Urban Roots Farm is hiring for the 2023 Season!

JOIN OUR TEAM

About Our Farm:

Established in 2017, Urban Roots is a 26-acre farm located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. We are committed to growing delicious, chemical-free vegetables, strawberries, and flowers. We lease the land from a school that has a mission to provide an agricultural setting. As first-generation farmers in an area that is increasingly developed, we are grateful for this opportunity to feed and employ folks from our community, to learn and improve every year, and to get to farm in such a unique time and place. We are inspired by the connections we’ve made and the impact we’ve been able to make, mostly through our 300-ish-person CSA. The CSA has become the driver of our farm, and the on-farm pickup has become the heart of the CSA. We love bringing our neighbors here to share the beauty and connection to the land that we value so much. Many of us became interested in farming through involvement with farms in our communities, and we want to keep this culture and knowledge alive for the next generation. We still love bringing produce to chefs in the city who make magic with our ingredients, and to the Bryn Mawr Farmer’s Market every weekend, just a few minutes away. We are lucky to farm in the heart of the Main Line where we can bring so many people together around this special place. 

Staff/Farm Work Description

Matt (31) and Jack (36) manage the farm full time. We are usually very nice and funny. We try to never be mean or annoying. We have a crew of 3-5ish farmers who work mostly-full-time from May-December, and part-time in the late Winter and early Spring. During the busy season, June-October, we have a daily crew of 5-10 local farmers, basically doubling the crew size with seasonal workers. They are also all local folks, and some of them end of loving it and sticking around for a full-time season the next year. Frankly, this job attracts all types of people, and not everyone is up to the work. Not everyone finds it enjoyable, or what they were expecting. But those who do seem to have a powerful experience, learn a great deal, build confidence and skills, and create lasting friendships. And it can be very, very fun. 

We put a lot of thought and intention into the jobs we want to offer. We believe that what team members value in their work is basically three areas: the take-home compensation, the opportunity for personal learning and growth, and the fun, happiness and enjoyment from being a part of a great team. In some ways these aspects work together, but in other ways they could be considered tradeoffs. Our goal is to deliver on all three for all employees. 

OPEN POSITIONS

Full-Time Seasonal Farmer

Job Description

There’s essentially two paths that could each make for a really great season at Urban Roots, or two types of learning/career paths here at our farm. 

Our work is basically planting crops, taking care of them, harvesting them, and washing and packing them. Always something to do with the plants and the food. Most of our employees come from the food or plant worlds in some way or another. We are trying to get away from job descriptions like “harvest manager” or “wash pack manager” that can pigeonhole people into repetitive tasks, or leave them shouldering stressors alone. We will train everyone on tractor operation, working in the greenhouse, planting, and stuff that requires technical know-how. We will train and expect basic proficiency at operating transplanting and harvesting machines including the tractors, and universal operation skills like using tractor-mounted forks and hitching wagons and trailers. And we expect everyone to be working together to share the load and get on the same page. If your interests are plants and food, and you want to learn and gain farming skills, this job could be engaging and rewarding. We have 4 propagation greenhouses, 6 large high tunnels, and all types of different crops and endeavors. And food and plants are lifelong passions and pursuits. There’s a lot to do and learn! 

The other path here is working more specifically with mechanical things, particularly fixing and maintaining the machines and facilities. We have three larger 60’s-70’s IH diesel tractors, a 6-year-old small Kubota loader tractor, three 50’s era Farmalls, a small 70’s Ford gas tractor, two pickup trucks, two vans, and a slew of facilities that present challenges with electrical, plumbing, HVAC and carpentry. The field irrigation, refrigeration, deer fence and high tunnels are in a constant state of maintenance. And there’s like 50 tractor-mounted implements, as well as machines for washing vegetables, etc. You’re either farming or fixing. We’d ideally like to do more farming if we can find the right person who is interested and motivated to learn how to do the fixing and stay on top of it. This presents opportunities to learn valuable life skills outside of food and plants that make for a knowledgable, resilient, competent person who would be an asset on a farm or anywhere else that is doing stuff. 

Realistically, we might not have a full-time schedule of only equipment maintenance, so if you are interested in this position, you will spend some of your week doing general farming. However, much of the maintenance work and projects is being done immediately, so this position could start sooner. 

Schedule and Compensation  

  • $17-19/hr depending on experience. You must have some farming experience. 

  • Time and a quarter for overtime. During our busiest times, overtime is certainly encouraged. We try to make the job sustainable physically and mentally, but when the sun’s out 16 hours a day and we’re doing 90% of our yearly work in a three-month period, that is a good time for some easy money while still keeping plenty of non-work sunlight hours in your schedule. 

  • Schedule is seasonal: Position really starts mid-May. Work is available but limited to a few weather-dependent days a week until then. (As mentioned above, we could start a mechanic sooner). Schedule is M-F 8-5 from then until Thanksgiving-ish, and will likely be slightly reduced after that and around the Winter Holiday Season. Work is available but limited due to weather again after that until next May. 

  • Must have reliable transportation to the farm, but some financial assistance can be negotiated and provided.  

  • We do not currently have employee benefits programs, mostly because of the relative cost of these programs through a small business compared to through a state-sponsored program, and because the age of our average employee has been low. Our average age is increasing in a good way, and assistance with healthcare can be negotiated and provided. 

  • There will be a decent enough bonus for making it through a season, and another for returning the next season. 

Part-Time Farmhand

  • $16-18/hr depending on experience. You do not need experience. 

  • 3 days/ week minimum June-October. 8-5. 

  • Good summer job or entry-level job for those considering farming. 

  • Lots of harvesting, working on crops, washing and packing veggies. Yes there’s weeding, but really hopefully not a significant amount. Ideally you are crushing out huge harvests and having a ball getting a lot done fast. But y’know, some days are harder or more boring than others. 

CSA Pickup Delivery Driver/ Host 

  • We have CSA pickups in Philadelphia 4-6PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays from June 21st to December 14th. 

  • We need to hire someone to staff each one, or one person to staff both. 

  • They are market-style pickups where the same people come every week to fill their own bags. Your job is hustling a lot to get setup and broken down, but during the pickup there are no cash sales and you’re not doing much besides chatting, restocking, and helping folks get their non-veggie add-ons that they sign up for separately. It is a lot of work before and after pickup, but not so much during it. 

  • It is extremely consistent and a good opportunity for a really fun, positive experience basically giving the same super nice, super grateful people their veggies every week. Some folks just get in and out, others like to talk. You might make some friends. You should at least try to remember names. 

  • We need to hire someone for each day to load the van and leave by about 2:15PM, arrive about 3PM, have the produce set up by 4PM, staff that pickup till 6PM, pack up, drive the van back to the farm, and put any leftovers away. Should be done by 7:30PM or sooner every time. 

  • We would pay a bit higher per hour for this role. It requires someone who is comfortable driving, lifting some heavy enough stuff alone, responsible, and consistent. 

  • If you must miss more than a handful of days over the 24-week season, it’s probably not a good fit for this position. 

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS