Equine and Livestock Manager | Lake Placid, NY

About North Country School & Camp Treetops

Located on the outskirts of Lake Placid, NY, North Country School & Camp Treetops sit on a 220-acre campus amid majestic mountain peaks in New York State's Adirondack Park. Since 1921 and 1938 respectively, we have been nationally renowned for pioneering educational programs rooted in progressive practices and experiential learning. Both Camp and School guide children to engage the natural world, take on intellectual and physical challenges in a nurturing community, and cultivate independence and creativity. 

Position Overview

North Country School & Camp Treetops seek a professional Equine and Livestock Manager to help manage its large diversified working farm—one that works in harmony within a dynamic ecosystem and feeds and educates its campus community. In this role, you will join a dynamic farm team to blend educational programming with hands-on farm management, equine care, animal husbandry, and maintaining and caring for the soil on which the farm’s animals and plants are raised. This includes participating in long-term planning of the farm, contributing thoughtful ideas and practices to its overall operations, and serving as an educator who regularly interfaces with students and campers ranging in age from 8-15. 

What You Will Do

As an integral member of the full-time farm staff, you will work closely with a small group of farmers and educators to execute programming for both Camp and School. Your responsibilities will include and are not limited to; leading twice daily barn chores with children and adults, supporting ongoing farm connections between Camp and School programs, daily medical care for animals, animal husbandry, specifically breeding sheep, English riding lessons, mentoring new farmers each season, and collaborating with your colleagues on new and innovative ideas connected to sustainable agriculture in the Adirondacks. All of this work will be done in close collaboration with the Educational Farm Director to develop and implement animal welfare standards, ensuring they align with sustainable agriculture practices and equine care protocols.

How You Will Spend Your Time

Livestock and Animal Husbandry (30% of time)

Alongside the farm team, the biggest portion of your work will be spent attending to the farm’s resident animals, including 200 laying hens, 100 meat birds, 15-30 turkeys, 10-15 pigs, 20-50 sheep, and a herd of 10-15 horses. You will:

• Oversee all aspects of daily care, feeding, wellbeing, and support system maintenance to implement best practices for our diverse set of animals. 
• Perform daily tasks including, but not limited to: tending to the water and food of all livestock, vaccinating, weighing, sorting and tagging animals, moving animals within rotational grazing plan through pastures, organizing supplies, building and moving electrical fences, monitoring grass levels, and mucking stalls.
• Assist with the planning and maintenance of rotational grazing systems to promote pasture health and sustainable land use.
• Assist in the harvesting of our meat birds, laying hens, and turkeys with campers and students, including coordinating harvest dates and transportation of larger livestock for off-site harvesting. 
• Assist in the breeding and birthing of lambs (you may be on call at all hours of the day or night during lambing season). 
• Being on-call as needed to conduct night visits to check on sick or nursing animals, or animals that are in the barns overnight. 
• Assist in the purchasing of animals for our program and maintain livestock records and develop yearly program plans for Camp and School. For our horse herd, this includes buying/leasing and selling of horses for use in our riding program for Camp and School. 
• Work closely with the Educational Farm Director and keep them up-to-date on any livestock issues in a timely manner. 

Equine Management (20% of time)
Another significant element of your role will be managing our herd of 10-15 horses, working to provide them with comprehensive care through feeding, grooming, health monitoring, basic first aid, maintaining the barns where they reside, and overseeing their general health and wellness through the coordination of veterinary visits, farrier appointments, and managing equine health records. You will also help to lead Camp and School’s English horseback riding program while ensuring the wellbeing of both riders and horses as you teach campers and students how to care for horses. During the School year (September-May), this includes finding ways to incorporate our herd into the academic curriculum while maintaining the health and wellness of the herd through regular training. During the Camp season (June-August) this includes participation in the annual riding clinic, helping to teach riding lessons, and supporting and mentoring riding counselors. You will help train faculty, staff, and counselors on horse care and safety throughout the year. 

