Hiring: Fruit Assistant – Quonquont Farm
FRUIT ASSISTANT
Reports to: Farm Manager
Hours: full-time, non-exempt, seasonal
Function: Assists with all orchard operations.
Quonquont’s Guiding Principles
Our Mission: At Quonquont Farm, we are dedicated to stewarding our land, connecting our community to healthy food, and making every guest the center of celebration.
Our Core Values: Community, Professionalism, Optimism, Creativity, and Teamwork
Responsibilities:
Orchard Care
- Plants, prunes, harvests, mows, thins, trims, cleans, and otherwise cares for all fruit crops.
- Participates in regular soil and tissue testing, and applies nutrients, as directed.
- Prepares fruit for cider making. Delivers fruit and retrieves cider.
- Keeps accurate records of fruit production and inventory.
Integrated Pest Management Program
- Participates in pest management program for all fruit crops, with an emphasis on scouting for pests and reducing pesticide use in favor of alternative strategies, where practical and achievable.
- Assists with mixing and applying pesticides in accordance with industry best practices and government regulations.
- Maintains equipment used to apply pesticides.
- Provides information to Quonquont staff and owners about pesticide application and safety.
- Participates in annual Worker Protection Standard training for all agricultural workers.
Farmstand
- Provides helpful, prompt, polite service to farmstand customers.
- Keeps farmstand clean and orderly, restocks shelves, reports item shortages.
Equipment
- Safely operates and maintains equipment (including mowers, string trimmers, tractors, blowers, etc.) in coordination with the farm manager.
Buildings
- Keeps all farm buildings neat and orderly, inside and out.
- Notifies manager of necessary repairs.
Property Care
- Mows lawns, meadows, and orchards; string trims; mulches; rakes; and maintains a tidy appearance on the farm at all times.
- Removes snow.
- Combats non-native, invasive plants.
Events
- Provides logistical support for events, including moving furniture and decorations, cleaning, lawn care, or any other duties that help make events run smoothly.
Other Responsibilities:
- Assures the safety of the Quonquont workplace and monitors safety for staff and customers.
- Complies with Quonquont personnel policies.
- Represents Quonquont Farm in a professional and courteous manner at all times.
- Provides quality service to all customers and visitors.
- Attends and participates in appropriate meetings.
- Performs other duties as assigned, including helping with poultry or assisting the horticulture, vegetable, or event teams.
Position Requirements:
Education:
- High school diploma or equivalent.
Skills and Traits:
- The Fruit Assistant must agree with and be committed to the mission, values, and policies of Quonquont Farm.
- Must be able to perform long hours of repetitive work without sacrificing quality of work.
- Must be at least 18 years of age.
Mental, Physical, and Communication Demands:
- Must be available to work when and where needed by the business. Must be willing to work irregular hours, weekends, and holidays. Schedule includes at least one weekend day during farm store season.
- Requires working long hours outdoors in all weather, including heat, cold, sun, snow, and rain.
- Requires sitting in vehicles, standing, bending, or kneeling for up to four hours without break.
- Requires interacting with people in a pleasant, courteous, and professional manner.
- Requires ability to work safely around heavy, often dangerous, equipment.
- While performing this job, the employee will regularly be required to use hands and arms to reach and grasp to hold products, supplies, and tools; to talk and speak clearly to customers and co-workers; and to hear questions and machinery.
- This job requires a great deal of standing, walking, kneeling, bending, crouching, and general mobility throughout the day. It includes the ability to lift, carry, and push items weighing up to 50 pounds regularly throughout the workday.
- This job requires working with machinery that generates loud noise and strong odors.
- Allergic conditions, which could be aggravated when handling or working indoors or outdoors with plants or chemicals, may be a disqualification.
Starting Pay:
New employees will start at $18.00 to $19.00 an hour, depending on experience and ability to operate machinery, including standard transmission vehicles.
To Apply:
Complete this job application and email it to the address at the bottom of the form.
