Vegetable Apprentice
1 month ago
Cold Spring Harbor
Job DescriptionDescription: Overview: Glynwood’s Advanced Vegetable Apprenticeship Program is for individuals who have full-time experience working on a commercial farm and who are ready to increase their farming knowledge to prepare for a career growing vegetables. Glynwood’s vegetable operation is certified organic and produces over 60 vegetable crops on 5 acres for our CSA, farm store and food access partners. We employ two distinct small-scale, diversified production systems; a low-till permanent bed system on .75 acres including several high tunnels and a mechanized, tractor tillage based system on the remaining acres. Apprentices gain a solid foundation in the skills necessary to manage a small commercial vegetable operation using both low-till and traditional tillage methods. From tractor operation to business planning, compost production to crop rotations, the Advanced Vegetable Apprenticeship aims to provide a comprehensive overview of how to manage a vegetable farm. This 9-month Advanced Apprenticeship is an intensive vocational training program. Apprentices work full-time in the fields as a member of the vegetable crew and are an integral part of the planting, care, and sales of crops for our customers. Beyond gaining hands-on experience and learning technical skills as field crew, apprentices receive significant educational support including extensive in-field training in farm management and decision making; complete assessments of their skills and progress towards program goals; and a 60-hour classroom curriculum. All of this is built into the full time schedule. Apprentices are expected to support Glynwood’s culture of philanthropy and may be asked to contribute to story-telling projects or events led by our development and communications team. All Glynwood apprentices are participants in the Hudson Valley Apprenticeship program in which apprentices from local participating farms come together for supplemental classroom education. For further information on our programs please use this link or visit our website. Regular Work Hours: The apprenticeship begins March 15, 2027 and ends December 8, 2027. Daily start and end times vary by season and include occasional longer workdays, and weekend chores every 4 weeks. The basic work schedule is as follows: • March to Mid-May: 7:30am - 4:30pm workday with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break, • Mid-May to Mid-August: 7am - 5pm workday with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break, • Mid-August to December: 7:30am - 4:30pm with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break Compensation: • $16.48 per hour wage, • Private room in a 6-bedroom house shared with the other apprentices, • An average of 5 paid hours per week devoted to a mix of hands-on and classroom based education during work hours, • $500 in a Healthcare Reimbursement Account, • $200 workwear stipend, and $250 education stipend, • No-cost Glynwood eggs and vegetables; and a 30% discount on Glynwood meat and Farm Store products. Paid Time Off: • Apprentices accrue up to 48 hours of vacation and up to 40 hours of sick time., • Paid holidays include Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving. However, farm staff rotate coverage of holidays and receive comp time for any holidays worked. Employee Housing: Apprentices are assigned a private room in a 6-bedroom house and can expect to have 5 housemates. We cannot accommodate pets or significant others. Apprentices must be willing to share a living space with coworkers. Please carefully consider if you will be comfortable in this living situation before applying for this position. Educational Opportunities Glynwood Apprentices participate in Glynwood’s Hudson Valley Apprenticeship (HVA) Program, joining apprentices working at several other area mentor farms for classroom workshops and farm visits. Apprentices receive significant education through a combination of a 60 hr classroom-based curriculum with expert instructors and an additional 30-50 hrs of education delivered by farm managers as learning modules. These modules last 1-3 hours and cover 18 different key farming topics including: • Composting, • Cover cropping, • Crop planning, • Crop rotation, • CSA sales model, • Direct seeding, • Fertility management, • Field and bed preparation, • Greenhouse & propagation, • Irrigation, • Pest & disease IPM and spraying, • Prioritization and decision making, • Record keeping, • Task efficiency, • Tomato grafting, • Vehicle and equipment maintenance, • Weed control, • Winter production & storage Apprentices participate in weekly field walks and the planning and prioritization of weekly tasks to gain experience with management priorities and decision making. Responsibilities such as greenhouse management, tractor maintenance, record keeping, and irrigating are also rotated among apprentices to provide additional opportunities to gain valuable management experience. All apprentices are encouraged to visit regional farms as part of the Mid-Hudson Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT). Apprentices also gain access to a robust alumni network and other organizational contacts for long-term technical and general networking assistance. Requirements: Essential Job Duties The following job duties encompass the day-to-day work of the vegetable team and are also core competencies apprentices can expect to learn. • Greenhouse seeding and management, • Transplanting and direct seeding, • Hand weeding, hoeing, and other weed management tasks, • Harvesting, • Washing and packing, • Cover cropping, • Mulching, • Pruning and trellising, • Irrigating, • Pest and disease control, • Field tractor work, • Record keeping, • Supervising CSA pickups, • Compost making, • Machine and tool maintenance Eligibility Requirements • High school diploma or GED, • Must have worked at least one full season (5 consecutive months) on a commercial vegetable operation, • Valid US Driver’s License in good standing, • COVID-19 vaccination Additional Requirements • Basic competency with the Google Suite, including word processing, spreadsheets, email, and calendar, • Ability to communicate clearly in English, verbally and in writing, • Professional, collegial, direct and non-aggressive communication skills, • Capable of both working alone and on a team Physical Demands This is a physically challenging role. The Vegetable Apprentice must be able and willing to: • Stand, crouch, kneel, and bend for extended periods doing repetitive tasks, • Lift and move harvest bins, rock bags, materials, hoses, etc. up to 50lbs at a time on a regular basis, • Perform other physical activities as needed for producing vegetables, • Work steadily outdoors in all weather including heat, cold, rain, and wind. (Working outdoors is not required when conditions are hazardous to human health.) Travel and Weekend Work • Apprentices are required to participate in the vegetable team’s weekend chore rotation, in which they are responsible for greenhouse care, field irrigation, and fertigation., • Apprentices may participate in field trips off site, and may attend one or more conferences that require overnight stays. About Glynwood As an organization, we believe that Glynwood has a role to play in addressing racism and inequity in our country’s food system, and commit ourselves to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in our organization, and in all of our work. We are committed to proactive learning, orienting ourselves towards healing racism and oppression, and expanding spaces for those who have not been historically included.
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