Seed Savers Exchange Job

 

Join our seed stewardship team in the prairie heart of Decorah, Iowa this season! Our crew members save seed for future generations while learning, laughing, and working with abundantly diverse crops and sublime summer and fall weather. Let seeds become your prairie home companion with us! 

 

For more than 43 years, Seed Savers Exchange, a non-profit, nationally-focused organization based in the Driftless Region on the outskirts of Decorah, Iowa (near where Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota converge on the Mississippi), has focused on conserving and promoting America’s culturally diverse but endangered garden and food crop heritage for future generations. Seed Savers Exchange was a pioneer in the advocacy for preserving these heirloom varieties for generations to come, and is committed to keeping these varieties where they belong—in our gardens and on our tables.  

Seed Savers Exchange is now hiring for 2019 Seed Steward Crew positions. This is a 40 hour/week full time, 6 month seasonal position from approximately May through November. Occasional weekend or holiday work will be required. This position will support Seed Savers Exchange field staff with all garden work and seed production activities. This work includes collection regeneration, catalog seed production, and evaluation growouts.

Seed Savers Exchange Job Applications due by April 15, 2019.

Seed Savers Exchange Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Preparing gardens for direct seeding and transplanting
• Setting up and maintaining fences, trellises, and pollination cages
• Maintaining gardens, including watering, weeding, and mulching
• Harvesting fruits, vegetables, grains, and seeds
• Threshing, extracting, winnowing, and conditioning seeds
• Following organizational protocols to ensure the genetic purity and organic certification of productions
• Cleaning up gardens at the end of the growing season by removing plant residue, fencing, trellises, and other infrastructure
• Maintaining an orderly equipment shed
• Other duties as assigned by the field production leadership team

Qualifications

• Applicants must be an enthusiastic, detail-oriented, and a flexible team player
• Interest in seed saving/production and organic/sustainable agriculture preferred
• Demonstrated practical work experience with plants; experience with organic vegetable crops is preferred
• Ability to perform field work in wide ranging weather conditions
• Ability to perform physical activity: lifting (up to 100 lbs. assisted); carrying (50 lbs.), bending frequently, climbing, pushing, and pulling
• Ability to operate roto-tillers, weed-whips, and other small farm and garden implements
• Applicants must have reliable transportation to and from work
• Applicants must have a valid driver’s license

 

 

• Learn more about farming and food jobs and internships, or learn how to post a job, internship, or apprenticeship opportunity on beginningfarmers.org by going to https://www.beginningfarmers.org/internship-and-employment-opportunities/