We are looking for a senior grower to join our team as the Lead Vegetable Farmer. This is a unique opportunity to be part of building this exciting project from the start. You will be managing our vegetable production and working with our team on our beautiful farm in Streat, in the South Downs. You will be responsible for all aspects of our vegetable production operation, from crop planning to harvesting.
Key responsibilities include:
Being responsible for all aspects of our vegetable production operation, from crop selection / crop planning, to cultivation, to harvesting
Overseeing seed propagation operations in our greenhouses
Bed preparation (weeding, topping with compost / manure, making natural preparations and amendments)
General crop and bed maintenance (weeding, netting, covering, watering, pest management)
Harvesting vegetables
Packing boxes
Produce management (managing excess produce, liaising with food products team)
Managing the compost
Occasionally helping with farm infrastructure building (eg. polytunnels, beds, greenhouses)
Occasionally contributing to the animals or non-vegetable farming such as tree planting
Creating crop plans (including rotation plans for our gardens to ensure year-round vegetable production)
Planning growing calendars with scheduled sowing, planting, harvesting times
Creating rotas and delegating work however needed / in your absence
Being responsible for the work of the Assistant Grower(s)
Managing online farmshop
Buying supplies needed and placing orders (seed trays, seed compost, tools, equipment, seeds)
Keeping a farm log
Occasionally contributing to the farm update newsletter
Manage annual budgets for vegetable growing production
Building the community, interacting with members and facilitating volunteering work
Managing team of volunteers
Requirements:
Passion for regenerative farming
Extensive knowledge of vegetable farming in a market garden style (no dig, Richard Perkins and Jean Martin Fortier style)
Experience working on a market garden type farm
Willing to improve farming processes and experiment with new techniques
Organisational and communication skills to ensure effective planning
People management skills to manage a small team of staff and/or volunteers
Dynamic, self-motivated and looking to take responsibility
Natural ability for problem solving
Flexibility with working hours, out of regular hours may be required
Experienced with or willing to learn how to use farming machinery including tractors, rotator and hand-held machinery
Capable of conducting physical work such as digging, carrying crates of vegetables
Open-minded, flexible, adaptable to changes and willing to learn
Aligned with My Little Farm's values and mission
Natural ability with use of online platforms
Desired experience:
Sound knowledge and practical experience of growing chemical-free regenerative vegetables from seed
Experience working with volunteers of different ages such as families with children
Experience of growing in polytunnels and throughout the seasons
Experience with using market gardening tools (direct seeder, broadfork etc)
Role: organic / regenerative veg senior grower
Hours: 40 hours per week
Pay: £15 per hour, with possibility to increase as the business progresses
Start date: As soon as possible / before end of March 2024 the latest
Address: BN6 8RU
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