Job: Farm Manager – Scenic Valley Farm, Wisconsin

Posted on March 4, 2011 by in Business, Employment, Energy, Farming, Management // 0 Comments

Scenic Valley Farms seeks a Farm Manager to oversee operations at our initial Sustainable High Tunnel Agriculture merged with Renewable Energy farm (SHARE farm). The SHARE farm compromises four main technologies: high tunnel agriculture, a semi or fully automated climate control system, solar thermal heating and cooling, and a small wind turbine. The farm is investor owned with our company and the principal grower maintaining a minority interest.

We are currently in discussions with legal and financial consultants and anticipate raising the necessary capital by mid‐2011. The location of the initial farm will be in Readstown, Wisconsin (approximately 45 miles southeast of La Crosse). Once the concept is proven, future SHARE farm development will primarily occur in southwest Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota.

The Farm Manager will be responsible for managing the daily operations of the high tunnel farm. These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

· Assisting in plant selection and the ordering of supplies

· Performing high tunnel site preparation

· Assisting in the installation of the solar thermal high tunnels and climate control system

· Assisting in the design and construction of the irrigation, fertigation, and trellis systems

· Managing cover cropping, planting, and crop rotation using organic farming practices

· Certify farm as USDA Certified Organic

· Developing soil and nutrient management techniques

· Conducting pest, disease, and weed control management

· Performing diagnostic tests and routine solar thermal maintenance

· Assisting in the collection of data related to plant development, organic certification, and solar thermal performance

· Operating the PC based climate control system (in development)

· Managing the operational budget of the farm

· Assisting in the hiring of the farm labor force

· Coordinating the harvesting and packing of produce

The Production Manager is not responsible for the marketing or distribution of the produce as those duties are handled by other company officers. Ideally, we are seeking a grower with a strong background in horticultural science, fruit and vegetable production and high tunnel agriculture. Our company has several years of high tunnel agriculture experience and we have been awarded numerous grants to develop specialty crops under high tunnels. We currently maintain testing and production farms in Rosemount, Minnesota and Readstown, Wisconsin.

The compensation is a combination of salary, profit sharing, and increasing equity ownership in each farm. Our ultimate goal is to find an individual passionate and dedicated to sustainable agriculture who is also committed to helping develop SHARE farms across the Upper Midwest.

If you are interested please contact gun@svgreenenergy.com.

Scenic Valley Farms

Readstown, WI & Rosemount, MN

563 650 3654