Job Description

Atlas Farm a 120-acre certified organic vegetable farm in Deerfield, MA. The farm has a region-wide reputation for top quality organic produce which is sold to wholesale customers throughout New England. Our goal is to provide our community with the freshest local produce possible, even in the depths of winter. To this end, we harvest from our fields and high tunnels during the spring, summer, and fall, and from our greenhouses in the winter. Atlas Farm strives to be a model of ecological food production. We engage in organic farming practices that sustain the ecosystems around us and strive to minimize our resource consumption and environmental impact. The Equipment Operator is an important position in the overall scope of Atlas Farm with primary responsibilities in the production of field grown crops. Equipment Operators work closely with the Field Production Manager, field crews, and other farm management staff to take crops from seed to harvest. Field production tasks are the focus of the job year-round, but especially during the field growing season of April-November with additional areas of focus from December-March. --PREVIOUS TRACTOR OPERATING EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED-- Hours, schedule, and compensation

• April-November: average 55 hours/week with ramp up and down on both ends of the main growing season; typical schedule M-F, 6am-5pm with occasional weekend hours
• December-March: average 35 hours/week; typical schedule M-Th, 8am-4pm
• free farm produce

Primary responsibilities of this position:
Field production:

• field preparation: spreading fertilizer and making fertilizer calculations and calibrating equipment, tillage, bed prep, shaping beds, laying plastic mulch
• planting: coordinating with Greenhouse Manager and Field Production Manager for scheduling transplanted crops, setting up and supervising transplanting jobs with field crew leaders, managing row covers
• cultivation: setting up and operating cultivators for various crops; scheduling cultivation priorities with Field Production Manager
• pest management: scouting fields; selecting materials, making spray calculations and spraying crops; calibrating and cleaning spray equipment
• irrigation: scheduling irrigation priorities with Field Production Manager; setting up and operating pumps, drip irrigation, solid set irrigation, and hard hose traveler as needed; maintaining inventory of irrigation supplies
• harvest: assisting field crews with equipment needs during daily harvests; operating equipment for mechanical harvest
• equipment maintenance: monitoring and changing fluids, cleaning and maintaining tractors, vehicles, and implements, performing basic repairs and notifying Equipment and Facilities Manager of more extensive maintenance or repairs needed
• maintaining inventory of field supplies including fertilizers, pesticides, drip tape, plastic mulch, and hand tools, purchasing supplies as needed

Additional tasks:

• building and equipment maintenance and repair: assisting Equipment and Facilities Manager with \xe2\x80\x9chandyman\xe2\x80\x9d work on a variety of farm buildings and equipment
• greenhouse: assisting Greenhouse Manager with greenhouse production tasks

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time Pay: $18.00 - $22.00 per hour Benefits:

• Flexible schedule

Payment frequency:

• Paid weekly

Schedule:

• Day shift

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Deerfield, MA: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Experience:

• Farming: 2 years (Required)

License/Certification:

• Driver\'s License (Required)

Shift availability:

• Day Shift (Required)

Work Location: In person