Field Assistant, Farm Hand
Aurelia’s Garden is hiring a part time field assistant from April 1st through November 24th for the 2025 growing season for our Wayland, MA site.
Aurelia’s Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose primary mission is to be an inclusive community of dedicated volunteers growing food exclusively to supply emergency hunger relief efforts and food pantries in the Boston and Metrowest Boston areas. We operate at two sites, one at and in partnership with Medway Community Farm, and another - our home base - in Wayland. We farm just under 1.5 acres of land, with plans to expand up to 2 acres over the coming 12 months. We farm using agroecological methodologies with a heavy focus on improving soil and the ecosystem that includes our farm.
Our volunteer farming team is highly experienced and has worked together since 2016 to grow food for food pantries. Formed in 2020, we banded together creating Aurelia’s Garden to address skyrocketing food insecurity on a larger scale than we previously had been able to. Together, we have transformed tired farmland into a vibrant and healthy ecosystem with rich soil and robust native animal species that help us control pests and diseases.
Our goals for 2025 are
- To increase the amount of nutrient dense foods that we grow and also increase their quality. Shifting our focus from merely the overall weight of food delivered to food pantries, we will grow more nutrient dense and culturally relevant crops that suit the unique needs of our food pantry partners’ clients. Part of increasing nutrient density is improving the health of our soil so that foods grown in that soil can accumulate more nutrients. That leads to another goal for 2025:
- We will scientifically document increases and gains in soil health - through soil microscopy and soil health assessments - and also assess the nutrient quality of the foods that we grow in comparison to vegetables bought at a grocery store by conducting both tissue analyses as well as brix readings.
- We also will deliver seed starting and growing workshops for the clients at our food pantry partners and provide mentorship for community based food growing efforts
- Increase our “no-till” footprint. Currently, our Medway site has been entirely no-till since 2022 and our Wayland site is now 75% no-till.
- Farm scale seed production and saving to build our Seed Giving Library
With these goals in mind, we have decided to add a paid, part time field assistant to our farm this year. Led by our Director of Agriculture, who is a plant physiologist and plant breeder, farming at Aurelia’s Garden is as much about growing food as it is learning, improving, and experimenting with all aspects of sustainable farming practices. We do not operate at the frenetic pace of a “production farm”. We give our plants the room they need to thrive and favor addressing problems, such as weeds, before they happen (or early on) rather than needing to implement destructive and extractive interventions when things get out of hand. We constantly evaluate our capacity to do more work with the goal being not to kill ourselves.
We are seeking an individual who…
- Has a curious mind and eager to use and improve their farming skills and learn about alongside us
- Has a minimum of 5 years of professional farming experience, at least 2 years of which at the level of at least ‘Assistant Farm Manager’, or other farm leadership position.
- Who loves farming, plants, nature, and working outside
- Is easy-going and able to ‘roll with the punches’ as farming delivers them
- Realizes that “less is more” and “slower is faster” - that serious gains in soil health and farm productivity can be made by working within a system rather than fighting and overpowering the natural world
- Can commit to the entire season
- Can think fast on their feet and troubleshoot problems as they arise
- Can implement a work plan, making decisions and adjustments as required
- Are proficient and well versed using a BCS tractor system and implements
- Are proficient with no-till and reduced-till bed prep techniques using stand-up hand tools
- Familiar with both FSMA and GAPS - preference given to those that have completed this training, have a certificate, and took it seriously
- Can lift 40-50 lbs, bend and kneel and otherwise perform the rigorous daily activity entailed in farming
Work will include, but not be limited to
- Working closely with and leading volunteers
- Planting, cultivating, harvesting, and operating farm equipment (BCS, weed whacker, lawn mower, water pump, water purification system, other non engine powered equipment)
- Building structures such as trellises and repairing deer fencing
- Occasionally driving a truck and trailer to get compost and mulching hay
Compensation and Job details
- Reports to Director of Agriculture and stays in communication with her
- $25/hr, April 1st-November 24th
- Tuition to attend NOFA Summer Conference, mileage reimbursement to drive to the conference, and 4 hrs PTO if it falls on a Friday
- $250 bonus if you complete the entire season
- Bonus tuition - if you complete the entire season - to attend the NOFA winter conference of your choice (MA, CT, NY, VT, or NH)
- 12-16 hrs/week
- 1 full day on Monday - 7:30-3:30
- ½ + day on Friday - 7:30-11:30
- Potential additional 4 hrs throughout the week as the season requires - to be discussed with employee as season progresses
- ALL work will take place at our Wayland location