Location: Sunrise Farm, 1759 North Hartland Road/Route 5, White River Junction, VT with on-site composting project and CSA

Date and Time: Wednesday, August 28 - Thursday, August 29, 2024 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM  Come for both days or just one.  Need Day 1 or experience for Day 2 - classroom and lots of hands-on training

Instructors: Mark Hutchinson, International Consultant, former instructor for many years at Maine Compost School and UMaine; Cat Buxton, Grow More Waste Less, passionate composting and consultant; Vermont and New Hampshire regulators available for informal discussion of State composting regulations

Fee of $40/one day or $60/two days includes materials, breakfast, and lunch.

Visit https://tinyurl.com/MuniCompost or email Vickie at the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission for more information: [email protected] 603-448-1680.

Farm Description

Black Dirt Farm is an integrated and diversified agroecological family farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom designed to mimic the carbon cycle. We operate a year-round food scrap collection route to collect organic discards from our community. We strive to put this “waste” to as much positive use as we can by maximizing the number of positive outcomes we can with each carbon molecule while mitigating ecological and social disruption in the process.  We blend the food scraps into a compost mix which provides forage for our laying hens, then make compost and  worm castings with the excess food and manure, and finally, we sell and use the resulting  products to nourish soils and crops.  Our farm is firmly based in regenerative  agricultural and social practices, and the creation of an ecologically-thriving and socially-just community food system. As of 2021, we  diverted 13.6 million pounds of food scraps from the landfill, reducing greenhouse gas  emissions by the equivalent of not burning 603,598 gallons of gasoline and capturing  enough nitrogen to fertilize over 1,000 acres of mixed vegetable crops. 

Being a part of Black Dirt Farm means working in an environment that is both caring and efficient. The farm requires creative and driven individuals who can work as part of a dynamic and, often, fast-paced team, while also being individually responsible for managing one’s own tasks with professionalism and quality. 

At Black Dirt Farm we strive to create and support a thriving work environment.  We believe our time together as a crew should be fundamentally uplifting to each person as an individual, and that this in turn will contribute to a farm that is constantly learning, updating, growing and producing great products that serve our customers and community, and which we take pride in as a group.  For us, a thriving farm culture is diverse, inclusive, and equitable, where all Crew  Members, volunteers, and customers of all genders and gender identities, races,  ethnicities, religions, class, national origins, ages, sexual orientations, educations, or abilities feel valued and respected. We believe the farm is at its best when we have a diversity of people and experiences that inform what we do and how we do it. We respect and value diverse life  experiences and heritages, and work to ensure that all voices are valued and heard. To foster this in our community, Black Dirt Farm aspires to be a place where we all grow and feel at ease to be ourselves, but does not tolerate marginalizing behavior. 

To view full job descriptions, please visit our website at https://www.blackdirtfarm.com/

To apply, please email a resume`, cover letter, and three references to [email protected]

Music. Grown in Middlesex, Vermont for nearly two decades. Contact Sunnybrook Farm at [email protected]. 

Hi folks,

I’m looking for a place to build a small, simple cabin and have big flower gardens!

Ideally looking to buy a little piece of land (less than 1 acre) from a local farmer or arrange a stable long-term lease.  Somewhere quiet with water access and safe from flooding.  Would like to live close(ish) to a town for fun activities and marketing opportunities.  

Please get in touch if you’re interested or have any ideas.

Thank you!

Jenny

Old Time Flowers

www.oldtimeflowers.com
 

This a a homeowner property, not a business. We have a barn, a workshop and several acres of land that we keep up. We are looking for an individual to work for 20-25 hours a week who enjoys/tolerates : ) working outside in all seasons, and doesn't mind a fair amount of physical work. Some of the tasks that need doing regularly are feeding and general care of horses along with keeping the barn clean and organized. There is also tractor work, brush clearing, fence repairs and basic carpentry projects. It would be helpful to be familiar with equipment and power tools, to have mechanical skills and to be handy with fixing things in general. We have an outdoor wood boiler that heats our home and part of the barn. Once the cold weather sets in again, there is firewood to handle and the stove needs some maintenance to stay in good working order. This position can be flexible as far as days and hours. Reliability and compatibility are most important. Pay rate is based on experience and capabilities. With that said, we do believe in fair and living wages. We would ask for 2 past work references and 2 character references. If interested and/or would like to chat about this position, please contact me via email. Thanks!

Job Description – Property Caretaker

Type: Full-Time

Location: Charlotte, VT

Start Date:  November 15, 2024 (Flexible)

Position Overview

Private family seeking a full-time caretaker for a large, rural property with expansive gardens, grounds and an additional nearby lakefront property.  The caretaker will be responsible for the overall maintenance and care of the property, animals (including horses, chickens, dogs and cats), gardens, grounds, and building structures.  This position directly supervises seasonal staff and serves as the liaison between the owners and all contractors hired to maintain the property.  This position is a 12 month position whose workload and tasks vary depending on the season.  

