Jobs

May 2024: We’re hiring!

Two Farmers Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm that has operated in Scarborough, Maine since 2013. We are a tractor-powered farm specializing in growing salad greens, carrots, and parsnips for local and regional wholesale customers, including hunger-relief organizations, distributors, stores and restaurants. Each season, we grow approximately 6 acres of vegetables and 10 acres of cover crops. Everything we grow is certified Organic by MOFGA and GAP-certified by the USDA.

We are a values-driven operation that strives to grow top-quality produce and offer excellent service to our customers while also achieving excellent land stewardship and equitably supporting all members of the farm team. Two Farmers Farm is a team of three people: the “two farmers” (Kelsey & Dominic) and one farm worker. Together, we rely on a small fleet of specialized, tractor-based equipment that helps us accomplish our work safely and efficiently, while minimizing our fatigue. Our management approach is focused on health and safety, designing efficient systems, good communication, and fostering a work environment that benefits everyone.

We think that you’ll like working with us, but don’t take our word for it! Read employee testimonials.

Now Hiring: Farm Worker

Overview

Pay: $23.25/hour + benefits
Schedule: Monday-Friday
Hours per week: 40 hours/week May-November; 16-24 hours/week December-March (approximately 1,700 hours/year)
Start Date: May 2024
End Date: This is a temporary position with a flexible end date between January-March 2025.

Job Scope

This is an essential position involved in many aspects of the farm including harvesting, hand weeding, washing and packing produce as well as delivering orders to our wholesale customers. This is a rewarding position for someone who enjoys manual labor and outdoor work in all seasons, is comfortable working independently, and communicates proactively with their supervisors. Two Farmers Farm is a values-driven, production-oriented work environment where we enjoy each other’s company while focusing on efficiently growing healthy food for our community.

All responsibilities and duties must be performed efficiently, safely, and in compliance with our food safety protocols. The following list represents the most common tasks. Major weekly tasks like harvesting and washing produce are done as a group. In addition to group tasks, a significant amount of working hours are, after training, spent working independently. Activities that take up the majority of working hours are in bold.

Harvest and post-harvest:

Harvesting: salad greens are harvested mechanically 2 days/week Mar-Oct; carrots are harvested mechanically 3-4 times total Aug-Oct
Washing & packing: salad greens are washed using dunk tanks & commercial spinners 2 days/week Mar-Oct; carrots are washed using a barrel washer 1-2 days/week Sept-Mar. Salad greens and carrots are packed manually.
Wash and sanitize crates with a rinse conveyor approximately once/week Mar-Oct
Daily setup and cleanup of washing facility
Complete GAP food safety training and comply with that training at all times
Annually deep clean walk in coolers, washing facility and equipment, farm vehicles, etc.

Delivery:

Deliver orders to customers 1.5 days/week May-Oct and 1 day /week Nov-Mar. Includes loading/unloading a 14’ refrigerated box truck by hand and/or with a manual pallet jack and lift gate.
At all times, practice defensive driving and safely operate a 14’ refrigerated box truck, without crashes and/or traffic violations
Promptly communicate all potential vehicle mechanical and/or safety concerns to Kelsey/Dominic
Be kind, helpful, and professional when interacting with customers and the public

Production:

Hand weed carrots approximately 8 hours/week Jun-Sep
Manually deploy sandbags, wire hoops and insect exclusion netting on salad greens, and use a shovel to bury netting edges
Assist with irrigation: operating pump, monitoring, minor repairs, moving pipe, system deployment, system winterizing, etc
Maintenance & repair: high tunnel deconstruction and other farm maintenance/repair tasks

General:

Work independently with attention to detail, efficiency, and time management
“Safety first” mindset in all aspects (equipment, food safety, pesticides, driving, weather exposure etc.)
Complete pesticide safety training and comply with that training daily. Mix and handle organic-approved sanitizers and rodent bait in compliance with Worker Protection Standards.
Complete daily records in Google Sheets for harvesting, packing, orders, food safety etc.
Operate a string trimmer to maintain edges around farm infrastructure
Shovel snow on regularly scheduled work days
Do farm chores when Kelsey and Dominic are unavailable/on vacation (typically 1-2 weeks in winter and 1-2 weekends during growing season, scheduled in advance)

Communication:

Accurately follow verbal and written instructions including Standard Operating Procedures
Proactively ask questions, seek advice, and voice concerns in a timely and constructive manner
Prepare for and actively participate in regular one-on-one meetings with Kelsey/Dominic to give and receive constructive feedback

Required Qualifications:

Previous outdoor employment
Previous manual labor employment
Competence working independently in an effective and efficient manner
Proactive and professional communication skills
Attention to detail
Ability to accurately follow written and verbal instructions
Ability to maintain a positive attitude while working hard
Ability to safely lift and carry 50 lbs occasionally and safely lift and carry 25 lbs repeatedly
Ability to be standing/walking all day long
Ability to bend, squat, kneel, crouch, reach and lift repeatedly all day
Ability to work outdoors all day, and in hot/humid and cold/wet conditions for prolonged periods.
Valid US driver’s license
Driving history without major violations (you must pass a motor vehicle report background check for our auto insurance)

Desired Qualifications:

Track record of safe operation of a 14’ box van, box truck, or other similarly sized vehicle
Enthusiasm for efficiency (performing quickly, accurately, and effectively)
Previous employment in commercial outdoor agriculture/horticulture

Basic schedule & time off parameters:

This schedule projection is based on our best estimate of how the season will progress. Though uncommon, this position may require more or fewer hours, depending on actual circumstances.

Scheduled time off must be requested at least 1 week in advance.

May-November: Tue/Wed/Fri 7:30am-4pm, Mon/Thu 6:30am-3pm for greens harvest/wash/pack (includes an unpaid 30-minute lunch break)

Mon/Thu (greens harvest/wash/pack days) include a paid morning snack break after greens harvest is finished
Greens harvest & associated early start/end occasionally happens Wed instead of Thu, due to weather and/or crop size
Some overtime (typically ~4 hours/month) may be required to complete deliveries & field work
Additional overtime and/or weekend shifts may be required to complete carrot harvests
We strive to provide compensatory time off as soon as possible following mandatory overtime
This position may schedule up to one Friday off in any calendar month between April 1 and Fall break** (not including unforeseen sick days). Time off on days other than Friday is generally not possible due to our harvest & delivery schedule.
**Fall break: we close for 3-5 consecutive business days in November around Thanksgiving

December-March:Tuesday + 1-2 additional days/week determined by employee availability. 7:30am-4pm/5pm (includes an unpaid 30-minute lunch break)

Standard work days end at 4pm; root wash days end between 4pm-5pm depending on workload
Work week may be 2 or 3 days, depending on the volume of fall root harvest. Tuesdays are mandatory for deliveries but there is flexibility for scheduling the other 1-2 days.
Optional additional hours for snow shoveling and/or may be available
This position may schedule up to 6 days off between Winter break* and April 1st. These days off may be consecutive (i.e. up to two full work weeks in a row)
*Winter break: we close for 3-5 consecutive business days in December around Christmas

Compensation & Benefits:

Paid hourly, $23.25/hour
Overtime pay at 1.5 times your hourly rate for hours over 40 per week
Paid time off accrued at a rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked
IRA match up to 3% of annual wages
Accountable reimbursement plan for essential gear
Workers compensation insurance
Free TFF produce (surplus/“seconds”) for your own use

Farm Worker Accountable Reimbursement Plans (“ARPs”)

To be eligible for ARPs, employee must have worked at Two Farmers Farm for at least five days.
To apply for reimbursement, employee must email receipts, or photos of receipts to Kelsey at kelsey@twofarmersfarm.com. The receipt must include the name of the vendor, the item purchased, date of purchase, and the total dollar amount spent.
Only current employees are eligible for reimbursements – reimbursement requests submitted after termination or resignation cannot be processed.
This is a “use it or lose it” benefit. Reimbursement requests for each calendar year must be submitted promptly and unused funds cannot be rolled over to the new year.

Foul Weather Gear ARP eligible expenses include:

snow/rain pants or bibs, snow/rain coats, snow/rain boots, work gloves, pocket knife, other items as approved by Kelsey/Dominic

Chemical-Resistant Rubber Boots ARP eligible expenses include:

100% waterproof rubber boot, minimum 12” height, that is resistant to acids, corrosives and other contaminants.

Waterproof Phone Case ARP eligible expenses include:

100% waterproof phone case.

Application Process

To apply, please email kelsey@twofarmersfarm.com with the following:

Your resume or a list of your work history. For each job, please provide the company/organization name, dates of employment, your job title, and a list or summary of your responsibilities/achievements.
A brief (1-3 paragraph) email or attached letter that includes the following:
1. Introduction to yourself and why you are interested in working with us at Two Farmers Farm.
2. What interests you about the specific position you are applying for and why do you feel you would be a good fit.
3. Whether you have a valid driver’s license.
4. Your preferred start date or date range
5. Your preferred end date or date range.

We will contact the most qualified applicants to schedule a 15-30 minute introductory phone interview. Some applicants will then be offered an in-person and/or a working interview. Working interviews will be paid and followed by a reference check. Applicants are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Two Farmers Farm is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from all people regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.