Company description

Over the last 25 years, Growing Gardens has brought gardening, nutrition education and produce donations to over 162,000 Boulder County residents.

We offer a variety of programs to get people of all ages, backgrounds, income levels, and abilities involved in growing and cooking their own food. These educational opportunities are paired with seed, plant start, and produce donations, as well as gardening space, to impart greater food security and hunger relief in our community.

Job description

The Farm Management Intern works in all aspects of the Boulder farm with the dairy and growing teams, Cultiva youth, and volunteers to support a CSA program, donation program, and farm stand. The Farm Management Internship is fast paced and requires a great deal of hard work, focus, and care.

Farm Intern Duties

• Assist the Farm Manager and growing staff in all aspects of farm operation:
• Weekly chore shifts at the goat dairy, including aspects of milk production, animal care, grazing and rotational management, and educational events for the public
• Planning, installation, and operation of irrigation systems
• Bed preparation and planting
• Seeding, transplanting, thinning, and fertilizing both seedlings in the greenhouse and field crops
• Early season greenhouse growing for the plant sale and field crops
• Cultivation and weeding
• Pest and disease management
• Harvesting, washing, and packing of crops for CSA, farm stand, wholesale accounts, and donations
• Help to manage and run CSA pickups and the farm stand
• Cover cropping, soil sampling, and understanding of soil health on the farm
• Operation of tractors, mowers, and other farm equipment
• Maintenance of grounds and site infrastructure
• Record-keeping
• Assist with produce donation program
• Assist, teach, and work with diverse populations and ages in greenhouse, wash station, and field-related tasks
• Lead volunteer projects with people of differing abilities
• Assist with other operations of the non-profit, and help with set up and execution of other farm-based events

Structure of Internship

• Internship duration is March 5 – November 1, 2024
• Interns are paid hourly at $15.66/hour. Note: we do not provide housing as part of this internship.
• Intern position is 30-40 hours per week. Intern can expect to work 20-30 hours per week in March, and then usually 40 hours per week the rest of the season. Some of those hours will take place on evenings and weekends.
• Weekend watering shifts are required March-September.
• Intern will attend the internship orientation meeting.
• Intern will work closely with a mentor who oversees daily activities and supports each Intern’s growth during the season.

Benefits of Interning with Growing Gardens

• Experience working on and managing a diversified vegetable operation.
• Hands-on experience making a positive impact in the lives of children, teens, and adults.
• Community connections and networking within the burgeoning local food movement.
• Friendly, relaxed environment.
• Develop marketable teaching, leadership, and management skills.
• Classroom training offered through Growing Gardens classes.
• Access to a wide variety of discounted organic seeds and plant starts including 50% off at our Plant Sale
• Fresh weekly vegetables from the farm as the season permits June-October (about $25 per week)
• 50% off additional produce grown on our farm from our Farm Stand June-October
• All Growing Gardens internships qualify for university credit if that is desired by the intern
• Site is centrally located and easily accessed via public transportation.

40 hours of PTO for the season, in addition to 3 federal holidays and 2 growing team shut down days. Total of 80 hours of paid PTO and Holiday leave.

Qualifications

• Responsible, dedicated, and organized individual
• Strong work ethic and a passion for learning how to grow food and develop community
• Ability to work early morning, evening, and weekend hours
• Ability to hustle and thrive under pressure
• Physically capable of manual tasks, including lifting 40 pounds
• Some growing experience is desired, but it is not required for this position.
• Applicants must be CPR and First Aid certified by March 5, 2024.

Bonus Points

• Fluency in other languages
• Experience working in adverse conditions
• Experience in community building, education, and volunteer leadership

Growing Gardens prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination or harassment and will take affirmative measures to ensure against them, especially if they are carried out on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, national origin, disability, status as a veteran or disabled veteran, neurodiversity, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, matriculation or political affiliation. This policy applies to all employees or potential employees, volunteers, participants, members of the Growing Gardens Board of Directors, people who serve on Growing Gardens’ committees, and anyone attending Growing Gardens’ events. This policy extends to all aspects of employment at Growing Gardens, including hiring, transfer, promotion, training, working conditions, policies, compensation, evaluation, discipline and termination.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $15-20/hr

Application instructions

Deadline

January 05, 2024