Farm Intern and Staff Coordination (20% of time)

In this role, you will work closely with the Educational Farm Director as well as Camp and School Directors to ensure staff and interns are effectively utilized and receive a high-quality, educational experience. Alongside the Educational Farm Director this will include mentoring a team of two to six farm interns, in addition to supporting the scheduling, training, professional development, and overseeing them as they help to manage daily tasks across the farm in connection to Camp and School programming. As part of this, you will support teachers in connecting their classroom to the farm and counselors as they facilitate farm-based activities for campers through the ongoing development of a farm-based curriculum and integration of that into programming for both Camp and School. 

Operational Support (20% of time)

This position will ensure for the smooth operations of the farm, particularly in managing equine and livestock equipment and infrastructure. This ranges from maintaining all electronet movable fencing, permanent electric fencing, and working to improve those systems, to leading hay deliveries with children and adults in our community. You will also participate in planning and executing farm improvement projects, including sustainability initiatives and work closely with the farm team to execute a variety of farm projects, including regular carpentry.

Vegetable Garden and Perennial Crop Support (10% of time, seasonally)

Alongside other members of the farm team, you will assist with our three acres of production gardens, 100-ft-high tunnel, 50-ft heated greenhouse, edible forest garden, 11-acre tapped sugar bush, rotating drum composter, and two teaching kitchens. This includes assisting with the maintenance and harvesting of the vegetable garden and perennial spaces, supporting the integration of crop production with livestock and pasture management for sustainable farm practices, and assisting the farm team with seed starting, maple sugaring, composting, and field work.

The Skills You Bring to Our Community 

• Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science, Sustainability, Earth Sciences, Agricultural Education
• Demonstrated ability to manage livestock with 1-3 years experience
• Past equine experience working with and caring for horses
• Prior experience working with and educating children on a working farm 

The Values You Bring to Our Community 

• A collaborative, welcoming, joyful, and inclusive approach
• Deep appreciation for the natural world, animals, plants, and community 
• Passion for working with others and collaborating with like-minded farmers to build upon a 100+ year farming legacy
• Desire to improve the land we grow on and farm using regenerative agricultural practices
• Curiosity and a desire to continuously learn
• Warmth, grace, kindness, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone
• Independence and ability to be a self-starter
• Openness and strength in the face of challenges
• The desire for a highly collaborative work environment that values innovation and creativity
• Attention to detail, cleanliness, and organization

The Benefits of Working Here

In addition to a competitive salary ranging from $42-55K (dependent on experience) you will enjoy:

• On-campus housing
• Health insurance 
• A retirement plan with TIAA
• Personal time off
• Paid family leave
• Tuition remission for North Country School & Camp Treetops
• Childcare stipend
• Vegetables and food from the farm when in season
• Seasonally sourced daily meals
• Miles of walking/hiking/skiing trails, rock climbing crag, ski hill
• Access to on-campus woodshop and ceramics studio

How to Apply

To apply, please send your resume with a cover letter to [email protected] [email protected]. As part of the application process, you will be required to complete a nationwide criminal background check.

Our Mission and Values
North Country School and Camp Treetops strives to create a community that gives children the self-confidence, knowledge, skills, and values to lead satisfying and productive lives while contributing to their world.

We are a values-driven community and seek to have a positive impact the world around us by living out our core values on and off campus:

• Cultivate Community: We believe in the inherent value and contributions of every person, and in fostering connections to build and nurture a strong, inclusive community.
• Walk a Mile: We believe that understanding and honoring every person’s unique worldview, experiences, and challenges is at the root of empathy and compassion.
• Dig Deep, Keep Growing: We believe that by setting ambitious goals, working hard, and persevering, we build strength and character and set a course for lives of growth, purpose, and fulfillment.
• Stay Curious: We believe in the power of creativity and wonder. We believe that curiosity about ourselves, other people, and the world around us leads to growth, innovation, and sometimes unconventional ideas.
• Our Planet, Our Job: We believe in individual and collective responsibility for our planet, and in leading by example as a community that works to respect, protect, and restore the natural world.

The 5 Guiding Principles of our Farm
Through active, daily participation in our farm and garden, children will:

1. Learn to care for an animal and know what it means to nurture another being.
2. Begin to understand where their food comes from and participate in the process of growing and harvesting food.
3. Gain a sense of the life cycle of plants and animals, and the interconnectedness of all organisms.
4. Recognize the importance of their contributions to the functioning of our community.
5. Develop a strong connection to the natural world and a future interest in protecting it.

