Market gardening / Organic vegetable farming

Position: Organic market garden/farm team member
Market Garden / Farm: Sarah's Harvest

Location: 50 km north of Whitehorse, Yukon
Housing: option for on-site accommodation (see below)

Are you interested in working on a beautiful and productive organic farm in the Yukon? Do you get excited about working outside and growing food for your community? Would you like to revel in the deep satisfaction of meaningful work?

The Sarah’s Harvest farm team is made up of outstanding individuals who are motivated, passionate, hard working and genuinely care about local and sustainable agriculture. If you share our values and believe you could be an awesome addition to our team, we want to hear from you!

Sarah’s Harvest

Sarah’s Harvest, owned and operated by Sarah Ouellette, is the largest certified organic vegetable producer in the Yukon. We are based at Lendrum Ross Farm, which is located 50 km north of Whitehorse on beautiful Lake Laberge, and the traditional territory of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation.

Our bio-intensive farm includes a 0.4 acre garden and 1100 ft2 passive solar greenhouse which are carefully planned, intensively grown and highly productive. We also have a unique passive walk-in cooler that uses ice naturally frozen in the winter to chill our fresh produce from spring to fall without the use of electricity.

Sarah’s Harvest sells at the Fireweed Community Market, as well as to local retailers, food processors, restaurants and caterers. Since 2022, we harvested over 15,000 lbs of produce per year for distribution to the Whitehorse community.

Sarah has been growing vegetables commercially for the Whitehorse community since 2014, and training aspiring farmers since 2017. In 2019, Sarah was named Yukon Farmer of the Year by the Government of Yukon in recognition of “her professional, highly skilled operation that not only produces high-quality food, but is also a place that contributes to Yukoners’ knowledge and appreciation of agriculture.”

Job Description

Sarah’s Harvest offers a rewarding work experience on a small-scale organic vegetable farm. The work consists of physical and manual labour, such as heavy lifting and repetitive tasks. Team Members take responsibility for certain tasks, according to interests and skills, and are involved in all farm operations, including:

• greenhouse care and maintenance;
• bed prep, irrigation and season extension;
• seeding, transplanting and weeding;
• disease and pest management;
• compost maintenance and application;
• harvesting, processing and storage of crops at peak maturity and freshness;
• direct and wholesale marketing, customer relations and social media; and
• infrastructure repairs, maintenance and construction.

Farm Team Member Requirements

The Farm Team Member must:

• work safely and foster a safe work environment;
• be healthy, fit and prepared to work hard in all weather conditions (and with mosquitoes);
• be motivated to work efficiently and contribute to the farm’s success;
• be an adaptable team player and independent worker who’s willing to take direction;
• have an eye for detail, take initiative and see a job through to completion;
• be able to communicate openly and problem-solve; and
• be legally authorized to work in Canada.

Previous farming experience is a valued asset.

Schedule

The season will run from May 4 to October 2, 2025. We will work 8-10 hours a day from Sunday to Thursday, including a 20 minute morning break and a 1 hour lunch break (shorter days in early and late season, longer days mid-season). Thursdays will consist of a split-shift and will end later for most of the season, when we’ll be selling at the Fireweed Community Market in Whitehorse.

Compensation

The Team Member will receive a salary of $800/week, 5 paid days off in lieu of statutory holidays, and access to plenty of delicious seasonal B-grade herbs and vegetables.

Accommodation

The farm is remote and surrounded by beautiful wilderness. There is modest on-site accommodation available to some team members in exchange for in-kind contributions to the farm outside of regular work hours. There are also nearby rental accommodation options.

How to Apply

Les francophones sont invités à postuler en français.

Write a letter that includes the following information:

• Why do you want to be a farm Team Member at Sarah’s Harvest?
• Describe your farming experience.
• What are your top skills, strengths or qualities that you would bring to the farm?

Email your resume and letter to: sarahsharvest.yt@gmail.com 
Please mention you saw this at GoodWork.ca.

Interviews will be conducted on an on-going basis until the position is filled, so please apply as soon as possible if you think this opportunity is for you.