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.
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 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.