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Seasonal Grower

stroud community agriculture
Stroud, Gloucestershire

Posted: 19 Dec 2024

Deadline: 2 Feb 2025

Compensation: £12.60

Living Wage employer

Paid Part-time Fixed term / contract

Job description

Seasonal Grower - Stroud Community Agriculture - To start Mid March 2025

We are looking for a seasonal grower to join our team.

Stroud Community Agriculture (SCA) is a mixed Organic and Biodynamic CSA in Stroud, Gloucestershire. We produce approx. 225 organic veg shares a week, as well as rearing a small herd of Hereford cows whose meat we sell to our members. SCA has been feeding the local community for 23 years, making it one of the longest standing CSAs in the country. We currently operate on three sites with a team made up of 3 growers, pack shed coordinator and livestock steward. Each grower is responsible for the planning, managing the running and harvest of their area. We all work together on harvesting days, big planting days and weeding etc. The Seasonal Grower is a dynamic role as they assists across all our sites and with direction from all 3 growers as well as the livestock steward.

More information about the team and the farm can be found on our website and instagram

Job description

• Harvesting
• Propagation
• Planting (hand and on tractor planter)
• Weeding with tools and tractor
• Working in polytunnels; pruning, planting, weeding, irrigating etc
• Field scale irrigation set up
• Checking, moving and feeding/watering cows mostly with the livestock steward
• Working with volunteers on a group task

Essential Skills

• Ideally 6 months experience/a season on a commercial veg growing operation, but open to other forms of experience gained that you might think are relevant to our operation.
• Good understanding of the need to be quick and efficient on various tasks from harvesting, weeding to planting etc.
• Working in a team but also independently.
• It is often hectic when the season gets going and being able to problem solve and think on your feet is essential!
• Full Clean driving license
• Willingness to work in all types of weather

Preferred Skills

• Small machinery experience, we use two wheel tractor, mower, strimmer (not essential)
• Livestock experience (not essential)
• Leading volunteers (not essential)

What you need to know

• Length of contract: Mid March – end October 2024, 4 days (32 hours per week) we have some flexibility on start date for the right candidate.
• Hours: The farm team works Monday – Friday (8am – 4.30pm, with an hour for lunch) we have some flexibility on which 4 days you wish to work, although we need Tuesdays and Fridays covered for harvest. It also includes approximately 2 weekend days every month and half; (not the whole day but approx. 2 hours per day (predominantly, topping up veg in our pack shed, opening and closing tunnels, checking on animals, and watering propagation) these are taken as TOIL (time off in leiu) at a later date.
• Salary is currently £12.60 an hour in line with the real living wage in 2025. The contract is temporary, but includes holiday and sick pay as well as pension contributions.
• We are able to offer a caravan with water and electric, the rent is payable to the land owner at £80 a month plus utilities on top.
• Application deadline is 2nd February 2025
• We are looking to schedule interviews and half a day trial on the farm between 10th - 14th February 2025.

Application information

To apply for this position or to find out more please email a CV and covering letter to alex@stroudcommunityagriculture.org

We look forward to hearing from you.

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