rain, etc.
Ability to drive tractor and operate other powered farm equipment, training will be provided but prior experience preferred
Compensation & Benefits:
5 days paid time off
2 CSA shares worth of vegetables each week to barter with
This is a minimum March to December salaried position with competitive pay depending on qualifications ($24-32k/season plus bonus)
Ability to start own farm project on property
Free veggies for you and your household
Training in tractor & equipment operation
Schedule and Seasonal Expectations:
March - 20-40 hours/week
April, May - 40-50 hours/week
June-September - 45-55 hours/week
October - 40-50 hours/week
November, December - 30-40 hours/week
Pearson Organics is an Equal Opportunity Employer, we encourage all qualified candidates to apply and give consideration to all applications received.
Compensation this position is : salaried, varies DOE, $25,000.00 - $35,000.00 Application instructions