Company description

Morning Glory Farm, started in 1975 by James and Deborah Athearn, grows about 65 acres of vegetables and small fruits on the island of Martha's Vineyard.
Small successive plantings of a wide variety of crops supply the farmstand from May through December.

Crops include sweet corn, lettuce, carrots, beets, tomatoes, melons, potatoes, beans, squash, pumpkins, and more. Our herb garden supplies a full assortment of culinary herbs. We also raise four acres of cut flowers, and small plantings of strawberries, grapes, peaches, and beach plums.

We keep beef cows on pasture in Chilmark for which we harvest 45 acres of hay and we also produce eggs, pork and fresh, pasture-raised chickens to sell in the farmstand. Seven acres of our vegetable fields are farmed using only natural fertilizers and no synthetic pesticides, and we try to manage the rest of our land with a minimum of pesticides and with attention to the long-term health of the soil.

The farm name grew from the vision of the sun rising over lush, green fields, cows with udders full of milk ambling past bountiful gardens and hedgerows lively with honeybees: true wealth of nature's glory.

Each year we meet a new crew of farmers, bakers, cooks and farmstand staff who become part of the farm family. The farm has benefited from a variety of wonderful people who have endowed Morning Glory with their own special contributions.

Job description

Title: Farm Harvest Leader
Dept: Field
Hours: 45 hours weekly, 7:00 to 5pm with some flexibility, and seasonal changes
Season: 9 month minimum
Report to: Farm Field Manager
Wage: $20 and up DOE; health, 401k, PTO, sick, farm produce

The Field Harvest Leader is our primary role for the harvest of all of our field and greenhouse crops. They lead a crew of up to 30 experienced and inexperienced farmhands to ensure the ripe produce has been harvested and that the quality, quantity and time management of those efforts are in line.

The Field Harvest Leader works in conjunction with our Field Copping leader who manages the crops sowing, growing, cultivation and renovation. They will let the Harvest Leader know when crops are ripe, when product shortages are coming etc. A

The Harvest Leaders job is to get the farm produce in the door to our newly built vegetable barn where our wash pack team cleans and readies it for sale in our farm store.

In our daily work, we:

• Knowledgeable and passionate for farming and crops as well as the soils and people that produce them.
• Assist in all aspects of crop production including: outside seasonal field production, year-round high tunnel production, and greenhouse production.
• Follow all established procedures, keeping workers on task ensuring the crops are properly grown and harvested, providing instructions/assistance when needed.
• Lead daily tasks, making sure that the team finishes each job accurately, efficiently, and inclusively according to each person’s abilities.
• Able and willing to use a variety of tools and ensure that work areas, tools, vehicles and boxes are kept clean, tidy and well cared for.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Our ideal candidate:

• Prior farming/agriculture experience with MGF or another produce farm.
• Must be self-motivated and team oriented, possessing management tact and skill, and the ability to motivate the farmhands in their work.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail, with an ability to identify weeds, pests, and crops ready for harvest.
• Able to perform demanding physical labor and work outdoors in varying weather conditions (we work in the rain, heat, etc).
• U.S. driver’s license holders and non-smokers preferred

Please Note: J1 Visa students are not permitted to work in the fields, per federal guidelines.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline