Sassafras Farm Hiring Farm Assistant in Ohio

 

Sassafras Farm is seeking a strong, young individual seriously interested in farming as a farm assistant to help on our farm. I am Ed Perkins and my wife is Amy Abercrombie. We operate a small organic produce farm, Sassafras Farm, located in Athens County in SE Ohio. Our farm is 12 miles from the City of Athens, home of Ohio University. We started the farm 45 years ago and need an assistant to keep it going.

 

We own 38 acres and raise 1 1/2 acres of veggies, herbs and berries each year with the rest of the land in cover crops, pasture, hay or woods.  Organic methods are used but the farm is not certified organic. The farm is laid out in permanent, hand worked beds plus larger tractor worked fields. Home made compost and cover crops are used to maintain organic content of the soil. We have a new work horse for cultivation, a donkey for its companion and make hay (with the tractor) for feed and mulching the gardens. There is a lot of hard hand work – preparing beds, spreading compost, planting, weeding, applying mulch, picking.  

 

We sell at the Athens Farmers Market year round ( with greens in hoop houses for the winter) and at a few local restaurants. Check it out at athensfarmersmarket.org

 

We have an on farm, 2 bedroom cottage for the Sassafras Farm Assistant to live in. Rent is 8 hours work a week. Additional work hours pay $12 hour, up to a total of 20 hours a week varying with the season. The cottage and main farm house are both heated with a wood so cutting, splitting and hauling firewood are major winter jobs.  Amy and I strive to live a sustainable life style – solar electric and hot water for our house, electric car, wood cut from our land for heat, rain catchment water system, composting, recycling etc.

 

The Athens area is a hotbed of local food businesses and farms, many of which sell at the Farmers Market.  Our Market offers a “Farmer for a Day” program where you can visit and work on a variety of farms – beef, sheep, chicken, goat and cow dairy, maple syrup, orchard, other veggie farms.  This is a great place to get diversified farming experience. Check us out on facebook (sassafras farm oh).

 

 

 This position has now been filled. Please check back again next year!