Farm Director s Farm: Student Sustainable Agriculture

Position: Farm Director - The People’s Farm: Student for Sustainable Agriculture
Location: Willow

Department Overview

The People’s Farm for Sustainable Agriculture strives to educate the UW community about the relationship between people, land, and food. Through our garden workshops, educational events, and outreach programming, we aim to bring critical awareness about food systems, land use, and sustainability issues at UW.

Anticipated Start Date

February 2026

Anticipated End Date (If Applicable)

One-year minimum commitment including the summer.

Remote Work Eligibility Detail

Not Remote

Anticipated Hours Per Week

Minimum: 10 Maximum: 25

Schedule

Build your own schedule with biweekly meeting with Board members.

Salary/Wage Range/Lump Sum

$15.00

Number of Positions

1

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled as a student at UW‑Madison.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• No prior experience is necessary.
• Strong applicants have previous farm experience, are majoring in a related field, or have knowledge of organic agriculture.

Position Summary/Job Duties

10 hours/week during the school year, 25 hours/week during the summer.

Farm Duties

• Planning plantings, layout, and design for the Eagle Heights plots for the coming season, taking into consideration accessibility, aesthetic, season extension, yield, variety, soil health, student preferences, crop rotation, etc.
• Ordering seeds (ideally in November‑December), and purchasing starts, and greenhouse materials in collaboration with the Urban Agriculture Directors.
• Starting and caring for (watering) greenhouse starts in collaboration with Urban Agriculture Directors.
• Collaborate with Urban Agriculture as needed during winter season.
• Developing and following a schedule of Farm Work hours during the growing season that are accessible to the UW Community, in collaboration with the Farmhands.
• Maintaining an inventory of farm tools and equipment, keeping track of what needs to be replaced and what new items would help us better serve our mission.
• General farm maintenance and production duties during the growing season.
• Direct and lead groups of workers (e.g. summer interns, work‑day groups).
• Transporting produce from the Farm to East Campus Mall during the harvest season for Harvest Handouts.
• Keep records of maps and timing of planting, rotations, areas where disease occurred and nutrient deficiencies were identified, etc., to the best of your ability.
• Perform soil sampling every two years (Last Sampled 2024).
• Strive to innovate in our space and set an example as a land steward.
• Manage the Farm Committee during the school year.

Ambassador/Communications Duties

• Maintain relationships with greenhouse faculty connection.
• Maintain a communicative relationship with the UW staff member maintaining the Greenhouse Learning Community plots neighboring ours (Currently Tom Bryan).
• Attend monthly Eagle Heights Garden Oversight Committee (GOC) meetings at the Eagle Heights Community Center during the growing season.
• Maintain a positive and communicative relationship with workers in the Agriculture Research plots neighboring ours.
• Maintain a positive and communicative relationship with the board of CIAS (the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems).
• Seeking out and learning from a beekeeping mentor.
• Coordinate (reach out and respond to) interested groups and organize times and dates for Group Work Days and Tours at our Eagle Heights plots.

All Directors Responsibilities

• All members of the People’s Farm Board of Directors will support other Directors as requested, including assisting with running programming and events, volunteering on the farm, at other growing spaces, and more.
• All Directors will participate in Harvest Handouts and other “key events” essential to the functioning of the organization.
• All Directors will attend biweekly board meetings, and weekly subgroup meetings and office hours, as well as triannual Mission & Vision sessions, and participate in quarterly peer evaluations.
• All Directors will communicate consistently and effectively with the board, and keep detailed records of their tenure.

Physical Demands

Must be comfortable spending a lot of time outside in various weather conditions doing manual labor.

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