Employment

"What I stand for is what I stand on."
Wendell Berry

Employment

"What I stand for is what I stand on." Wendell Berry

We are currently hiring for the 2022 season!

PrairiErth is a beautiful 450 acre certified organic farm in central Illinois. We raise vegetables and organic grains. The focus of all open positions is part of our vegetable production. We deliver our products to customers all over the state, with a focus on Bloomington/Normal, Champaign/Urbana, Springfield, and Chicago. We have 600 members in our various CSA programs, partner with many grocery stores, restaurants, and other distributors across our region. We focus heavily on 4-season growing with hoop houses and extensive root crop storage.

Our employees are respected members of the team and have the ability to continue to learn and develop skills year after year. Farming is hard, but we work together to push through the challenging days and come together to celebrate our successes as a team. Not only do we invest in our employees, but we also invest in equipment that helps to lessen some of the physical, repetitive work to keep our bodies healthy. Is there hand-weeding? Yes! Do we pick lots of kale? Yes! But we thoughtfully use things like transplanters, mechanical cultivation, forklifts, etc. to make the job a bit easier.

Finally, it’s important to note that PrairiErth will not tolerate any form of harassment and is a safe, inclusive place to work. We value diversity and insist on a positive, professional work atmosphere.

Farm Crew 2022 - APPLICATIONS OPEN

The focus of this position is with our vegetable production, specifically in our packhouse for the winter months of 2021-22 and as the growing season of 2022 begins all farm staff will share in all farm work tasks. Such as greenhouse and seed starting, harvest, planting, cultivating, washing and packing orders.

Details

Fieldwork including transplanting, seeding, cultivation, mowing, trellising, mulching, pest management, and maintaining irrigation.
Harvest crops multiple times a week for wholesale and CSA orders. As well as large scale mechanical harvest for storage crops in the fall. Staff will work daily with the crew leader to accomplish all daily and weekly tasks.
Inspect, wash, sort, count and pack vegetables for orders as well as maintain optimal quality and ensure strict food safety guidelines are met.

Skills Desired

Previous vegetable farm experiences preferred
Tractor operation proficiency preferred
Attention to detail in a high paced environment
Strive for the highest quality standards while working efficiently
MUST exhibit a positive and supportive attitude
Excellent communication skills and willingness to develop those skills
Ability to work independently, take initiative and be forward-thinking
Ability to lift 60 lbs repeatedly throughout the day, stand for long periods of time, bend, stoop, reach, and work on your hands & knees
Ability to work in any type of weather conditions from extreme heat to rain
Applicants should find satisfaction in physical, dirty, meaningful and productive work
Spanish language skills a plus!

Schedule

We work Monday-Friday with no scheduled weekends unless there’s an exceptional circumstance such as extremely wet weather creating a tight timeline to get crops planted, harvested, etc. The main growing season is May-November (40-45 hours a week). Winter hours are still full time but there is an opportunity for less hours to allow for rest. Typical winter hours are 35-40 per week through January. February-April weekly hours usually do not exceed 30-35 per week.

Pay & Benefits

Pay is $15 an hour, with periodic increases based on performance and experience. Pay could be negotiable based on previous experience. Staff will have access to farm produce to take home and use for themselves and their immediate family. Car-pooling options may be available from Bloomington. Also, we believe in the development of our team members and often provide additional learning opportunities in their areas of interest.