GROW FOOD

Position: Farm worker
Farm: Laughing Apple Farm

Location: Salt Spring Island, BC (with housing, see below)
Dates of position: April 1 – November 1 preferred

The position: We need a person who is enthusiastic about all aspects of growing food to join our small team of three people. Preferably you would have 1-2 years’ experience growing vegetables according to organic practices. We farm a large variety of vegetable crops and are looking for someone who can help us in all stages of producing food for sale: prepare beds using no-till methods, start seeds, plant transplants, weed, and harvest. We have 3 acres under cultivation for vegetables, six greenhouses for year-around production, two 200 square ft heated spaces for year-around production of lettuce and microgreens, 500+ apple trees, ~ 30 plums/pears/peach trees, 70 cherry trees, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. We have a thriving community-supported farm stand, a year-around farm membership program (like a flexible CSA), and we sell locally to chefs and other CSAs. This is a full-time position with accommodation, a salary, produce from the farm, staples, and the opportunity to have personal growing space for food.

Who we are:

Laughing Apple Farm is located in a scenic and quiet spot on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. We have been farming here for 26years and have developed efficient organic methods for producing a diversity of food year-around on a small scale.

Our goal is to make delicious, beautiful, and nutritious produce and we are continually working to improve our knowledge and methods so that we grow better food and be better stewards of our land. We think providing food for people who live nearby generates community connection and is a worthy and fulfilling occupation for a lifetime. We try to encourage young people to learn to farm.

Why would you want to apply for this position:

• We grow a large diversity of crops! You can learn about and participate in growing almost 40 different crops organically (we are not certified) for local consumption using low till methods.
• You can learn about the whole cycle - from seed to plate - of growing edible plants: seeding, transplanting, soil care and maintenance, methods of soil preparation, mulching, irrigation systems, harvesting, cleaning and preparation for sale, and marketing the produce.

• You will be able to eat healthy food and practice eating seasonally and gain some experience with a more self-sufficient lifestyle. We encourage you to cook!
• You can interact with enthusiastic customers - Salt Spring Island has a tradition of supporting small local farms and has a creative and interesting community.
• You can learn about apple pressing on a commercial scale as we press both our own apples and many other people’s apples on the island in the fall.
• There are lots of things to learn on our farm besides producing vegetables: bee keeping, haying, shop tools, chicken care, growing fruit trees and cane fruit.
• Salt Spring Island has a beautiful natural environment with places to hike and explore.
• You can have opportunities to visit other farms on the island – SSI has a vibrant farm community.

Preferred qualifications:

• 1-2 years’ experience with organically producing and marketing crops
• Be able to work quickly in a fast-paced environment with humor, compassion and efficiency
• Attention to details
• Physical and mental endurance – be able to work standing, kneeling, bending, lifting repeatedly
• Be able to lift 50 pounds
• Experience working outdoors – both on nice days and in heat/rain/cold
• Ability to work together with others as a team member

Job terms: This job comes with accommodation in a shared furnished two-bedroom house. Your salary is paid at an hourly rate and then rent is deducted. Wages are paid twice monthly. The house has two bedrooms, a shared bathroom, fully-equipped kitchen and common space. Internet, electricity, water, sewer, local land-line calls are included. Garden space is available. No smoking or pets and no recreational drugs on the property. Some staple foods (flour, grains, beans) are provided.

Wage: Work week is usually M-F 9 am – 5:30 pm, with a ½ hour unpaid lunch break. During the hottest part of the summer, hours may be different. The wage will be $17 per hour to start and can be increased after a trial period if you have relevant farm experience and demonstrate competence.

To apply: Please send a resume and cover letter to Mary Laucks, mlaucks@telus.net . Please include at least 2 references from previous relevant jobs and indicate that you saw this posting on FoodWork or GoodWork.