Organic farm field crew

Hiring: Farm Crew
Farm: Cropthorne Farm
Location: Delta, Greater Vancouver BC

We are hiring for two positions to add to our passionate and dynamic Farm Crew.

• 1 Full-time, permanent Senior Farm Crew: minimum two years or equivalent experience in vegetable production
• 1 Full-time, seasonal Farm Crew: spring until early winter with the possibility of joining our year round crew.

Are you interested in learning about year-round vegetable growing? Do you love working outside with a great team? Would you like to continue your agricultural career while living in the city? Learn more below.

About Us

We are a certified organic, women-led diverse vegetable farm located on Westham Island outside of Ladner, BC. As we enter our 17th year, our focus is on growing a wide diversity of annual field crops, using greenhouses for both summer and winter growing. We harvest every week of the year and sell our produce at 2 weekly farmers markets in Vancouver, at our farmstand, our 2 seasonal CSA programs serving 200+ members and to top Vancouver restaurants.

At 24 acres we are a “big” small farm that focuses on innovative production methods to grow high quality vegetables for our community while centering crop health, personal sustainability and environmental stewardship.

Our team is made up of dedicated farmers who love what we do. We are passionate about sharing our knowledge of agriculture as we build strong community ties with staff, other growers and customers in our region.

Our team is made up of 7 year round employees plus an additional seasonal team of 5-6. We are committed to building long-term employees and have a supportive and dedicated management team that focuses on growing our staff. Most of our crew are entering their 4th+ year with us, with many folks on our team having moved up into more senior roles, whether Crew Supervisor, Post-Harvest Lead or Propagation Lead. We are also proud to be a training ground for future farmers, with many ‘alumni’ having started their own farms.

We believe farm work is skilled work and should be valued for the diversity of experience it requires. Our farm supports staff in their development not only as growers, but as dynamic and thoughtful leaders and teammates. Teamwork, diversity and open communication are central to our farm culture. Through regular check-ins with staff, we are committed to building trust in our team and supporting staff to reach their goals on the farm. There is a lot to learn on the farm and we strive to create an environment where we can problem solve, trouble shoot and give and receive feedback together as a team.

Ecology and biodiversity are also key components of the farm. We are proud to dedicate time and space to barn owl boxes, to planting hedgerows and flowering plants for beneficial insects and wildlife, alike. At the core, we believe healthy, nutrient rich soils create healthy, nutrient dense food.

About You

Farm Crew members are hard-working, committed, positive and passionate individuals who participate in many daily farm operations, including production, harvest, post-harvest handling with both positions also spending one day a week as part of our farmstand or market crew, setting up our stand and serving customers at our on farm stand and/or at the farmers market.

We are looking for folks who enjoy being part of a team, are positive teammates and can communicate easily and effectively with the rest of the crew. You would be flexible and adaptable to changing priorities and is dynamic in a fast-paced environment and thrive in process oriented systems. You take care of yourself both physically and mentally: you get enough rest, stay hydrated throughout the day and can communicate your limits.

You have an eagerness to learn and grow alongside us. We expect our Field Crew members to approach tasks thoughtfully, embracing a team effort to achieve the farms’ goals for quality and efficient work, along with their own goals of developing their farming career through professional work experience.

The Seasonal Farm Crew position is just as great for someone with some farming background yet wants to hone their skills and learn more as it is for a farming newbie whose previous jobs required physical work.

The Senior Farm Crew position would have additional responsibilities and would fit with someone who already has some proven leadership skills and farm work experience, what that looks like exactly is based on your previous work experience, desire and needs of the farm. Farming requires a huge range of skills and experience. Transferable skills may look different for everyone but include: tractor operation and cultivation skills, agronomic experience in high tunnels and field, IPM knowledge etc.

The Job

Key Responsibilities

• Seeding and transplanting both in the fields and hoophouses.
• Cultivation and weeding with tools and hands.
• Tending to greenhouse crops, including winding, deleafing and harvest.
• Harvesting, cleaning, bunching and washing 50+ vegetables for cold storage.
• Accurately packing orders for farmers markets, CSA, restaurants and wholesale accounts.
• Working at the farmstand or farmers market, ringing customers in, setting up and restocking.

Skills & Qualifications

• A positive attitude with the ability to work efficiently in all weather conditions.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills 
• Open-minded, inclusive, and respectful of others.
• Ability to work well in both a team environment and independently.
• Attention to detail, quality and consistency
• Ability to work in a dynamic workplace and flexible for changing needs
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities in a calm manner
• Preferably one season of production based, vegetable farm experience or outdoor work experience.
• Proficiency in basic veggie math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
• Proficient in spoken and written English
• Physically capable of carrying out tasks which require the ability to stand, kneel and bend for long periods of time, repeated lifting up to 20Kg.
• Ability to commit to a flexible work schedule with some extended hours and weekend work.
• Class 5 driver’s license
• Must have reliable means of transport (nearest bus route is 8km. There may be opportunities for some carpooling depending on scheduling and location). 
• Must be able to legally work in Canada
• Basic or proficient in Spanish is an asset.

Additional Skills and Qualifications for Senior Field Crew

• 2 seasons of production based, vegetable farming experience
• Knowledge of vegetable agronomics and organic farming practices
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• High attention to detail and well organized
• Tractor experience is preferred but not required
• Technical agronomic skills are preferred but not required 

Permanent Senior Field Crew Position Details

• This is a full-time, permanent position. Start date is flexible; preference by mid May.
• Work schedule –37.5 to 45 hours/week, Tuesday to Saturday or Monday to Friday depending on the season. Starting at 7am or 7:30am and typically ending at 4:15pm or 4:45pm, depending on the season, with a 45 minute lunch and two additional breaks.
• Compensation – based on experience, in the range of $22.00- $24.00 per hour plus 4% vacation plus access to lots of farm produce and flowers.
• Health and Wellness Stipend after 6 months of continuous employment.
• Education Stipend after 3 months of continuous employment.
• Gear Stipend after 3 months of continuous employment.

Seasonal Field Crew Position Details

• This is a full-time, contract position. Start date is flexible; preference by mid May until late December
• Work schedule –40 to 45 hours/week, Tuesday to Saturday or Sunday to Thursday depending on the season. Starting at 7am or 7:30am and typically ending at 4:15pm or 4:45pm, depending on the season, with a 45 minute lunch and two additional breaks.
• Compensation – based on experience, in the range of $19.00- $22.00 per hour plus 4% vacation plus access to lots of farm produce and flowers.
• Gear Stipend after 3 months of continuous employment.
• While this position is seasonal, we would love to have the right candidate overwinter and join our permanent full-time crew.

To Apply

Email your cover letter and resume to Lydia at lydia@cropthornefarm.com by March 14th, 2025

Please mention you saw this at FoodWork.ca.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, so we encourage folks to apply as soon as possible.

Position open until filled. If you don’t check all the boxes but have a positive attitude and a willingness to learn, we encourage you to apply.

We look forward to hearing from you.

In the meantime, if you have any questions send us an email!