Location:Hudson Valley, NY (Chester Agricultural Center)
About the role: You will assist the day-to-day operation of building Dig’s farm and will sustain it with our team through April - November (some flexibility on start/end dates) in Chester, NY. We are currently hiring for three full season apprentices as well as five high season (June/July – Sept/Oct) apprentices. The Dig Farm models our definition of sustainability and is a living lab for growing our food. It also serves a much bigger purpose by providing a place to train farmers and chefs. Given our focus as a training operation, we are looking for apprentices with little to no experience (under 2 years).
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Apprentices will have the opportunity to work on a third-year farm as it implements and sets up best practices in an organic farming system. This year we are planning on growing a fourteen acre mix of vegetables. We grow a diverse mix of vegetables to give our apprentices experience in nearly all vegetables across the board, however, we are very much a wholesale operation with several large-scale crops as the focus. You will take part in all facets of the farm in what we call “seed to harvest” – everything from greenhouse management, tractor operation, harvesting, and deliveries.
About the team: Our farm-team is based in the Hudson Valley at Dig’s farm. Growing produce for our restaurants to reduce transit emissions, minimize food waste, and provide our chefs with vegetables fresh from the farm is the core of what we do. You will report to our Farm Manager with the sustainability team, who is committed to impacting the future of food and building a better food system.
You Will:
- Work with the farm manager in all aspects of the farming operation, including, but not limited to, seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, and delivering.
- Operate machinery and maintain vehicle maintenance – 65 horsepower tractor with tiller, mulch layer, transplanter, cultivator, etc; mowers; weed whackers; vehicle oil changes; etc.
- Prepare for and assist with any special events with the Dig team.
- Manage all farm maintenance duties as they arise.
You Have:
- A love for farming and learning more about organic practices in our agriculture system.
- The ability to lift at least 50 pounds at a time.
- The ability to work outside in all conditions (heat, rain, cold, snow, etc).
- An eagerness to learn and work in a fast paced work environment.
- A valid driver's license and are open to driving a non-CDL box truck and cargo van.
- Keen observation skills. You speak up about what you see and provide recommendations to the team.
- Strong communication to collaborate with a team and innate discipline to work independently through your projects.
- A passion for real, good food.
Compensation and Work Perks: $14/hour + $21/hour overtime. 40-55 hours a week depending on time of year, Monday to Friday with occasional weekends. You will also have fresh vegetables from the farm and free meals at our Dig Inn locations! Unfortunately, we are unable to offer housing at this time.
About us:
DIG is a farm-to-table food company with over 25 locations in New York and the Northeast, serving seasonal vegetables and culinary comfort food on an urban scale.
The company is built on a culture of driven curiosity and ambitious innovation, finding and implementing new solutions to offering a simple, healthy, affordable meal. Our mission is to build a better food system (one vegetable at a time) that offers a better deal to customers, cooks, and farmers alike.
Since getting started in 2011, we have focused on the essentials of our mission- building kitchens, training chefs, and developing one-on-one relationships with over 50 partner farms. The next few years will be a period of expansion, as we open in new cities and use the platform we’ve built for a better conversation around sourcing, cooking, and the business of food.
And did we mention free DIG for all employees? We strongly recommend the sweet potatoes.
DIG believes in the power of a shared table to bring people together as we are committed to building a culturally inclusive team. Diverse candidates encouraged to apply.