Homefields Care Farm is seeking an Assistant Farm Manager for Lancaster County’s longest-running organic CSA program. We are housed on 19 acres of sustainably managed farmland 1 mile west of Millersville University. In addition to growing produce for up to 200 shareholder families, our purpose is to create vocational and volunteer opportunities for people who have a disability or other barriers to traditional employment, to connect people to each other and to the land.
The seven acres of field space used to support the CSA are certified organic as of 2022, and all operations follow organic farming guidelines. The farm crew currently consists of six returning members including the previous Farm Manager, the previous Assistant Farm Manager two Lead Farm Hands, and three Supported Farm Hands who have disability-related barriers to traditional employment.
Our CSA operates from late May through November, and the Farm Manager will be employed March-December. With the support of experienced returning staff. this is an excellent opportunity to be involved in all aspects of managing a successful organic farm, but with the support to guide a bountiful season. A successful candidate will have the opportunity to build skills and experience collaboratively, try new growing techniques and crops, and enhance both personal knowledge and crop production while contributing to an important social mission.
General Responsibilities:
Collaborate with farm crew, conduct regular operations of the farm, including soil preparation, planting, weed and pest management, harvest, and processing.
Operate and maintain equipment safely and responsibly.
Train and oversee selected team members to operate and maintain all farm equipment.
Collaborate with the farm staff to establish daily goals and labor plans, manage task lists, and maintain records of farm operations and outputs.
Support outreach efforts including volunteers, school groups, and community education.
Assist as needed with recruitment of farmhands and community volunteers.
Ensure a high level of customer service and shareholder satisfaction.
Collaborate with the media team to maintain a marketing plan to sell shares, increase awareness and assist with special event promotion as needed.
Qualifications and Experience: Must be willing to work in varied environmental conditions and develop good communication skills with people with diverse backgrounds and different communication needs. Must be willing to learn best practices when working with people with varying disabilities and who may be neurodiverse. Ideally will have at least two years of working on a vegetable farm. Preference will be given to candidates with experience operating farm equipment and implements, using IPM or organic pest control practices, and those with multiple years of experience at the same farm.
Expectations: We are committed to providing a caring and supportive environment for everyone who participates in the farm program. This includes farm hands, volunteers, shareholders, and community members with diverse backgrounds and abilities. This person filling this role is expected to be dependable and collaborate with the existing farm team. Given the experienced returning staff, the most important attributes will be a willingness to learn and develop new skills as well as the ability to work hard in the dynamic environment of outdoor farm work. Hours are somewhat flexible based on the season, weather conditions, and labor needs as is the case in all agricultural work, but all staff together plan accordingly so no one member is over-burdened by weekend or evening work.
Compensation and benefits:
Starting rate depends on experience.
$100.00 Annual boot reimbursement.
Two weeks of PTO, Paid Time off, per season.
Basic retirement program through American Funds, Homefields matches up to 3% of employee contributions for full time employees.
Uniform shirts and sweatshirt provided.
Coffee, tea, snacks, monthly lunches, UV and insect protection, rubber overshoes & gloves provided.
Weekly share of vegetables, fruits and herbs and access to the PYO, Pick Your Own, fields.
Team members receive a $100.00 credit annually to attend Experience Homefields classes.
Homefields pays for a workforce health certificate upon hire and every two years.
About Homefields and Homefields Care Farm
Homefields is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1993 by a small group of parents and concerned professionals who recognized that life options for their adult children with IDD, Intellectual Developmental Disabilities and ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, were limited. The founding all-volunteer Board of Directors developed site selection criteria and raised funds to make a down payment to purchase the property. Homefields engaged CSG, Community Services Group, as a residential provider and opened the first home in September 1994. The second home was opened in September 1995. These two homes are adjacent to the Care Farm, with three individuals residing in each home, and sit on four acres overlooking the farm.
In October 1995, Homefields invited vocational and day program providers to a brainstorming session to develop ideas for using the fallow farmland. In 1999, Homefields and Keystone Goodwill launched the CSA; a 2017 PA regulatory change pertaining to licensed service providers caused Keystone Goodwill to close locations, including Homefields. Homefields assumed operational responsibility for the CSA in 2018.
Homefields Care Farm is an innovator in the growing Care Farm movement. Homefields is committed to using farming and the natural environment as therapeutic interventions for everyone and offers employment and vocational training to people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations. The Care Farm is a CSA, Community Supported Agriculture, program. Members of the community purchase a seasonal share, and are farm members. This model provides start-up income before the season begins. Employment is seasonal, from March – November; with full time employees starting part time and ramping up to full time employment by the end of March. Part time farm hands start the first week in April.
Homefields sells organic produce to the Central PA Food Bank, at Manor Market, and donates to The Loft, a nonprofit community resource center. Homefields produces an educational series, Experience Homefields, to which all members of the community are invited. Classes are on farm and led by educators. Classes include a wide variety of subjects from Native Gardening to Yoga.
Homefields wants to create more accessibility for everyone. Toward this end, next year we plan to offer partial scholarships for selected classes. Homefields offers volunteer opportunities to people of all abilities. These experiences bring people with and without disabilities together, which fosters natural relationships. This is important because many people with disabilities live the majority of their lives receiving services from paid professionals. This creates barriers to developing natural relationships, building a meaningful life, and participating in community life.
Our volunteer program is fully integrated; adults, children, youth, people with and without disabilities and disadvantages learn and work alongside each other. Total organizational volunteer hours from January to November 2022 exceeded 1,867 hours. Homefields’s mission is focused on inclusion, respect for all, diversity, and choice. We engage with like minded organizations such as Milagro House, Millersville University, the Sierra Club and others to amplify our collective impact on the community.