Farm Assistant - Fall/Spring Semester

***APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS***

Professional resume

Cover letter describing why you are applying, the skills you bring to the position, your career area(s) of interest, and what you hope to professionally achieve from the internship. Submit when asked for additional documents.*

To apply, you MUST submit a resume and a cover letter to this application as an attachment. *Students who do not submit a resume and cover letter will not be considered for this position.

The Farm at Butler is a one-acre diversified farm located on Butler’s campus that produces a large variety of food crops for the Butler community and serves as an example of sustainable urban agriculture to the community at large. The Farm also provides an opportunity for place-based learning for various classes and groups centered around food systems, agro-ecology and sustainability. Student assistants will perform a variety of farm and garden related tasks as needed to further the farm’s daily operations and contribute to these goals. Students will have the opportunity to practice and enhance their attention to detail, initiative-taking, observation skills, systems-thinking, resilience, and responsibility to a team as they pursue their tasks.

Work Schedule 

​​8-10 hours/week, tbd based on class schedule​, plus availability to work an hour or so every 2-3 weekends.

Position Responsibilities

• ​​​Harvest, wash, record, and package produce as appropriate for its end-use. ​
• Manage weeds and soil, by hand and through the use of appropriate farm tools. ​
• Amend beds—for example, load, transport and unload wheelbarrows full of compost. ​
• Clean and organize—wash farm containers and tools as needed and store neatly. Wash, clean and/or organize farm spaces as needed. ​
• Mow grassy walkable areas of the farm. ​
• Manage pests through cultural practices such as physical exclusion or through hand-picking as needed ​
• Plant—transplanting or direct-seeding. 
• ​Prepare beds—may include removal of old crop material, measuring and re-forming permanent beds, weed management and amendment as mentioned above. ​
• Complete other tasks as identified by the farm manager​​

Required Qualifications

• Availability to work 8-10 hours/week, plus availability to work an hour or so every 2-3 weekends. 
• Commitment to the job schedule 
• Willingness to work hard physically to meet the demands and deadlines of the job in potentially all types of weather, and be prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear 
• Capacity for detail-oriented tasks and creative problem solving..

Preferred Qualifications

• ​​Individuals who have an appreciation for food production in the context of enhancing the ecological quality of the space. 
• Individuals who would like to feel a shared ownership of and responsibility to the farm. 
• Individuals who will notice and be concerned with a broader view than the specific task they’ve been assigned. 
• Individuals who value providing sustainably grown food to Butler dining grown right here on campus..

Other Expectations

• Maintain regular and punctual attendance. 
• Comply with University standards and policies. 
• Ensure confidentiality of information.