ORGANIC FARMING

Position: Assistant farm manager
Farm: Laughing Apple Farm
Start: early January 2025

Location: Salt Spring Island, BC
Accom.: On-farm accom available

The position:

We would like to hire an experienced farmer to co-manage all aspects of organic food production on our mixed vegetable and fruit farm. Preference will be given to someone who would be willing to consider a permanent position.

You will be working on a daily basis with one of the owners (Mary) of the farm and another employee who has had 4 years’ experience on the farm. The applicant should have five or more years’ experience growing vegetables according to organic practices year-around in a northern climate. We farm a large variety of vegetable crops and are looking for someone who would enjoy helping us continue to improve our practices. There could be opportunities to start a new crop, expand production, or make a new product. We hire two novice farmers each year with 1-2 years’ experience and you would be responsible for co-managing them.

This is a full-time position with accommodation, a salary, a large amount of produce from the farm, some 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 (Brian and Mary) have been farming here for 26 years and have developed efficient organic methods for producing a diversity of food year-around on a small scale. Our farm was originally homesteaded in the 1880s and consists of about 120 acres of forest surrounding 40 acres of farmed land. We have a beautiful location – our property is on the western side of Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring Island in the Gulf Islands of BC. There are walking trails through the woods and to a beach, and a small lake where you can swim in the summer. On Salt Spring Island there is a dynamic community and our farm stand provides many opportunities to interact with interesting and like-minded people.

We grow tree fruit, berries, and veggies using organic and low-till methods. We have 3 acres under cultivation for vegetables, six greenhouses for year-around greens production, two 200 square ft heated spaces for year-around production of lettuce and microgreens, 500+ apple trees, 50 plums/pears/peach trees, 70 cherry trees, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. We also grow hay (about 20 acres) and propagate and sell nursery plants from a large ornamental garden. In the fall we process most of our apple crop into apple juice with a commercial-scale apple press. Our bees produce a few hundred pounds of honey every year. 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.

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 encourage young people to learn to farm.

Why would you want to apply for this position:

• You can learn about and participate in growing a large variety of crops organically (we are not certified) for local consumption using low till methods
• You can help young people learn to farm and understand what farming on this scale entails
• You will be able to gain experience in all the analysis and planning that goes into running a farm (you would be involved in discussions on profitability, comparison of crops and planting decisions every year to reassess our farming model)
• You will have opportunities to research and grow new crops
• You will have opportunities to learn about bee-keeping, tractors, shop skills, irrigation systems, or other things you want to learn – we encourage and support continual learning for all of our team
• You can live in a beautiful place and have housing - the farm is situated on an island where housing is scarce
• 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 will 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.

Preferred qualifications:

• More than 5 years’ experience with organically producing and marketing a large number of crops
• At least 1-2 years’ experience managing other people
• Demonstrated ability to work in a small team
• Have some experience with marketing (presentation of produce, pricing, farmer’s market experience is beneficial)
• Be able to work quickly in a fast-paced environment with humor, compassion and efficiency
• Be able to communicate clearly, in writing and verbally, with people with different skill levels (you will be working closely with less experienced people and seasonal workers)
• Have the ability to keep your eye on our goals while paying close attention to details
• Know when to do triage to get the job done (i.e know when to stop looking at the details!)
• Have good organization skills (you have to like lists!) so that workspaces can be maintained efficiently
• Willingness to work to get the job done no matter if the hours are long – very important in mid-summer when we are always behind
• Be able to work in all our southern BC weather conditions
• Be enthusiastic about the goals of our farm

Responsibilities:

• Co-management of year-round crop planting schedule – seeding, transplanting, planting, weeding, pulling out, bed prepping, harvesting, prepping for sale, stocking farm stand.
• Co-supervise two less experienced workers and/or seasonal workers
• Maintain a journal and spreadsheets for all important dates in the planting schedule
• Documentation of harvests for profitability analysis
• Pest and disease management in all beds
• Co-maintenance of irrigation systems

Job terms: Start is in early January. Non-shared housing is available in a clean, modern RV on site at a reasonable rate. Electricity, internet, gas, sewer, and water are included. Wage includes 2 weeks paid vacation, worker’s compensation from BC (WorkSafeBC) and some farm produce. Your rent is deducted from your wage. Vacation must be taken at the end of the year after apple pressing is over. Please no smoking, recreational drugs, or dogs on the property.

Hours per week: This is a salaried position and so the pay is constant throughout the year. However, during the busiest season (late June through August) you will be expected to get the job done even if the hours are longer. We strive to work 40 hour weeks all year, but in the winter it isn’t possible due to the lack of light and in the height of the season it sometimes isn’t possible due to the amount of work.

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.

Please indicate you saw this posting at GoodWork.ca.