Ecological, organic farming

Hiring: Ecological farming assistant
Farm: Bhūmiyinda
Location: Milton, Halton Region, GTA, Ontario. Reliable transportation is necessary; unfortunately we are not near any public transport.

Bhūmiyinda Farm is an organically-managed farm located on the edge of Milton, Ontario that sells a large variety of vegetables and fruit through a CSA program. The farm uses no-till and ecological growing practices, such as cover cropping, deep mulching, making compost, and farming with only hand tools. About 1/2 of the farm is used for vegetable crops, which includes two unheated hoophouses. There's also an abundance of perennial crops on the farm, including apples, pears, berries and asparagus.

The farm is currently run by myself (Alyssa). As the CSA expands, I am looking to hire a part-time employee to support with field work.

About this role

Duration: May-November

Hours: Part-time, approx 400 hours in total, averaging to 18hr/week. However, hours would be distributed to support the flexible nature of farm work, with more hours per week in the busiest parts of the season (May-July), and less hours per week in the slower parts (October-November). Overall hours and the employment period are quite flexible (total hours can be negotiated during hiring) and I am happy to work with your schedule.

Pay: $20/hour, access to surplus veggies, fruit, flowers and herbs.

Responsibilities:

• Assisting with field work, which includes weeding, preparing beds for planting, transplanting, mulching and harvesting.
• Helping with small building tasks and maintaining hand-tools/equipment.
• Washing and packing vegetables.
• Supporting problem-solving and collaborating to find creative solutions when an issue arises.

Recommended experience/skills:

• Previous experience working outdoors in a fast paced environment, such as farming or tree planting.
• Having physical endurance/fitness levels to be able to perform physical tasks (repetitive bending over/squatting, working at an efficient pace, safely lifting up to 30 pounds).
• Ability to work in adverse weather conditions (excluding storms and extreme heat).
• Comfortable working independently at times.
• Able to maintain a positive attitude and be comfortable with the emergent and unpredictable nature of farming!
• A genuine interest in farm work and sustainable food systems.
• Reliable transportation is necessary; unfortunately we are not near any public transport.

How to apply:

Please send a brief resume (with references) and a letter that you feel represents yourself and your interest in this role to: alyssa@bhumiyindafarm.com

Please mention you saw this at FoodWork.ca.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until April 7th.