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Incubator Farm Manager

Employer
Ecofarm
Location
MA, Massachusetts, US
Salary
Competitive
Closing date
Aug 16, 2022

View more

Sector
Consultancy/Private Sector
Field
Conservation science
Discipline
Land Management
Salary Type
Salary
Employment Type
Full time
Incubator Farm Manager at New Entry Sustainable Farming Project/Tufts University - 11070
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Job Title:

Incubator Farm Manager

New Entry Sustainable Farming Project/Tufts University

733 Cabot St 01915 Beverly , MA

US

Job Type:

Job

Employment Type:

Full-Time

Job Description:

The Incubator Farm Manager is responsible for providing year-round technical assistance (TA) and farm production and business training to small-scale beginning farmers, both on and off the field, on multiple aspects of farm enterprise development. Responsibilities include: managing New Entry's 15-acre fields and incubator farm sites at the historic Moraine Farm in Beverly, MA; maintaining associated farm equipment and infrastructure; developing and implementing land management and crop production plans using USDA Certified Organic production techniques and meeting MDAR CQP Food Safety protocols; and supporting producers to achieve commercial farm goals. In 2020, New Entry also began producing 3+ acres of wholesale crops for sale through the New Entry Food Hub, farm-to-school sales, food access, and other market channels as a demonstration and revenue generation effort to support farm operations. The Incubator Farm Manager is a vital part of the farmer training team and will share the responsibility of fulfilling farmer training grant deliverables and reporting requirements.

Incubator Farm Management (50% of effort)
• Manage New Entry's historic Moraine Farm property, including overseeing a dozen+ incubator farmer parcels and a demonstration plot using Certified Organic production practices;
• Develop and implement land/soil management plans for remaining fields including, but not limited to, wholesale crop production, small-scale grains, and cover crops;
• Establish clear roles and expectations at the incubator farms to support the needs of multiple constituents (growers, neighbors, land owners, historic preservation interests);
• Conduct farm operations including land preparation/tillage, custom tractor work, and the use/management of greenhouse, irrigation, cooling / storage, and other farm supplies and equipment in order to maximize impact of New Entry resources;
• Maintain farm equipment and facilities, including tractors, grounds, and other tillage equipment, greenhouses, and irrigation systems in order to ensure continuity of incubator farm operations;
• Equipment upkeep, management, maintenance, and capital procurement as needed to operate the farm;
• Determine equipment and supply needs and make purchases necessary to support the work of the incubator farm and the organization as a whole;
• In conjunction with farmer training staff, coordinate, mentor, and supervise volunteers, farm interns, and work-study students in order to maximize impact;
• Network with peers and implement best practices from other incubator farm programs.

Farmer Training and Business Development (40% of effort)
• Provide hands-on instruction related to crop production methods in organic/regenerative agriculture at the incubator farms;
• Teach components of other New Entry farmer trainings and educational programs (Farm Business Planning Course, Explore Farming, Crop Production, Direct Marketing, and other advanced farmer workshops);
• Provide feedback and support on business plan development and evaluation for all students and work with students to meet the required business development standards for ongoing New Entry program participation;
• Help prepare and support business class participants interested in starting farm businesses on the incubator farm;
• Provide comprehensive individual technical assistance (TA) to beginning and advanced farmers in order to help them attain farm business planning and crop production goals;
• Support farmers in recordkeeping, USDA and Farm Bill program eligibility, and connections to external resources;
• Track farmer competency and skills development through a comprehensive case management system and data collection and tracking systems in New Entry's cloud-based Salesforce CRM.

Grants and Data Management Support (10% of effort)
• Complete project deliverables that fall within the scope of the Incubator Farm Manager's training and educational resource development responsibilities, and support completion of deliverables for the farmer training team;
• Submit reports for a small portfolio of grants based on each funders' reporting guidelines in a timely manner;
• Provide input on grant proposal project narratives as needed;
• Manage technical assistance notes on each farmer via our Case Management System in Salesforce;
• Support annual farmer survey collection.

Education & Experience:

- Bachelor's degree OR experience equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in agricultural training and multiple aspects of farming;
• Agricultural training and experience in multiple aspects of farming and farm enterprise is essential;
• At least three years' experience in providing instruction/mentorship/supervision in the areas of crop production, marketing, and business planning;
• Experience in adult education and teaching to diverse learning styles;
• Experience in regenerative agriculture, complying with Certified Organic production and record-keeping requirements, and promoting reduced tillage practices to conserve soil health;
• Ability to build relationships with early-stage beginning farmers and immigrant and refugee farmer participants;
• Friendly, personable, good sense of humor, demonstrates empathy, and ability to maintain positive relationships under pressure;
• Ability to manage large groups of volunteers;
• Highly organized and good attention to detail;
• Self-motivated, self- directed;
• Strong leadership and diplomacy skills;
• Ability to manage multiple competing tasks and work well within a rapidly-changing environment;
• Excellent customer service, organizational, and interpersonal skills;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills;
• Familiarity with federal and private grants proposals and reports, or willingness to learn.

Application Instructions:

To apply, please apply through the Tufts HR/Jobs portal. For any questions about the position, please email Kevin Cody, (kevin.cody@tufts.edu ) Farmer Training Program Manager.

Support the next generation of EcoFarmers

2901 Park Avenue, Suite D-2
Soquel, CA 95073
831.763.2111 (M-F, 9-5 PST)
info@eco-farm.org

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