Hiring: AmeriCorps Position with Grow Food Northampton

Do you know how to grow vegetables at a small-farm scale? Do you want to help us to grow food for low-income families, and help plan for and manage our 120-acre community farm? Announcing an immediate opening for a half-year full-time Americorps “Land Stewardship Coordinator” position. We are looking to conduct a rapid selection process if we are able to find qualified candidates quickly, so that the position is filled in early February.

Primary responsibilities:

• Plan and manage, with some supervision, the Giving Garden, a half-acre organic farm growing produce for donation to soup kitchens and food pantries. Duties include cover crop and vegetable crop management and rotations to support soil and plant health and sustainable yields, equipment maintenance, training and supervision of labor (including volunteers and interns), coordination with Youth Education Coordinator on bed preparation and other tasks to integrate youth field trip activities, and creation of a farm plan for the Giving Garden for future years.
• Assist Community Garden Manager with duties related to management of common spaces and empty plots in the garden, including training and supervision of volunteers.
• Collaboratively develop, and begin to implement, a Property Management Plan for our 120-acre APR-protected community farm that addresses lease management, farmer recruitment and retention, infrastructure planning, field edge maintenance, floodplain and climate risk mitigation, greenway integration along the Mill River, and productive conservation options on sensitive land.

Essential Qualifications:

• Knowledge and direct experience of small-scale vegetable-centered agriculture
• Experience with (or demonstrated ability to learn) operation and maintenance of two-wheeled tractor and other small machinery
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Physical and mental ability to serve independently in both an office and field setting under sometimes demanding conditions, including lifting 50 pounds regularly and performing repetitive field tasks
• Competence utilizing web browsers, word processors, spreadsheets, and email, and ability to quickly learn new programs, including online databases and farm management systems

MassLIFT-Americorps Basics:

• Half-year MassLIFT-AmeriCorps members will receive a living allowance of $6,787.04 over the 6-month term of service, which is $522.08 per 13 biweekly pay periods.
• MassLIFT assists members in obtaining health insurance coverage through gov. Reimbursement of costs may be available.
• Childcare assistance may be provided in cases of financial need.
• Upon successful completion of a term of service, half-year members receive a $2,887.50 education award that can be used for future education or to pay off existing school loans.
• AmeriCorps members are eligible for forbearance of most federally-guaranteed student loans, as well as payment of interest accrued during service.
• MassLIFT-AmeriCorps members gain skills in land stewardship, attend a statewide conference, and participate in team trainings and other professional development opportunities, and experience the personal rewards of national service and community engagement

More info about Grow Food Northampton, MassLIFT-Americorps,  the position, and applying in the attached PDF and at: http://www.growfoodnorthampton.com/americorps-farmer/.