Organic Farm Manager

Background

Youngs Farm was founded in 1893 and is one of the few remaining working farms in Nassau County. It is currently being operated by the 4th and 5th generation of the Youngs family. We are located less than 30 miles from New York City in a bucolic setting with high-quality schools nearby. In addition to the farm itself, we have a farm stand and bakery on-premise. The store sells our produce, baked goods, prepared foods which are made in our commercial kitchen and a selection of grocery items and housewares.

We have approximately 15 acres of land in production. Roughly ⅓ of that land is rotated into cover crop annually. There are a few different opportunities to expand into adjacent land in the near future. We have been farming organically for 3 seasons, with the long term intention of organic certification - the candidate would have an integral role in the long term planning of the farm and its growing, harvest and management methodology.

Description

The farm manager will be responsible for the management, planning, and oversight of all covered and outdoor production. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Planning and managing all aspects of seed ordering, seed starting and transplanting
• Coordination of farm crew hiring, training, schedule, and daily responsibilities
• Soil testing, soil amendments, composting and cover cropping for soil quality and erosion control
• Irrigation maintenance, management, and upgrades
• Harvesting, washing and packing for retail according to GAPs and FSMA specifications
• Use and maintenance of mechanized farm equipment - including but not limited to tractors, spaders, discs, bed shapers, plastic layers, various cultivators, mowers and spreaders
• Improve and/or maintain overall cleanliness and organization of field production equipment and farm-related spaces
• Appropriate record-keeping for GAPs and FSMA approval, Organic Certification and farm expenses

Approximately 95% of the produce is sold directly to the consumer through our on-site store which is open 11 months out of the year. The candidate's ability to teach and communicate with the farm crew as well as additional staff is essential. Our ideal candidate would proactively seek out and implement new agricultural theories and concepts and keep up to date with current farm-related publications and news. Strong management, cleanliness, organization and record-keeping are also very important to us. The business is trending upward and we would love for the candidate to be able to grow along with the business. The position is year-round with slightly reduced time in the winter months. We have implemented some season extension practices through our heated greenhouse but primarily with caterpillar tunnels. Ideally, the farm manager would help us continue to offer more produce year-round and continually upgrade our indoor growing spaces. There is additionally potential to develop the wholesale business whether via restaurants or distributors if we could significantly increase our production.

Qualifications and Skills

• 5 years of managerial commercial farming experience in organic production, certified preferred
• Experience planning and managing planting and work schedules with farm staff; setting goals and critical timelines
• Extensive understanding of crop rotation, cover cropping, irrigation and soil maintenance, and weed management.
• Knowledge of farm equipment to ensure proper function and maintenance
• Positive, energetic attitude and open communication
• Willingness to take initiative, think and act proactively to solve problems and assess priorities, and manage a variety of tasks calmly and effectively
• Experience dealing with health, safety and environmental standards and regulations
• Knowledge of and experience with the organic certification process
• Comfort with technology and computers is also very important. Experience with grant writing/applications is a plus.

Salary and Benefits

Salary will be commensurate with experience - we would estimate $50-80,000. You will be eligible for a company health plan. Please feel free to contact us - we’d be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Again, please note a resume AND cover letter are required in order to be considered for the position.

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $50,000.00 to $80,000.00 /year

Experience:

• Management: 3 years (Preferred)
• Farm Machinery: 3 years (Preferred)
• Farming: 3 years (Preferred)

Work authorization:

• United States (Required

Benefits:

• Paid time off
• Health insurance