Company description

Come work at one of the best farms in Boulder County, Colorado! We are a diversified vegetable farm growing over 100 different crops on 25 acres. We grow vegetables for our 500 CSA members, our farm store, and local restaurants. We have two farm locations and you will work at both. One is in Lafayette, CO and the other is near Niwot, CO.

Job description

Pay rate: $21-$24/hour based on experience as a vegetable farm manager. Plus $0.50/hour end-of-season bonus for every hour you worked during the season and weekly vegetables from the farm.

Come work at one of the best farms in Boulder County! We are looking for a lead harvest manager for our 2024 growing season. This person is responsible for all aspects of daily field operations to ensure that the farm’s production goals are met. This includes correct quantity, quality, and post-harvest handling on all produce until it leaves the farm.

This role requires working closely with the farm owners, collaborating with other managers, and managing a 8-10 person crew. This role also includes daily administrative tasks such as making the daily harvest lists and scheduling employees. Please note: this is a basic description of the job. Circumstances often change on the farm, and the successful harvest manager will be quick to assess the situation and adapt to it. This position requires flexibility.

You will work at both of our farm locations and you will regularly go back and forth between the two. Our primary farm is on Baseline Rd in Lafayette (Thomas Open Space) and our other farm is on N 63rd St near Niwot.

Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Develop and maintain a good working relationship with the farm owners and other managers. This includes frequent communication including making numerous phone calls every day.
• Work closely with the harvest crew members, most of whom are new to our farm. You will work alongside them to train and supervise them. This will include maintaining the efficiency, speed, and quality of the harvest crew’s work.
• Scheduling harvest crew, ensuring the crew is on time, and notifying crew of schedule changes (start/finish times, rain outs, etc).
• Responsible for monitoring the quality of all produce from the time it is harvested to the time it gets to our wash/pack area. Ensure that the correct quantity of each crop is harvested each day. Transport produce out of the fields and to the pack area.
• Regularly walk the fields to monitor crop progress. Use this information to make plans for what to harvest in the coming days and weeks.
• Compile, print, and distribute harvest list daily.
• Operate tractor (limited) and trucks.
• Supervise and participate in other projects on the farm after harvest is completed.
• Work on other farm projects in the early and late parts of the season. (i.e. building caterpillar tunnels, transplanting plant starts, farm cleanup at the end of the season, etc.)
• Maintain a safe work environment and enforce policies and procedures.

Qualities required for the Harvest Manager:

• Excellent communicator
• Strong management skills
• Speak English and Spanish. Part of our crew consists of Spanish speakers and it is very helpful to have a Harvest Manager who speaks at least some Spanish.
• Proficiency with computer (Excel, Google Docs, email, various apps)
• Good observation and problem-solving skills
• Ability to prioritize endless to do list
• Excellent time management skills
• Ability to be flexible
• Ability to work with many personality types

Schedule:
This is a full-time position from March-November, with increased hours during the busy summer months and decreased hours in the early spring and late fall. Summer hours are approximately 6 am to 4 pm Monday through Friday. It is typical to work 50 hours per week in the busy months. There is also a possibility of working some hours over the winter months. We work on holidays in the summer including Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day.

Also required:

• One complete season of vegetable farm experience
• Working mobile phone
• A computer and internet connection to use when working at home (only a few hours per week)
• A clean driving record so we can put you on our vehicle insurance policy.

We are requiring all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, varies DOE, $21.00 - $24.00

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline