Farm Employment in Virginia at Sweet Greens

We are looking for strong, smart, motivated and friendly folks to join our small team for the 2020 season. Ideal candidates will have a positive attitude in all weather conditions, a strong interest in food, flowers and farming, be capable of working at an efficient pace and enjoy working outdoors both on a team and individually. 

Crew members report to the farm owners/managers and will work both independently and alongside the farm owners/managers, up to two other farm crew members and possibly additional seasonal employees on a wide variety of tasks.  Primary duties will be field work, harvesting and processing produce and flowers. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Field work including hoeing, hand weeding, transplanting, seeding, using row cover, using landscape fabric, moving irrigation, trellising, staking, netting, pinching, bagging flowers, mulching, organic spraying, field preparation, farm maintenance and cleanup 
• Harvesting, washing and packing produce
• Cutting, processing and bunching flowers and assembling bouquets  
• Greenhouse work including seeding, propagation and maintenance
• Maintaining a clean packing shed/studio, including washing buckets, bins, surfaces, and work spaces and handling compost
• Preparing materials, cleaning, setting up and organizing the studio for design jobs

Farm crew members work 30-40 hours per week from March through November. The work schedule is generally Monday-Friday, 6-7 hours a day starting at sunrise. Fridays are usually longer (8-9hr) work days. Flexibility with hours is required. Some afternoons and weekends may be required. Additional work may be available for the right candidate as a flower studio assistant and farmers market assistant. 

Farm employment compensation is commensurate with experience starting at $8/hr, with scheduled monthly raises up to $13/hr contingent on satisfactory performance reviews. Free seconds produce and flowers are available for personal consumption. Limited crops are available at a discount. Five unpaid vacation/sick days per season, with dates subject to approval. Crew members have the opportunity to participate in farm tours through the Virginia Piedmont CRAFT group.

Farm Employment Qualifications:

• Positive attitude and friendly disposition
• Enjoy working both on a team and individually
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, and the ability to work with all kinds of people
• Desire to pursue farming as a career and learn new farming systems
• Experience working on a farm or performing other outdoor physical work in a fast paced team environment
• Ability to adapt and be flexible with job duties, daily and seasonal fluctuations and unexpected changes
• Excellent work ethic, self-motivation and a desire to help the business succeed
• Ability to follow written and oral instructions, accept and integrate feedback on how to increase efficiency and be proactive in seeking guidance on farm practices
• Ability to focus on quality and pay attention to detail while working efficiently and with speed
• Commitment to the full season March-November
• Must have reliable transportation and a drivers license
• Ability to comfortably lift at least 50 pounds
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions including high heat and humidity, cold, wind, mud and rain
• Physical strength, stamina and manual dexterity – including strong back, knees and hands
• Must be capable of standing, bending, kneeling, squatting, lifting, cutting/snipping and performing repetitive tasks for long periods of time
• Must love cats, dogs and guineafowl

About Sweet Greens Farm

Sweet Greens Farm is a small diversified farm and floral design studio in Scottsville, Virginia just south of Charlottesville specializing in unique and heirloom cut flowers and produce. We are a husband and wife team committed to using ecologically sustainable practices to grow produce and flowers to feed the body and soul of our community. 

We steward sixty-five acres of gently rolling fertile hills near the James River. We currently cultivate about five acres for flower and vegetable production. We have one heated propagation greenhouse, one unheated high tunnel and three Hanley-style hoop-houses.  We are a chemical free farm and do not use synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or  herbicides. We power our systems with the biology of the soil through the use of cover crops, crop rotation and compost. We use modern scale-appropriate tools like our electric cultivating tractor for weed control. We use cultural practices like exclusion with fabric row cover, plus our flock of guinea fowl for pest management. We practice farm driven sustainable floral design, using eco-friendly mechanics without the use of floral foam.

Established in 2016, we serve the Charlottesville and Richmond Virginia areas. We sell produce and flowers directly to local restaurants, grocers, caterers, florists, designers and couples getting married. We sell at the Charlottesville City Market and South of the James Farmer’s Market. We provide floral design services for weddings and special events. We also have a small community supported agriculture program. 

How to Apply for Farm Employment at Sweet Greens:

Visit  https://www.sweetgreensfarm.com/employment/ and download the PDF job application. Submit completed applications as a PDF file to jobs@sweetgreensfarm.com with the subject “2020 Farm Crew Job Application.”  Use additional pages if necessary. Resume and cover letter are optional.