Field Assistant

* The team of Field Assistants will work to accomplish highest priority tasks, which may take place in the FIT Plot or the Education Garden and may include weed management, equipment operation, harvesting, processing, propagation tasks, cleaning, general farm maintenance and other tasks as identified by program staff.
* A team of Field Assistants will work to complete the following tasks:+ Approximately 25% (depending on the time of year):
Lead harvest prep, harvest, and post-harvest processing, including doing crop counts; adhering to food safety SOPs, including twice daily harvest shed cleaning on harvest days; overseeing the cleaning of harvest bins and supplies; establishing size and quality standards for produce with other managers and Assistant Director; training FITs and volunteers in produce standards; leading harvest shed-packout for markets, CSAs, and wholesale orders of produce from both the FIT Field and the Education Garden;

and leading harvests in the Education Garden.+ Approximately 25%:
Supervising, training, and providing instruction to Farmers In Training, field assistants, and/or volunteers, in priority areas determined with other managers.+ Approximately 25%:
Providing overall care for the Education Garden, including watering, maintenance, succession planting, high tunnel management, and care of perennials, which includes managing weekly irrigation and providing crop counts when in production.+ Approximately 25%:
Working with other managers to determine and accomplish highest priority tasks, which may take place in the FIT Plot or the Education Garden and may include weed management, equipment operation, harvesting, processing, propagation tasks, cleaning, general farm maintenance and other tasks as identified by the Production Manager or Assistant Director.
* Field Assistants are also responsible for setting a positive, professional and respectful tone; following training and work guidelines created by management and setting an example for farm team and volunteers in terms of timeliness, focus, pace, and accuracy in the field; adhering to Food Safety SOPs; following instructions and training and responding to feedback; demonstrating care for tools and farm equipment by appropriate use, cleaning, and storage, and completing online trainings to become a FLC authorized driver.
* Field Assistants take on additional areas of responsibility, including leading groups of FITs, running the Farm Stand, attending early season Durango Farmers Market and/or assisting with CSA coordination.
* Contributing to staff meetings
* Creating content for social media and newsletters
* Working at the Farm Stand or Durango Farmers Market
* Packing the CSA
* Restocking and cleaning the Country Store
* Caring for perennials in the Education Garden
* Processing storage crops
* Assisting with setting up for, hosting, and cleaning up from public events
* Two or more seasons of vegetable growing experience
* At least one season growing at high elevations or in short seasons
* One or more years’ experience in leadership or teaching roles, especially in a farming context
* Experience working with teams from diverse backgrounds
* Significant experience working independently as a farmer or in a physical job
* Significant experience working in fast-paced environments, especially as a pace-setter
* Successful experience working collaboratively as part of a team
* Proficient with the use of Microsoft Office programs, Google Suite, and Dropbox + Interest in using google sheets for farm coordination
* Ease with email, Slack messages, and phone calls as forms of team and professional communication
* College degree in agriculture or related field
* Experience using small equipment
* While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to perform fine motor functions such as weeding, harvesting, packing, gripping, typing, texting, and operating tools.
* The job is highly physical and requires nearly constant activity.
* The use of hand tools is likely, including shovels, broad forks, digging forks, spades, rakes, and other tools.
* The…