APPETITE FOR CHANGE JOB POSTING
Program Facilitator – Urban Agriculture
Appetite For Change (AFC) is a nonprofit social enterprise in North Minneapolis whose mission is to use food as a tool to build health, wealth and social change. Appetite For Change envisions sustainable, equitable, local food systems, created and led by thriving, socially connected families and communities.
The Urban Agriculture Program Facilitator works predominantly in the urban gardens that AFC maintains during the summer and works in the greenhouse in the off-season. The Facilitator assists the Urban Agriculture Manager with a variety of gardening and farm-related tasks, infrastructure tasks (e.g., building shelves, fences, greenhouse, high-tunnels, hoop houses) and non-production activities (e.g., sales, public relations, farmers market) with primary work focused in farm-related activities.
This is a part-time position, primarily working Monday through Friday, with some evening and weekend based on need. This person would be working 20-25 hours per week.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Assist Urban Agriculture Manager in developing and implementing annual and daily farm operations plans to achieve production and output goals and needs
- Assist in developing and implementing crop plan, planting and harvesting schedule for each season
- Help develop and implement daily, weekly and two-week farming-related goals
- Check the bulletin board and other communication tools to identify, perform work priorities and communicate task completion
Vegetable Planting: Under the direction of the Urban Agriculture Manager, assist with planting, growing, watering and harvesting of produce
- Plant seeds in greenhouse
- Monitor seed growth
- Repot plants as needed due to growth
- Move/transplant plants to garden in spring
Garden Maintenance: Assist in the watering of the gardens throughout the growing season
- Assess and determine hand watering needs of each location based on the weather, day and conditions;
- Daily watering as needed
- Appropriately use the irrigation system:
Garden Maintenance: Assist in maintaining the gardens throughout the growing season by hoeing, weeding, moving plants, deadheading
- Perform weeding 2-4 times per week, with daily spot-weeding:
- Perform pest management utilizing organic methods
- Maintain the compost bin, turning the compost, checking and cleaning for integrity of compost materials
Vegetable Harvesting: Under the direction of the Urban Agriculture Manager, harvest plants when at maturity
- Understand and recognize plant maturity
- Harvest items (e.g., pick, clip, break, cut)
- Wash, weigh and bundle produce based on whether produce is sold, used for the Farmers Market or being utilized by the Café
- Identify and prepare the right size boxes for the produce being harvested
- Retrieve the appropriate supplies for harvesting (rubber bands, boxes, harvesting tools etc.) from the white shipping container at 42nd and Dupont
- If harvesting before a buyer is identified, weigh and label each box and place in the Breaking Bread café
- Place items, as appropriate in ag refrigerator or Breaking Bread walk-in cooler
Year-round support
- Assist AFC in the development and execution of year-round growing, which involves off-season work in the greenhouse
- Perform targeted agriculture-related research at the direction of the Manager
- Assist with non-growing infrastructure tasks, such building shelves, fences, greenhouse, high-tunnels, hoop houses
- Maintain the cleanliness and organization of the greenhouse, gardens, equipment, refrigerators and other work areas and tools
- Perform other garden-related activities (e.g., mow lawn, operate tiller, trim shrubs)
Recordkeeping
- Assist with agricultural record keeping by tracking and recording produce for grant reporting, farmers market sales, and other documentation as instructed or required
- Assist in tracking Farm Operations and data, including crop planning, harvesting log, germination rate, planting schedule, growth tracking, temperature tracking, etc.
- Assist in tracking all Deep Winter Greenhouse/ Hoophouse operations including: crop planning, germination rate, planting schedule, growth tracking, compost production, temperature tracking, etc.
Farmers Market
- Help at the North Broadway Farmers Market on Friday afternoons from June through September, to include:
- Package the produce for sale
- Load the truck with produce, drive to the market and unload the truck
- Help set up and take down the farmers market booth
- Work the booth, including assisting customers and collecting cash from customers for produce sales, etc.
- Reload the truck with booth materials and produce, unloading as appropriate
SECONDARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assist in purchasing materials and supplies for farm, infrastructure and non-farming operations
- Complete various tasks and perform miscellaneous projects and as needed
JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Desired Education and Experience
- 2 or more years of experience with farming, sustainable and/or urban agriculture preferred
- Basic gardening knowledge: growing, harvesting, etc.
- Basic math skills to count produce, weighing produce, measuring various inputs (water, etc.)
- Possess driver’s license and reliable vehicle to drive to various garden sites and off-site locations on a daily basis
- Able to work Friday evenings during summer/fall months to assist in working the Farmers Market
PAY RATE:
$18 – 21 Per hour – DOQ
BENEFITS:
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Retirement (401k)
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Paid Holidays
Short Term Disability (STD) Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Long Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
HealthiestYou – Telemedicine
STD) Insurance
TO APPLY:
Send resume and cover letter to bethann@afcmn.org