Company description

The SUNY Adirondack College Farm is a two-acre urban farm that grows produce organically for our Culinary Arts program and restaurant, campus dining services and community. Located on the northern edge of campus in Queensbury NY, the farm is used as a practical teaching laboratory by students in agriculture classes in our Agricultural Business degree program. As this program grows, we continue to evolve new initiatives around sustainable farming, local agriculture and food justice.

This position will also support the growing of hemp for our new micro credential in cannabis production. We are seeking a full-time Farm Manager who is environmentally and socially motivated, creative, and energetic to manage and grow our College Farm. The Farm Manager is expected to carry out day-to-day operations, interface with faculty, staff, and community members, and grow about 20,000 pounds of produce annually in organically managed market gardens and high tunnels. This position is equal parts grower, seller, innovator and mentor. Student engagement is central to our mission, and our goal is to create a welcoming and inclusive farm that produces food for our community and works with all of those who are interested.

The Farm Manager will work closely with the Farm Team (agriculture faculty and one administrator) to set goals and priorities and report to the Dean for Continuing Education & Workforce Innovation. The Farm Manager will work independently to plan and manage the market gardens, build relationships with our community customers, and coordinate student volunteer and class work on the farm. The position will require some flexible working hours such as evenings or weekends as needed during the growing season, or to accommodate College Farm outreach activities. This is a two year grant position.

Job description

Major Responsibilities

• plant, grow, and maintain 7,000 sq ft of market garden, greenhouse & high tunnel
• harvest, wash, pack and store produce following appropriate food safety guidelines
• keep farm buildings and grounds clean and neat
• maintain hand tools and power equipment
• grow, harvest and dry hemp crop for our Hemp Program
• assist with maintenance of our 1/4 acre orchard (apples, berries, hops)
• coordinate, supervise and work with agriculture students, work-study assistants and volunteers
• coordinate sales and deliveries to our culinary program, campus food services, campus public market and other local customers
• track expenses and revenue, prepare monthly reports, using appropriate business software
• use spreadsheets for planning planting schedules and tracking harvests and sales
• meet targets and benchmarks for sales, expenses and outreach goals
• develop and share farm communications, including social media and email newsletters
• assist faculty in developing curricula or activities about food and agriculture
• serve as advisor or contributor to campus organizations and the Sustainability Committee
• cultivate relationships on and off campus through events, projects, and communications
• assist with grant proposals related to the agriculture program

Required Skills

• self-motivated, with a strong work ethic for both quality and efficiency
• comfortable working independently and eager to inspire students and community
• strong teamwork and communication skills, patience, flexibility, and emotional maturity
• ability to lift 40 lbs repeatedly
• have a valid US driver's license
• have at least two seasons of experience working on a diversified vegetable farm and be knowledgeable about food safety and risk reduction
• motivated and willing to learn evolving best practices in agriculture and business. Preference will be given to those with farm experience in a university or college farm setting, and experience coordinating and supervising staff and volunteers.
• knowledge in the following areas is desired: organic crop production and planning, soil fertility management, safe operation of farm equipment, irrigation systems, disease and insect management, harvest and post-harvest handling, good agricultural practices, risk management, composting systems, agricultural business management and marketing.
• ability to create and manage sales invoicing and the farm budget, maintain records, organize student and volunteer schedules, and track assets such as labor hours and equipment use.
• basic skills with spreadsheet and business software for tracking, planning and invoicing, word processing for preparing reports, and email for communications.
• social media skills and experience are a plus.
• good interpersonal skills are needed for working with students and volunteers of varying abilities.
• good communication skills are also needed, including the ability to develop marketing materials and annual reports, and to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders including faculty, staff, students and community partners.

Educational Requirements

A minimum of an Associate's degree is required, preferably in an agriculture-related field.

Candidates with an interest in teaching college courses in the Agricultural Business degree program and having a Master's Degree will be given preference. These courses could include AGR 103 Sustainable Food, AGR 131 Introduction to Hemp Production and AGR 132 Introduction to Hemp Processing.

Schedule & Compensation
This is a full-time position of 40 hours a week for 12 months, paying $20/hour. Additional compensation for adjunct teaching at the college level may be available (see above).

SUNY Adirondack values diversity and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

SUNY Adirondack is actively recruiting diverse faculty of all backgrounds. In efforts and our commitment to the goal of building a diverse workforce we are participating in PRODiG. PRODiG ("Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth") aims to increase the representation of historically underrepresented faculty at SUNY including underrepresented minority ("URM") faculty in general and women faculty of all races in STEM fields ("WSTEM"). Click this link https://www.suny.edu/prodig/ to find out more about PRODiG.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

March 31, 2023