REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Positions: Farm Assistant (2 Positions)
Farm: Kendal Hills Farm
Location: Orono / Clarington / Durham, between Oshawa & Peterborough, Ontario

We are seeking two Farm Assistants to join our team for the 2022 growing season.

Contract Dates: April 1 - Oct 31, 2022 with possibility of extension
Salary Range: $15-17/hour, based on experience, with an end of season bonus
Hours of Work: 20 hours/week. Some early morning, evening and Saturday/Sunday availability is required.

We are seeking two Farm Assistants to take responsibility for daily farm operations including daily poultry and mushroom chores, routine supply, equipment and facility maintenance, and special farm projects. The successful candidates will be trained in routine farm tasks including mushroom cultivation and harvest, poultry care, equipment and machinery operation. Farm Assistants take initiative and responsibility for identifying and reporting problems and issues to others on the team.

How to Apply

Submit a current resume outlining your relevant experience and qualifications by email with the subject line "Farm Assistant" to emily@kendalhillsfarm.ca  Please indicate you saw this posting at FoodWork.

Duties

Poultry Care

• Regular animal care including feeding, watering, moving birds on pasture, placing chicks, catching and delivering mature birds for processing
• Monitor animal welfare, proactively identify and address concerns or problems
• Clean and disinfect brooder building and equipment, maintain equipment in good working order
• Organize and manage inventory of eggs, fresh and frozen chicken, monitoring quality
• Package meat and eggs for sale to retail and wholesale customers
• Follow biosecurity procedures and maintain flock records
• Monitor feed and supplies and communicate shortages and low inventory for routine orders from suppliers
• Clean, organize, repair and maintain poultry facilities, equipment and supplies

Mushroom Cultivation

• Regular mushroom harvest, pack and store fresh and dried mushrooms
• Place and remove mushroom blocks, monitor quality and contamination issues
• Maintaining sterile growing environment, routine cleaning and disinfecting space & equipment
• Monitor harvest yields, identify and address concerns with quality and quantity of mushroom harvest
• Organize mushroom storage, manage inventory flow for fresh and dried mushrooms
• Weigh, package and label mushrooms for sale to retail and wholesale customers, monitor quality

Farm Operations

• Routine cleaning and maintenance of equipment and machinery
• Transport livestock, feed, supplies and inventory to and from processors, suppliers and customers
• Monitor and proactively address problems or concerns around equipment, facilities, animal welfare or supplies
• Maintain clean and safe on-farm working conditions
• Assist with large projects including fencing, building maintenance etc

Land Stewardship

• Trail, fence and pasture maintenance
• Monitor and assist with management of wild foraging areas
• Manage waste and compost from poultry and mushroom production

Qualifications

• Interest and previous experience in sustainable agriculture, mycology, livestock farming
• Thoughtful, conscientious, showing good judgment and taking initiative
• Able to work quickly and efficiently with attention to detail and quality
• Trustworthy, able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Comfortable working with animals including dogs, poultry and other farm animals
• Physically able to lift 25kg
• Class G driver’s license preferred, experience operating farm machinery an asset
• Solid mathematical skills to calculate weights, prices and manage inventory of farm products and supplies
• All employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19

About our Farm

Kendal Hills Farm is 70 acres of rolling hills, forest, orchard and pasture located in the ecologically sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine. We raise mushrooms, eggs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and pork. Dave and Emily are committed to the principles of regenerative agriculture, working with the land to enrich soils, improve watersheds and respect the plants and animals that call this place home.

During the Covid-19 Pandemic, our farm also became home to the new Green Circle Food Hub and Graze & Gather, a virtual farmers market that works with small farms and food producers to bring local, sustainable food to households across the GTA. Through our work at Kendal Hills and the Green Circle, we dedicate ourselves to create a community of local farmers and food lovers for the future well being of people and the planet.

To apply, submit a current resume outlining your relevant experience and qualifications by email with the subject line "Farm Assistant" to emily@kendalhillsfarm.ca