Company description

Full and By Farm is a small draft-powered farm producing vegetables, dry beans, beef, pork, chicken, eggs, and maple syrup for our 70 year-round local CSA members. We are entering our 16th year in business and are excited about turning our focus more fully towards climate resiliency and early succession planning. We are looking for team members who share our love of farming with old techniques in modern times and who are looking to possibly take on a bigger role in their next farm job. In 2024 we are beginning a transition away from tillage and towards permanent beds for our roughly 2 acres of vegetables. We’ll work on improving our animal compost and green manure systems to keep nutrients cycling optimally on the farm, while continuing to provide great care for our pastured livestock and the best possible quality in our produce.

At Full and By Farm we strive to produce the tastiest food with the most sustainable organic methods—minimizing petroleum inputs like plastic mulches, raising animals in as humane and natural a setting as possible, limiting packaging and transit, and keeping medication and pesticides out of our food and our environment. We farm holistically—believing that all aspects of the farm are connected—minimizing outside inputs and producing food for our livestock, "fuel" for the draft animals, and compost for our fruits, vegetables and grains.

Our horses have been the main source of mechanical advantage in the vegetable fields thus far and have played a major part in haymaking. As we transition to permanent beds, we hope to redefine our draft team’s role and keep them working alongside us on the farm.

Typical Work Week: Our typical field work schedule is Monday-Friday, 8 am-5 pm, with a one-hour break for lunch. Thursdays are 6 am-6 pm during harvest season, with a one-hour break each for breakfast and lunch. Livestock farmers will share a weekend chore schedule but maintain two days off per week. Animal needs, haymaking and important veggie work may stretch into evenings and weekends on occasion but we do our best to respect regular hours and compensate with time off when needed.

Compensation: $15-$19 per hour commensurate with experience and farm responsibilities. A CSA share can be included towards your hourly wage if desired.

Housing Available: We have a small, heated, one-room cabin with kitchenette and outhouse located on the farm for rent, $300 per month. We’re also happy to help connect you with other rental options in the area.

Meals: We love digging into a hot lunch together! Anyone interested can take part in the lunchtime cooking rotation in the shared kitchen.

About the area: A rich farming community surrounds us with many small farms in operation as well as a food hub. Essex is a great little town in a beautiful setting, nestled between Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks. We have hiking trails and a swimming hole a short walk from the farm. Bikes are recommended and are a great way to explore the area (lots of gentle hills, scenic vistas and little traffic). The village is only a few miles away, and from here you can catch a ferry to Vermont and be in Burlington in less than an hour. The Boquet River borders the farm and is fun to explore, as is Lake Champlain. The high peaks of the Adirondacks and more strenuous hikes are also less than an hour away by car. The town is small, but the community is very supportive and friendly. Weekly pizza night usually draws quite the crowd, as do movies and lectures at the local Grange Hall.

Educational Opportunities: We have a small, tight-knit crew so there is a lot of opportunity for discussion and questions while on the farm. We are also surrounded by an active farming community as well as a food hub and farming and political organizations, all geared to support aspiring farmers.

Job description

Starts: Early April

Ends: End of November, potential to become year-round

A great opportunity for someone who has a couple of seasons under their belt and would like to deepen their skills and relationship with a farm. Experience with no-till, permanent beds and composting systems are a strong plus but the willingness to dive in, learn and contribute to new systems is just as valuable as we transition away from tillage centered practices. Experience with draft horses is a bonus but not necessary. You will take part in every step of vegetable production from compost-making and bed prep through harvest and post-harvest preservation of veggies for our winter CSA. This position has the opportunity to grow into a year-round, management position with an eye towards long-term succession for the interested person.

Skills Desired: A good work ethic and willing attitude outweigh experience.

Applicants must:
* be physically fit and able to lift 50 lbs
* balance a strong attention to detail with working quickly and efficiently
* be self-directed and able to stay on task independently
* have a commitment to direct and clear communication

Being on a diverse farm means a lot of diversity in our work—we aim to give employees a good overview of the farm organism as a whole, but there are also plenty of days where more concentrated, tedious work is involved. Workers should come prepared for both. Full-season employees can take up to 5 unpaid vacation days per quarter. We value work-life balance—finishing up the day at a predictable time and taking vacation days off throughout the year—to make that happen we expect people to stay on point during work hours, to complete tasks efficiently and to keep pace in a busy work environment. We would love to extend the position with part-time winter hours for the person who is a great fit for our farm and wants to stay on next season.

Compensation

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

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline