Part-Time Harvester/ Farmhand

May through October P/T 2024

Earth Apple Organic Farm is a small, mixed, organic vegetable farm business that operates at the Glen Valley Organic Farm Cooperative in North-West Abbotsford, BC. We grow over 30 different crops to supply our CSA members, restaurants, farmers market collective and some wholesale. We also have a heavy focus and specialize in our New Mountain Organic Garlic venture, to supply seed garlic for our own online store and to other seed companies.  We are seeking a dynamic individual to help us harvest and assist in the smooth operations of our regular day to day farm operations.

We follow the ebbs and flows of the season and hence the hours fluctuate somewhat, but on average sit around 16+ hours/week and/or there is the option of combining this position with another part-time position in our CSA program as a packer.  We harvest and prep produce every Monday and Tuesday with occasional field work when time permits. CSA packing is Wednesday and Thursday every week. Learn more about the CSA packing position here.

Qualities and skills we are seeking:

• Motivated and driven by values for healthy, organic food and sustainable agriculture
• Previous experience working on a farm, working with produce or outdoor work an asset
• Flexible and capable of flowing with the changes; perseveres in problem solving
• Detail-oriented, can stay on task and great at time management
• High endurance for repetitive work
• Physically fit (good core strength, good knees and back) and capable of carefully lifting upwards of 40 lbs (with assistance when necessary of course
• Great communication skills, aware of non-violent communication styles and can constructively work through conflict resolution
• Keen awareness and interest in following and enforcing safety protocols and ensuring a safe work environment for all
• Committed, dedicated and seeking to contribute to and participate in a small, healthy and fun farming community
• Knowledge of food safe handling practices, however training is provided

Field and Harvest Duties:

• Work both independently and with one other person or often a crew of people on a range of tasks relating to:
  • Harvesting, bunching, sorting, washing and inventory of vegetables
  • Trellising, pruning, weeding
• Reporting to Lead farmhand and Owners any issues that arise around quality control, plant pest concerns, errors or any concerns
• Field clean-up and winter preparation (removing plant material from cold frames, lifting reusable poly tarps and neatly folding/ labeling for next season, spreading cover crop seed, etc.
• Participate in regular check ins, meetings and track your labour hours to share with payroll

Compensation: We strive to ensure we meet or supersede living wage standards in Abbotsford.  

• Position pays $20.66/hour (according to living wage standards in Abbotsford) plus vacation paid semi-monthly 
• Perks include access to a grand cornucopia of organic produce and access to a beautiful farm property to enjoy on your breaks and time off.
• Affordable housing on-site may be an option.
• Paid course in occupational first aid.

Lead Farmhand

March through November F/T 2024

POSITION FILLED! We encourage you to check out our other opportunities in the field and with our Glen Valley Organic Farm CSA program.

Earth Apple Organic Farm is a small, mixed, organic vegetable farm business that operates at the Glen Valley Organic Farm Cooperative in North-West Abbotsford, BC. We grow over 30 different crops to supply our CSA members, restaurants, farmers market collective and some wholesale. We also have a heavy focus and specialize in our New Mountain Organic Garlic venture, to supply seed garlic for our own online store and to other seed companies.  We are seeking a dynamic individual serious in pursuing a career in this field to help us steward the land, manage crews, and generally assist in the smooth operations of our regular day to day farm operations.

This is a full-time position with affordable on-site housing available for the right candidate. We follow the ebbs and flows of the season and hence the hours fluctuate somewhat, but on average sit around 40-50 hours/week. This is a great opportunity for someone that loves farming, wants to share the lifestyle with others, but wants a regular pay cheque and doesn’t want to deal with the stresses that come with running their own business. However, we are also open to sharing our inner-workings of the business side of things should the successful candidate show interest.

 If you are a couple looking to work-share we are also open to discuss this possibility as the housing could suit two people willing to share the space.

Qualities and skills we are seeking:

• Motivated and driven by values for healthy, organic food and sustainable agriculture
• Previous experience in the field of agriculture (minimum of 1-2 years)
• Flexible and capable of flowing with the changes; perseveres in problem solving
• Strong organizational skills, detail-oriented, can stay on task and great at time management
• Proficient in multitasking and/or delegating and/or asking for assistance when necessary
• Familiarity and/or experience using motorized equipment: tractors, BCS, rototiller, brushcutter, chainsaw, manual/standard field truck, etc.
• Strong knowledge of organic vegetable production: pest management, fertility, harvesting, handling, storage, etc.
• Experience leading and motivating small crews; great at contributing to an inspiring work environment with diverse groups of people
• High endurance for repetitive work, from seeding hundreds of trays to weeding and transplanting into 500’ beds, and collectively bagging salad greens for hundreds of CSA members, etc
• Physically fit (good core strength, good knees and back) and capable of carefully lifting upwards of 50 lbs (with assistance when necessary of course)
• Adept or keen to learn farm planning software (we use Tend) for record-keeping and scheduling purposes
• Great communication skills, aware of non-violent communication styles and can constructively work through conflict resolution
• Keen awareness and interest in following and enforcing safety protocols and ensuring a safe work environment for all
• Committed, dedicated and seeking to contribute to and participate in a small, healthy and fun farming community
• First aid certification an asset, otherwise we pay for occupational first aid training
• Knowledge of food safe handling practices, but again training is provided

Field and Supervisory Duties:

• Work both independently and with one other person or often a crew of people on a range of tasks relating to:
  • Infrastructure maintenance (cold frames, trellising, building repairs/ maintenance)
  • Bed preparation (fertilizing, laying drip tape, mulch, tilling, stale-bedding, subsoiling, bed-shaping, etc)
  • Seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, sorting, sizing, washing and packing vegetables and some fruit
  • Food handling, washing, sorting, counting and packing
• Supervising labour crews on large fields tasks such as potato, carrot, onion, squash and annual garlic harvests and/or large-scale weeding or transplanting projects
• Assisting with tracking planting, harvest, pest management activities, etc into our software account with Tend
• Off-field duties or harvest shed duties, including preparing produce for sales: CSA boxes, farmers markets, wholesale deliveries– Ie. washing, bunching, bagging, boxing and following pick/prep lists for the week whilst ensuring quality-control and inventory
• Field clean-up and winter preparation (removing plant material from cold frames, lifting reusable poly tarps and neatly folding/ labeling for next season, spreading cover crop seed, preparing irrigation lines for freezing, etc.
• Participate in regular check ins, meetings and track your labour hours to share with payroll

Compensation: We strive to ensure we meet or supersede living wage standards in Abbotsford.  

• Position pays $20+/hour (experience dependent) plus vacation paid semi-monthly 
• We offer a private health care services program.
• Perks include access to a grand cornucopia of organic produce and access to a beautiful farm property to enjoy on your breaks and time off.
• Affordable housing on-site.
• Paid course in occupational first aid.

More about our farm and work ethic

Earth Apple Organic Farm has been in operation since 2011 growing a wide diversity of fruit and vegetables and in 2020 expanded to include a seed garlic business, which was inspired by the merging of New Mountain Farm with Earth Apple.  We have approximately 5 acres of field in production, using our 1954 Farmall Cub, 56Hp Kubota, a range of other small motorized tools, and our dedicated minds and bodies.  Our mandate is to contribute to local food security and provide healthy food for local communities with low impact on the landscape we are so privileged to reside and work on. 

We acknowledge the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Kwantlen First Nation and Matsqui First Nation, both of the Stό:lō Nation. The Stό:lō people have lived in the Fraser Valley for 10,000 years and we acknowledge the traditional territory in which we reside and grow food.

We are a shareholder of the Glen Valley Organic Farm Coop, which is a land co-op in Abbotsford, BC that stewards a beautiful, 50 acre property with farmland, forest, wildlife and natural waterways that flow into the Salmon migrating waters of the mighty Fraser River.  GVOFC has overseen the farming of this land since 1999. 

Learn more about our farm on our website: www.earthapplefarm.com and our CSA program with Glen Valley Organic Farm: www.glenvalleycsa.com

Greenhouse Attendant

June through August 2024 Seasonal P/T

This position is somewhat flexible in terms of the days of the week.  The hot summer ahead of us determines the time of day-- mornings are best for working in a greenhouse. However, we do shade our greenhouses and therefore sometimes the greenhouse is actually cooler than outside in the sun!

Love the smell of tomatoes? Read more below!

Responsibilities include:

• Pruning and trellising peppers, eggplants and tomatoes
• Removing plant debris and weeding
• Monitoring for pests and diseases and notifying head farmers
• Harvesting and ensuring produce quality control

Qualifications:

• Some experience with above-named plants is an asset
• Otherwise, an interest and disposition towards learning quickly!
• Ability to be on your feet for up to half a day and able to lift up to 30lbs 
• Attention to detail and an interest in organic greenhouse production
• Comfortable working independently and also sometimes with a small crew

Compensation/Hours: We strive to ensure we meet or supersede living wage standards in Abbotsford.  

• Position pays $20.66/hour plus vacation paid semi-monthly 
• Two half days or one full day (weather dependent). 

CSA Workers Needed!

Our CSA program is our main bread and butter. In addition to hiring for our business, we are also co-hiring with our partner farm, Close to Home Organics, for the CSA program we operate together as Glen Valley Organic Farm.  

Glen Valley Organic Farms is hiring CSA Packers (Tues-Thurs) and a driver (Wed-Fri). Follow the link to learn more: https://www.glenvalleycsa.com/work-with-us

Volunteer

Love being outdoors, sharing tasks, and taking home fresh local organic produce?!  Get in touch with Shirlene or Mike about opportunities.

On the farm there are many opportunities to lend a hand in the beautiful setting of Earth Apple Farm at Glen Valley Organic Farm Co-op. We are around Monday to Friday so if you're available in that time frame we'd love to hear from you. Help us with the weeding, cleaning garlic and/or picking blueberries!  If you're interested in spending some time in the soil, let us know by email and we will follow up with you for a visit 🙂

*In the email please include a little bit about yourself, why you would like to spend time on the farm and what you are looking to get out of the experience.

How to Apply

Earth Apple applicants- send your resume by email (earthapplefarm at gmail.com) with a one-page cover letter clearly stating which position you are applying for, why you want to work with us, as well as your suitability for the position based on your education, work experience, skills and qualifications.  Please pdf your submission into one document (example: farmer_Jane.pdf). We will also require 2-3 work experience references. If you would like to apply for one of the Glen Valley Organic Farm positions, please follow the instructions on the Glen Valley Organic Farm employment page.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interviews. Earth Apple Organic Farm is committed to hiring based on merit and does not discriminate based on race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, political belief, gender or sexual orientation. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in Canada.