Company description

Siena Farms is an award-winning, 75-acre market farm growing diversified produce on the fertile soils of the Sudbury River valley, twenty-five miles west of Boston. We grow over 100 varieties of vegetables for our year-round CSA, our farmstores in the Boston Public Market and Boston’s South End, and area restaurants including family-owned Oleana, Sofra, and Sarma. We use regenerative, biological agricultural practices to build our soil’s health and productivity, free of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and synthetic fertilizers.

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a hard-working, committed, talented individual motivated by a career interest in sustainable agriculture to join our 2023 team as a Production Manager. Three or more seasons of previous experience operating tractors on a farm is required.

Siena Farms’ Production Manager is a core member of the year-round crop production management team for our 75-acre diversified produce farm. They, like all of our employees, are held to high standards for organization, communication, positive attitude, respect and kindness for coworkers, work quality, and professional work ethic, work pace, and work schedule. Of all of these values, respect and kindness for coworkers is the top priority, as everything else follows from that.

Primary responsibilities of our Production Manager include but are not limited to the planning, management, and execution of the following.

Production Management

• Manage the year-round production of our crops, including vegetables, herbs, flowers, winter greens, and other specialty crops
• Assist our Greenhouse Manager in the production of transplants for field crops, microgreens, and high tunnel crops
• Assist our Mushroom Manager in various production tasks
• Operate machinery relating to the production of field crops, including but not limited to:
  • Tractors, ranging from small cultivating tractors to large tillage/utility tractors
  • Tractor implements for various purposes
  • Trucks and trailers for various purposes
  • Hand-held / small engine and electric tools for crop production and farm maintenance/improvement
• Manage ground prep, mechanical planting and seeding, mechanical cultivation, pest and disease management, cover-cropping, etc.
• Manage field work including season extension, fencing, weed management, twining, trellising, suckering, pruning, etc.
• Participate in weekly field tours to assess status of crop production, scout for pests/problems, and plan for upcoming production tasks of the week
• Assist Harvest Managers and other Siena Farms’ staff with proper post-harvest handling methods, crop storage, and distribution
• Manage the training of Siena Farms’ Apprentices and Field Crew into various production tasks
• Participate in extensive crop planning sessions with our management team in January and February; reviewing and amending our 2022 crop plan line by line to build our 2023 crop plan as part of a broader annual business planning process each winter
• Manage the execution, monitoring, and potential adjustments of our 2023 crop plan during the course of the season
• Participate in general farm upkeep, maintenance, and cleanliness
• Keep in close communication with Siena Farms' management team on all of the above

Secondary Responsibilities of our Production Manager, when and if the primary responsibilities described above are accomplished at any given time during the day, week, or season, and/or when it is asked of them by their manager(s) based on priorities of the farm as a whole, include but are not limited to the following:

• Assisting with crop harvest, wash-up, CSA and order packing, general farm facility care, infrastructure maintenance, new projects, deliveries, etc. Particularly in the autumn, members of the farm’s production team join our harvest team on a regular basis as tractor work slows down and harvest work peaks.

Qualifications

• Three or more seasons of previous experience operating tractors on a farm is required.
• Degree in agronomy or related field is preferred, but not required.
• Familiarity with the necessary tools and equipment to perform day to day tasks around the farm
• A basic understanding of how farm machinery functions, and the ability to operate the machinery safely
• A basic understanding of farm machinery maintenance
• The ability to lift and carry 50+ lb objects
• A valid driver's license and safe driving record
• Strong communication skills
• Ability to work efficiently and both independently and collaboratively on a team
• Interest in operating tractors for a majority of work schedule, particularly in the summer months
• A deep interest in soil conservation and farmland stewardship

Schedule

• Position is year-round with flexible start date between January and February 2023, with an initial commitment through Thanksgiving 2023.
• Hours range from 40-55 hours per week depending on the season. Our team works four, 10-hour days per week in the winter (a.k.a., three-day weekends during winter), and five, 10- or 11-hour days per week during the spring, summer and fall.
• Start time is at 7 a.m. year-round; end time is at 5 p.m. in the winter and spring, and 6 p.m. in the summer and fall.
• The farm as a whole is operational seven days per week during peak season (summer and fall) including holidays. Individuals' weekly schedules during those months are either Sunday through Thursday (with a Fri/Sat weekend), or Tuesday through Saturday (with a Sun/Mon weekend).

Compensation

• Competitive salary, including a generous paid-vacation package.
• Perks include a weekly veggie farm share to take home, additional access to surplus produce, plus employee discounts at Siena Farms' retail sites as well as at family restaurants Oleana and Sofra.

Other

• We do not offer on-farm housing
• We do offer employer sponsored health insurance to all full-time employees after 90 days from start date.
• Reliable transportation to and from the farm in Sudbury is required.

Compensation

this position is: salaried, $50,000 - $75,000

Application instructions

Deadline

February 15, 2023