The Licking Creek Bend Farm is looking
for temporary help with the fall harvest, winterize the farm and
prepare for next season. This position provides your own room in a
modern farm house with wifi, room and board (vegetarian) and
utilities. This is an opportunity to learn about how a farm
operates as it approaches the end of a season and prepares for the
next season. Full season positions are salaried and include
room/board and wifi.
The Licking Creek Bend Farm is a 60 acre Certified Naturally Grown
fruit, vegetable and Christmas tree farm, tucked away in the
foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Needmore, PA, providing
sustainably grown food to the DC/MD area since 1972.
We have weekly farmers markets and a 50 member and growing CSA
program. We are pesticide and herbicide free and committed to
highly regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices. The
farm grows over 30 varieties of fruits and vegetables and takes
pride in quality, nutrition and taste. We participate in several
local and federal subsidy programs for our customers.
We are currently seeking individuals to help close out the fall
season and prepare the farm for the winter and next season for the
months of November and possibly December with potential for full
season work next year for the right candidate. There is a monthly
food budget for the staples (bread, pasta, rice) in addition to
all produce from the farm. A stipend depends on the length of
stay. A full month for temporary starts at $1,100 plus room/board
and utilities. Work will include harvesting fall vegetables,
working farmers markets, cover crop seeding, mulching perennial
crops and compost making and other related tasks. This is a
temporary seasonal position with the potential for full time
employment starting April 15.
We have weekly farmers markets and a 50 member and growing CSA
program. We are pesticide and herbicide free and committed to
highly regenerative and sustainable agricultural practices. The
farm grows over 30 varieties of fruits and vegetables and takes
pride in quality, nutrition and taste. We participate in several
local and federal subsidy programs for our customers.
Generally, people who work on the Licking Creek Bend Farm range in
age from 21-45 years old. Farm work, at least on our farm, should
give you an opportunity to fully use all your resources -
intellectual, physical and creative. It all depends on how
seriously you take the challenge, and how ready you are for it.
The opportunity gives many people a chance to refocus their life's
direction. It also opens the door for employment in an
environmentally-connected occupation. (Farm experience also
usually registers as a positive addition on resume).
FARM PHILOSOPHY AND ACTIVISM. We emphasize food justice and
make every effort to provide low and moderate income communities
and non-profits with affordable or donated produce. We also
encourage and offer the option of engaging in local social justice
issues, for example anti-CAFO (cruel industrial animal raising)
organizing, banning harmful chemicals in our drinking water and
increasing awareness of gender and racism issues in our area.
WHO SHOULD APPLY. Folks who are eager to learn about small
scale chemical-free farming or who have had some prior experience
and want to consider multiple-year commitment.
We have had several staff who are able to include receive credit
as part of their academic requirement.
And, we especially appreciate candidates who are seriously
considering a multiple-year commitment and opportunity to develop
farm management skills.
Some folks have idealized ideas about what farming is really
about. It is not for everyone and we hope that the interview
process helps bring a realistic understanding of this work. Farm
positions are not easy to fill and the loss of staff during the
farm season or before their scheduled end date can have a
devastating effect on our ability to get produce out to the
public. So, prior to accepting a position, we expect people to
seriously consider any obligations, plans, unresolved
relationships or circumstances that could impact the duration of
their stay on the farm.
REQUIREMENTS
*We prefer candidates who can commit to the full months – although
that timeframe is negotiable.
*Candidates must be US citizens or have a valid green card to work
in the US.
*Have a valid driver’s license and safe driving record.
*Be in good physical shape to be able to handle hard, manual,
hands-on work in a wide range of weather conditions.
*Out of courtesy to the staff and our customers, we require our
staff to be fully Covid vaccinated. If you object to this, stop
here and don’t apply, but also, please don’t argue with us with
your objections to vaccinations. Our concern is the people who
live together on the farm and our exposure to our customers. We
prefer people who are concerned about other people.
*Be ready to learn and do a wide-variety of tasks and understand
the need to get the work done – planting on time, preparing for
markets and CSAs, etc. Farming is not a “9-5” job – it is “getting
the job done” experience.
*Ability to work as a team, and also be a self-starter and
self-motivated. Be excited about opportunities for learning and
building skills.
*Understand that farming involves patience, adapting to changing
tasks and needs as the season progresses.
*Enjoy living and working in a group setting, have a sense of
humor and find ways to have fun and enjoy the work. Dips in the
creek is a favorite along with group meals, outings to the county
fair, hikes, etc.
*Enjoy working with our customers at farmers markets. We learn a
lot from our customers, and they from us.
EXPECT TO LEARN
* Preparing the fields for the winter and planting, starter seeds
in our greenhouse, transplanting, weeding, harvesting and
preparing for markets and CSA, fruit tree pruning, maintaining of
farm equipment and many more tasks.
*We provide guidance to staff to the basics of apple, pear and
other fruit and vegetable production without the use of chemicals
*Subtleties of pest management, specific issues related to
different plants, pesticide-free techniques.
*You will get exposure to what it really takes to start and
sustain a small farm. The business end as well as the many many
aspects of how to grow enough pesticide-free produce to, at
minimum, break even and work towards a sustainable farm. It is
amazing what goes into this kind of business! The cost of
equipment and their maintenance, staffing, dealing with what
Mother Nature hands us (drought, too much rain, blight, etc.),
deer, groundhog and other critters, finding market outlets and
building a customer and wholesale base, etc.
*Bee keeping (but you need your own gear – we can discuss)
*For staff that stay through the winter, we offer paid
participation in various farm conferences held during the winter
and early spring.
*And many other skills.
HOW TO APPLY. If you’ve read to here, you must be
interested! So, we’d love to hear from you. Email us an
introductory letter explaining why you are interested in our farm.
Include a Resume and References. We will also need to know what
your availability time frame is (when you can start work and for
how long.) in...@lickingcreekbendfarm.com
Please email a cover letter and resume to
in...@lickingcreekbendfarm.com and check out our website.
Megan
Chawner <meganc...@gmail.com>: Sep 22
08:45AM -0700
Join Penn State Extension and The Seed Farm for a FREE
field day discussing
our tomato variety trial!
This will be an opportunity for farmers to see and
evaluate 15 different
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