Primary Responsibilities

Gardening (50%)

• The kitchen garden is a highlight of the property and a significant amount of time is dedicated to planting, harvesting and maintaining the kitchen garden and adjacent edible landscape plantings. 
• The property also has extensive perennial gardens which the caretaker is responsible for maintaining.  Tasks include: composting, edging beds, weeding and annual pruning of perennial shrubs. 
• Working with the property owner to design and install new landscape plantings.  
• Designing and maintaining container plantings around both properties. 
• Purchasing and maintaining inventory of all gardening supplies

Animal Care (20%)

• Daily care of the horses, including feeding, grooming, and manure removal. 
• Facilitation of veterinary and farrier appointments.
• Ordering and maintaining grain stores and general supplies for the animals and barn.
• Maintaining paddocks and pastures, including fence repair and coordinating brush hogging and trimming.  
• Organizing and helping to bring in hay for the season.
• Cleaning and upkeep of the historic barn. 
• Care and exercise of dogs when owners are out of town.

Supervisory Duties (15%)

• Responsible for hiring and training seasonal assistants.
• Develop a weekly schedule of tasks and jobs for assistants and oversee work.

Property and Trail Maintenance (10%)

• Scheduling of all annual and seasonal property maintenance.
• Managing all contractors on the property including:  groundworks, plumbing, electrical,  painting, carpentry , window washing, lawn mowing, snow plowing, etc.
• Responsible for shoveling snow as necessary on all the property’s walk-ways and porches.
• Trail work - both properties have a network of walking and/or horseback riding trails that require regular maintenance such as weed whacking, hand trimming and clearing of downed branches and trees. 
• Upkeep and maintenance of seasonal spa. 

Household assistance (5%)

• Assisting with annual maintenance of vehicles.
• Coordinating holiday greenery order and decorating.
• Harvesting and arranging flowers for guests and special occasions.  
• Running errands and assisting in other capacities as needed. 

Required Qualifications 

• A minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• A minimum of 3 years of gardening experience.
• A minimum of 1 year of supervisory experience.
• Experience working with horses and other farm animals is preferred.  Must be comfortable around large animals. 
• Possess basic horticultural knowledge and experience in plant identification, pruning techniques, etc. and a willingness to learn new farming skills and/or gardening techniques.
• Comfortable operating and maintaining small farm equipment such as weed whacker, leaf blower, gas powered pruners, ATV.
• Valid drivers’ license and clean driving record

Required Skills

• Maintains a high level of discretion and confidentiality. 
• Proven success in ability to be flexible and adapt in a dynamic and collaborative work environment. 
• Detail oriented. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Must be reliable, proactive, and have a positive attitude.
• Able to make decisions quickly, with a proclivity of the owners’ preferences.
• Able and willing to work outdoors in adverse weather conditions.
• Must be able to lift a minimum of 50lbs. 

Salary & Benefits

Salary will be commensurate with experience.   The Caretaker position is a live-in position.  The caretaker cottage is a charming 2-bedroom and office farmhouse on 1 private acre with a conserved viewshed adjacent to the owners’ property.  It also has a detached garage and a barn.  All utilities are included.  Flexible vacation days and a health care allowance are also included in the benefits package.  

Application Process

Candidates should send a cover letter, resume, available start date, salary requirements, and three references to Tacy Lincoln at [email protected] .  No phone calls please.

The Center for an Agricultural Economy (CAE) in Hardwick Vermont, is looking for reliable individuals to join our Just Cut production team! We currently have full and part time openings. CAE’s social enterprise, Just Cut, has two primary goals; fair prices for our farm partners, and consistent, high-quality local products for institutions such as schools, hospitals, and colleges. This job is working in an industrial kitchen setting where safe food handling practices, working closely with a team, and attention to detail are required. The ability to lift 50 pounds repeatedly and work on your feet all day is a necessity.

JOB DETAILS
Position: Just Cut Production Assistant
Reports to: Just Cut Program Manager
Schedule: 20-40 hours (currently have openings for both full and part time)
Compensation: $18.50 per hour, non-exempt
Benefits: Paid Time Off, SIMPLE IRA, quarterly phone stipend, professional development compensation, Health insurance, Health savings account, Employer-paid short-term disability and life insurance if weekly average exceeds 20 hours

HIRING PROCESS
We are looking to fill this job position immediately and will accept applications until the position is filled. Selected candidates will have an initial phone interview, followed by a tour of Just Cut’s kitchen space. Candidates will be asked to provide references. CAE is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. CAE will make any reasonable accommodations needed for individuals with disabilities during the interview process and for our staff. For accommodation inquiries, please email us!


TO APPLY
Check out the full job posting on our website and email us your resume and include “Just Cut Production Assistant” in your email subject line. We’re interested to hear your thoughts on any life or work experience as it relates to this position. Let us know if you have any questions!