The Happy Box CSA Program

EMPLOYMENT POSSIBILITIES

Please Note:  No on-farm housing is available. Please don’t apply if you cannot commute to the farm.  We will begin going over applications for the 2012 Growing Season in February.

Please review all the following information prior to applying; we assume that all candidates have reviewed the necessary information.

CURRENT POSITIONS

1. Seasonal field worker
2. Seasonal/Full time - Packer/driver
3. Full time field worker

SCHEDULING

Our growing and delivering season runs from the middle of February to the middle of December. No work is available in January. Seasonal employment is available from end of March thru end of October

Packer/driver- 5 days/week

    Monday or Saturday (upon agreement)- 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. (1hr. lunch break- 1.30 p.m.-2.30 p.m.)

    Tuesday thru Friday ------------------------- 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. (1hr. lunch break- 1.30 p.m.-2.30 p.m.)

Seasonal field worker- 5 days/week-from

    Monday or Saturday (upon agreement)------ 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.(1hr. lunch break- 1p.m.-2 p.m.)

    Tuesday thru Friday ------------------------------ 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (1hr. lunch break- 1p.m.-2 p.m.)

Full time field worker- 6 days/week -June,July, August, September

      Monday thru Saturday -------------------------9 a.m.- 6 p.m. (1hr lunch break- 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.)  

                                  5 days/week-  March, April, May, Oct, Nov,

                                  4 days/week- Jan, Feb, Dec

WORK RESPONSIBILITIES

Packer/driver: Tuesday thru Friday- placing the reusable containers for packing and maintaining them in good order, packing, loading the boxes in delivering van, conducting safe and timely delivery, showing respect and appreciation to the customers , Monday or Saturday- general field work- mostly transplanting or hoeing

Field Worker: seeding, transplanting, weeding, hoeing, trellising, row-covering, harvesting, washing, sorting, transporting produce (driving van) from the fields to the packing area.

There are opportunities to take on additional responsibilities. These include coordinating harvesting, postharvest and packing activities, greenhouse related activities (ventilating, watering, general secretary help (checking payments, replying to e-mails). Please indicate any initial interest or experience in these areas in the email you submit to apply for the job. Future interest and desire to accept additional responsibilities in these areas should be discussed with the general manager.

We seek individuals who are

1. • hardworking
2. • highly reliable & responsible
3. • communicative
4. • able to follow directions
5. • in good physical condition
6. • cooperative
7. • respectful to organic and biodynamic principles
8. • receptive to feedback
9. • able to work a flexible schedule and arrive on time
10. • have reliable transportation
11.  good driving record if becoming packer/driver

Ideally, employees would also have

1. • previous work on a vegetable farm
2. • organizational skills
3. • past leadership responsibilities
4. • a non-smoking lifestyle
5. • interest in multiple year employment   

HOW TO APPLY

Once you have thoroughly reviewed the information provided by our site, we invite you to apply for the position by e-mailing your interest to fultonfarmsorganic@yahoo.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and make the subject of the email read “Employment possibility”. In the email, address the following:

1. • Your relevant past work experience (specifically any previous experience

    working on farms or in similar heavy-labor environments.)

1. • Your availability to work according to our schedule
2. • Your physical ability to do the work
3. • Your availability & interest in future years
4. • Your applicable past leadership responsibilities
5. • A resume (if you have one)
6. • And, if possible, 3 work references

HIRING PROCESS

We begin full time packing and delivering in March, however we are usually well staffed during the early part of the season. We normally begin evaluating new hires in mid-April to begin work in May or early June. Often, we conduct a second round of hiring in mid-August as some of our summer workers return to school in the fall.

We evaluate all candidates who submit an email described above.

1. After receiving an email, we will reply to it and possibly initiate phone interviews with candidates.

2. Based on the interview, we may schedule a visit and a trial work morning.

3. If the trial morning goes well, we invite the candidate back for a full trial day.

4. Candidates for which interviews and trial days go well will be invited back for an extended trial work period of 2 weeks.

6. By the end of the 2nd trial week, we will make a determination as to whether we wish to hire the candidate seasonaly until October 24.

7. If the candidate perform well during the season and there is vacant full time position, we invite him to work for us full time.

PAY, ADVANCEMENT OPPORTUNITIES, POSSIBLE BONUS

The starting wage is $7.70/hour. If the candidate learns quickly and has become productive and efficient, an increase will be made to $8.00/hour. For the full time positions we also have bonus system that creates possibility of building up a bonus to be paid at the end of the growing season. It is based on number delivered boxes (25c/box) by the packers/drivers and additional pay per hr. of work (50c/hr) for the field workers. The bonus is also reduced in relation with the number of times the worker is late for work or does not show up at all (based on the time cards).

BENEFITS

Aside from working with a talented and dedicated farm team, other benefits of employment at Fulton Farms Organics include:

•Spirit: We are proud of our efforts and grateful for the opportunity to work closely with the land and those we feed. Fulton Farms Organics is dedicated to creating and forwarding an economically viable, certified organic operation which nurtures its soil, plants animals, and community of workers. We are committed to providing the freshest, most vibrant food possible to our customers in hopes to straighten the connection between people and the source of their food.

•Certified Organic produce: As an Fulton Farms Organics employee, you would have the privilege of occasionally harvesting vegetables from the fields for personal consumption, as well as take home organic produce that is in surplus after all of the packing is completed. At the end of the packing, the packing manager decides which produce is available.

•Experience: Whether you are interested in farming as a career or not, you are able to see first hand the joys and difficulties of running a farm. You will work in chemicals free environment, breath fresh air every day and eat the best produce that is available in Dayton.

•Get to know Dayton, the surrounding towns and many people who live there: If you become packer/driver you will deliver up to 4-5 hrs/day driving a van in different neighborhoods from house to house. You will get to know many beautiful places you have never been before and you will build up a sense of orientation. You will be able to quickly find your way around Miami Valley and meet personally many of our customers.