ORGANIC / MARKET GARDENING

Hiring: Team Lead
Farm: Root Radical CSA
Location: Howe Island, Kingston area, Ontario
Also hiring: Team members

We are seeking a passionate and hard-working leader to join our team working in our 3-acre organic vegetable gardens and greenhouse!

About us: Root Radical Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) is a successful organic farm which has grown a wide variety of vegetables since 2007. We sell our vegetables through the CSA model to about 250 member households in Kingston and on Howe Island. We are known for our high-quality great-tasting vegetables, our friendly, organized and accommodating customer service, and the environmental education opportunities offered to our community.

We are a team of about six people. In the garden, most work is done by hand or with human-powered tools. We use tractors for moving compost and soil mix, preparing the gardens for planting, and for other heavy lifting. We use drip irrigation and season-extension techniques in our fields. We also produce tomatoes, sweet peppers, cucumbers, greens, and transplants in our 2300 sq. ft. greenhouse and caterpillar tunnel.

We harvest vegetables for two delivery days each week. The rest of the week we do seeding, greenhouse management, making soil mix, planting, hoeing, hand weeding, washing, and packing vegetables. In the shoulder seasons we work on infrastructure projects, garden preparation, and garden clean up.

Root Radical CSA is located on Howe Island between Kingston and Gananoque. The CSA uses 3 acres on our 84-acre farm that includes hayfields, permanent pastures, gardens, and wooded areas. Root Radical CSA is a woman-led farm, and Emily Dowling is the main CSA farmer. For more information about Root Radical CSA, please browse our website: rootradical.ca

The Team Leader Role: We are looking for someone to join our farm in the Team Lead role with a flexible start date between mid-March and end of April 2023. This role is for someone with 2+ seasons of experience working on organic or ecological vegetable farms, and 1+ years of leadership experience in any relevant setting. We are seeking someone who is looking for a farm to commit to for several growing seasons.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively within our three-person leadership team to manage the production of a diverse mix of vegetables for the CSA, while also working on the production crew and being a leader and role model for the rest of the crew.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Communicating and working with Emily and the rest of the CSA team to produce over 40 crops for our vegetable CSA.
• Being a team leader and helping with training, mentoring, and motivating farm crew members to work together collaboratively and efficiently to meet time goals.
• Fostering supportive and constructive working relationships with all team members.
• Working safely and setting an example.
• Leading one out of every three of our weekly team meetings.
• From mid-March to late April, working independently to set up the greenhouse, make soil blocks and seed all early-season transplants.
• Starting in late April, working within the three-person leadership team to help train and lead the vegetable production crew while working alongside the crew to:
  • make soil mixes, seed, and block up late season transplants from late April to September,
  • spread soil amendments, prepare beds, direct seed, and transplant in the gardens,
  • set up crop productions aids (e.g. irrigation, row cover and ground cover),
  • weed and hoe crops,
  • set up trellises for various crops and prune tomatoes,
  • cut grass and weeds near gardens, buildings, and electric fences, and
  • any other tasks required to support vegetable production.
  • harvest, wash and pack vegetables as a member of the harvest crew 2 days per week.
• Assisting with irrigation, tractor work, cleaning, maintenance, and infrastructure projects as required.
• End of season clean up including:
• planting cover crops,
• spreading soil amendments,
• putting away tools and crop production aids,
• taking soil samples, and
• tidying and cleaning tools and buildings.

Qualifications:

• Two or more growing seasons of vegetable farming experience.
• Ability to create and maintain good working relationships, communicate clearly, give quality feedback and be a motivating and positive role model for the rest of the farm crew.
• Be ready to dig in, get dirty and work hard. Applicants must be committed, reliable people who will show up on time, always strive to do their best at work, and be prepared and willing to work in all sorts of weather conditions.
• Physical strength, flexibility, dexterity, and endurance are required. Must be able to lift and carry heavy bins.
• Having a G or G2 driver’s licence and having your own transportation to the farm is a must for this position.

Wage: $20 to $22.25 per hour, depending on experience. (That works out to approximately $26,500 to $29,500 for the whole season, and the successful candidate may be eligible for E.I. in the off-season.) Additional perks include vegetables, a ferry pass and reimbursements for medical expenses, work gear, and strength training.

Expected Schedule:

Months // Approximate # of weeks // Expected # of work hours/week // Expected # of work days/week

• Mid-March to early May — 9 weeks, 24 hrs/wk, 3 days/wk
• Early May to mid-Sept. — 19 weeks, 40 hrs/wk, 5 days/wk
• Mid-Sept. to mid-Nov. —  9 weeks, 40 hrs/wk, 5 days/wk
• Total — 37 weeks

Hours of Work: Typically, we start work at 6:45 or 7:30 AM and finish between 3:00 and 4:30 PM depending on the day. Lunch is unpaid and is usually a half hour in length. Whenever possible two 15-minute breaks are incorporated into our day.

Weather: On harvest days, we work rain or shine. However, our other work (planting, weeding, etc.) can be weather-dependent. There may be some days when we would not work because of heavy rain that day or the day before. In exceptional weather circumstances, during our busiest times in the season, staff may be asked to work weekends to make up for days missed during the week due to inclement weather.

Job Sharing: If you are interested in job sharing, please submit your application as a package with your co-applicant and please include in your cover letter a proposal for how you would share the responsibilities of the position.

Equity Hiring: We know that not everyone starts from the same place because of systemic advantages and barriers. We acknowledge this and encourage applications from people who typically face barriers to working in the agricultural sector.

Perks: Farming is hard work, but working at Root Radical CSA also has benefits including…

• Lots of high quality, organic vegetables to eat. Staff receive CSA shares and have access to seconds and leftovers.
• Benefits package. Vegetables, a ferry pass, reimbursements for medical expenses, specialty work clothing, and strength training.
• Work-life balance. Weekend work is not usually required, and farm staff finish between 3:30 and 4:30 PM most days. Additionally, we are a farm that structures breaks into our daily schedule and we are a team that co-ordinates and plans ahead so that days off for staff to recharge are an option.
• Diversity of work. Working on a small acreage with a diverse set of crops means less monotony and doing a lot of different kinds of tasks throughout the week and as the seasons shift.
• Teamwork. Being a part of a team of self-motivated, hardworking, caring people who are nice to be around. We have structured team building activities and make a point of celebrating together throughout the season.
• Responsibility. Building on your prior farm experience and keeping the work interesting and challenging by moving into a leadership role.
• Clear expectations. As part of the hiring process, an extensive document is provided explaining how to succeed at Root Radical. Throughout the season, we meet regularly as a team to share weekly work goals.
• Outdoor work. Being out in beautiful weather (most of the time), and not sitting or standing in one spot all day long.
• Pride in your work. Doing important work, raising great organic vegetables for local people who really appreciate good food and their farmers.
• Challenges. Becoming stronger both physically and mentally by challenging yourself.
• Building a better world. Contributing in a very real way to environmental and social justice. Helping a local family farm succeed.
• Ecological connection. Learning about ecology firsthand and deepening your relationship with the land that feeds you.

To apply please email your resume and cover letter to: rootradicalcsa@gmail.com

Please indicate you saw this posting at FoodWork.

Please send your application as soon as possible. Interviews for this role will be happening on a rolling basis until the position is filled