Rebop Farm is hiring for an employee to work year round on our diversified livestock farm.  

Brattleboro, Vermont

Year round; 50/50  farm worker & retail assistant manager

Rebop Farm 

Position start date: December 2024

Hours: variable depending on the season; this position requires weekend work.

Wage: $18/hr starting, with 2 weeks PTO yearly on an accrual basis.

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Rebop Farm is a small, diversified, grass based, and primarily organic practice livestock and dairy operation in Brattleboro, Vermont. We focus on producing high quality products using intensive rotational grazing practices, interspecies grazing, and systems stacking. Year round, we manage a small herd of Jersey dairy cows for raw milk production, as well as a 55 ewe, avg 100 lamb flock of Katahdin sheep, bee hives, 500 tap sugar bush, and seasonally produce 1700 mixed poultry, and 80 feeder pigs. We slaughter 1000 poultry on-farm yearly. We believe that these systems and diversity of animals allow us to be better stewards of our soils and watershed; of our animals’ health and well being, and ultimately, the health of our customers and the community we feed. 

Our products are distributed through a raw milk and meat CSA, wholesale and restaurant accounts, through farmers’ markets, and an on-farm retail store that we stock with our products, as well as over 90 other farms’, bakers, and specialty food producers’ products. The farm also maintains a small event space that hosts farm dinners, concerts, workshops, and provides space for other organizations to hold events. 

Qualifications & Expectations:

• Strong interest in livestock farming, specifically small scale dairy 
• Able to maintain a positive attitude in a fast paced work environment 
• An efficient worker
• Self-motivated and self-aware
• Dependable and have access to reliable transportation
• Willing and able to accept feedback gracefully, and adapt accordingly
• Eager to learn
• Comfortable working both in groups and independently
• A problem solver
• Detail oriented and observant
• Comfortable working outdoors in all weather conditions
• Able to lift and carry 50 lbs, stand for extended periods of time, and crouch or bend over for extended periods of time. This job can be very physical.

 Responsibilities:

• Shared barn/non dairy animal chores
• Working in the dairy room, jarring milk, washing bulk tank and maintaining clean, sanitary and functional workspace
• General farm work, including but not limited to fence moving, weed wacking, animal care, pasture maintenance, sugarbush work
• Helping with poultry slaughter days 
• Garden and orchard harvesting, cultivating, and maintenance 
• Some winter processing of farm products (ie: preserving, canning)
• Helping with farm events: set up, break down, assisting with various agritourism related tasks 
• Stocking and maintaining farm store, helping fulfill CSA and special orders
• Working 1-2 farmer’s markets weekly, depending on season

We have a variety of on-farm housing options available. 

We are especially interested in applicants that are excited to become a long-term employee, as our farm continues to grow. 

To apply for the Rebop Farm position, please email a resume and cover letter to: [email protected] 

Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center (East Thetford, VT) is looking for a detail oriented, positive team member to manage our greenhouse and outdoor cut flower systems, develop a robust native perennial plant enterprise and make an impact in a mission driven organization that focuses on agricultural education and research.
                                                           

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Annual and Perennial (A&P) Manager is responsible for all of Cedar Circle’s annual and perennial plant growing environments, including propagation areas, retail greenhouses, garden retail area, outdoor cut flower garden, and perennial nursery. This position is responsible for all annual and perennial growing environments and the management of a team of seasonal staff to accomplish department goals. The ideal candidate will be excited about developing educational opportunities and finding creative ways to connect community members and visitors to our farm and production systems. By working closely with our retail, education, and marketing staff, the A&P manager ensures that visitors are provided with top notch customer service and are educated about the products and systems at CCFEC.

We are currently in a transition period where we are focusing both our retail perennial area and cut flower garden on perennial ‘Plants with a Purpose'—native, local ecotype, pollinator support, and herbal plants that build ecosystem function on our landscape and empower our community members to have a positive impact in the face of biodiversity loss and climate change. Candidates for this position should be excited about native plants and eager to help build out our nursery and educational offerings to this end.

Read the full job description and apply on our website: https://cedarcirclefarm.org/about/job/annual-and-perennial-department-manager.

Apply by November 30th for first consideration. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis after this date until the position is filled.