Company description

Hall Brook Farm is a certified organic, commercial scale vegetable farm located in Thorndike, Maine; owned and operated by Pheonix and Megan O'Brien since 2014. Our mission statement is to, “Grow abundant, high quality organic produce, accessible to our community near and far, using practices that are ecologically, financially and physically sustainable.”

Our farm runs year-round. During the main growing season, we grow about 20 acres of produce in the field and 3/4 of an acre in our greenhouses. During the shoulder and winter seasons, we move indoors, growing and harvesting in our greenhouses and packing root crops. At peak season, we generally have around 12 employees, and retain 3-4 employees year-round.

We sell directly to grocery stores from Mid-coast, Maine to Eastern, Massachusetts. We also partner with a local food bank, in order to ensure our food is accessible to all. We focus on growing about a dozen vegetable crops in order to maintain the highest quality possible, increase efficiency and meet our market's needs. Some of our favorite crops are tomatoes, bunched greens, spinach and carrots!

We are a fairly mechanized farm - we utilize mechanical weed control for most cultivation and things like harvesters and conveyors for picking certain crops. This makes the job more efficient and also easier on our bodies, plus the satisfaction of feeling like we got a lot done at the end of the day.

The crew at Hall Brook Farm enjoys a fast-paced, efficient, team-oriented work environment. As managers, we emphasize clear and open communication, reasonable expectations, fair wages and fostering a work environment of inclusion, promotion and team work. We are excited to have folks who have a real interest in farming and who want to grow their skill set!

Job description

We are looking for an experienced tractor operator to join our team. We utilize a variety of equipment to help with most aspects of our operation from tillage to running harvesting equipment. Candidates that will be the most successful will have a strong aptitude and knowledge of vegetable specific processes and equipment, a careful and meticulous approach and a willingness and open mind to learning our systems.

Our business model has a strong focus on improving efficiency, which we’ve largely accomplished by investing in equipment. We own a handful of newer, well-maintained tractors and a wide array of equipment to handle many tasks on the farm. We are looking for a tractor operator that understands fundamental principles of vegetable production and handling, who can accomplish some key tasks and build skills on other, more nuanced tasks. We are very willing to train!

Typical tasks will vary depending on the season. Spring there will be a focus on tractor and equipment maintenance (basic oil changes, etc), tillage, field clean up and field prep, planting. The summer is much the same with a stronger emphasis on planting, harvesting, turning over spent ground, etc. The fall is a lot of field clean-up, cover cropping, harvesting.

Requirements:

• at least two full seasons working on a farm, preference given to commercial vegetable experience
• willingness to work as a part of a team
• willingness to work rain or shine
• ability to work quickly and efficiently alone or in a group
• ability to take directions and know when to ask questions
• ability to uphold high quality standards
• good instincts around food safety
• basic record keeping skills
• Ability to comfortably and safely operate tractors ranging from a 70 hp open station to a 120 hp cab tractor
• Familiarity with the following processes: general tillage, bed prep/plastic mulch, spray application, mechanical cultivation, transplanting, mowing, harvesting, material handling
• Familiarity with the following equipment (preferred): 3 bottom plow, single row plastic mulch layer, tow behind sprayer, top-lifting carrot harvester, harvest conveyor, flail mower, stone burier, Ortomec greens harvester
• Willingness to obtain a pesticide applicators license (preferred)

Compensation starts at $21/hour. Benefits include PTO and workers comp.

We are open to hiring on a part-time and full-time basis, seasonally or year-round.

Compensation

this position is: hourly, $20/hr +

Application instructions

Deadline

no deadline