2025 Employment Opportunities

SMALL AXE FARM

We have 3 different job descriptions below for 2025

Vegetable Production Crew

PROFILE OF AN IDEAL CANDIDATE

  • Seeks to advance their knowledge of no till and regenerative market farming
  • 1 season market gardening experience preferred but not required for the right applicant
  • Capacity for physical work under variable weather conditions
  • Ease of working independently and in teams
  • Attention to detail and work 
  • Has resilience, a positive attitude & a strong work ethic
  • Interested in working in a fast paced environment
  • Interested in working efficiently & open to systems to increase personal productivity
  • Has a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation (preferred)
  • Has a smartphone with phone service on our farm (Verizon works best)

AMONG YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Harvest, conditioning and storage of vegetables
  • Processing and packaging of vegetables for various point of sales (CSA, restaurants, coops)
  • Order preparation and delivery to various markets.
  • Preventive management and control of weeds, pests, and phytosanitary diseases
  • Propagation (paperpot seeding & transplanting, direct seeding with Jang seeder, direct transplants, etc.);
  • Preparation of permanent beds (weed whacking, applying compost, amendments, tilthing)
  • Biological fertilization (foliar feeding, fertilizing)
  • Irrigation management
  • Implementation and maintenance of greenhouse crops

WHAT WE OFFER:

  • The acquisition of plant production skills in a bio-intensive no till system
  • An overview of the challenges inherent in starting a diversified, small-scale organic farm
  • Experience in direct marketing and semi-wholesale 
  • A beautiful place to work in the hills of northern Vermont
  • Exposure to a market farming system that is transferable to many different settings (rural ,suburban,urban etc..)
  • Experience with off grid farming
  • Access to our 2 decades of no till farming, gardening and homesteading experience
  • The work will be challenging both physically and mentally.  This position requires a full commitment, in order to ensure the proper functioning of the farm.

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS:

  • Seasonal full-time position -flexible dates – available from mid April to mid October (40 hours/week) We will consider mid May – mid or late August
  • The schedule is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, including a 45 minute paid lunch break. The salary starts at $16.00 per hour, more pay commensurate with more experience. Potential for salary increases may occur at the 4 week check in meeting depending upon the employees performance.  
  • There is a 4 week probation period, starting at the hiring date. 

ACCOMMODATIONS:

  • When we have extra veggies after harvest we make them available for the crew at no charge
  • There is also a 10% discount for employees if they want to order items we would be selling elsewhere, those items would need to be ordered through our online farm store.  We will set you up with a discount code.
  • Full time/full season employees (those who work May through the end of October):
    • 2 paid sick/personal days
    • 5 unpaid days off 

(Note: You will need to check in, with as much advanced notice as possible, ideally 2 weeks, when requesting time off)

When requesting time off we will always try to accommodate you, but there may be certain time periods or situations where we have less flexibility because of the needs of the farm. 

HOW TO APPLY:

Your application must include these 3 things:

  • A resume, including 2 references that we will contact.
  •  A short letter expressing your motivation for the position and how this position will help you reach your long term goals. 
  •  A letter of recommendation from an employer or professor

Now taking applications and interviewing for the 2025 season. Send your application to: smallaxefarminvt@gmail.com or 731 Whitehill Rd., East Ryegate, VT 05042

Vegetable Production Assistant

PROFILE OF THE IDEAL APPLICANT:

  • Seeks to advance their knowledge of no till and regenerative market farming with the aim of starting their own farming business or looking to move into a farm manager position. 
  • Has a good level of experience in market gardening (minimum 2 seasons or other applicable experience)
  • Experience in greenhouse culture management and climate control 
  • Experience in harvesting and conditioning for selling to markets, retail and restaurants 
  • Capacity for physical work under variable weather conditions
  • Ease of working independently and in teams
  • Attention to detail and work 
  • Has a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
  • Has a smartphone with phone service on our farm (Verizon works best)Propagation (paperpot seeding & transplanting, direct seeding with Jang seeder, direct transplants, etc.)

AMONG YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Propagation (paperpot seeding & transplanting, direct seeding with Jang seeder, direct transplants, etc.);
  • Preparation of permanent beds (weed wacking, applying compost, amendments, tilthing)
  • Biological fertilization (foliar feeding, fertilizing)
  • Irrigation management
  • Preventive management and control of weeds, pests, and phytosanitary diseases
  • Implementation and maintenance of greenhouse crops
  • Harvest, conditioning and storage of vegetables
  • Processing and packaging of vegetables for various point of sales (CSA, restaurants, coops)
  • Order preparation and delivery to various markets.
  • Management of online store (managing wholesale and retail orders)
  • Harvest day organization and implementation
  • Commitment to learning and understanding our system for crop rotation and planting successions
  • The work will be challenging both physically and mentally.  This position requires a full commitment, in order to ensure the proper functioning of the farm.

WHAT WE OFFER:

  • In depth learning opportunities for running a small business (online store management, long term decision making, sales, marketing, etc)
  • The acquisition of plant production skills in a bio-intensive no till, off grid system
  • An overview of the challenges inherent in starting a diversified, small-scale organic farm
  • Experience in direct marketing and semi-wholesale 
  • A beautiful place to work in the hills of northern Vermont
  • Exposure to a market farming system that is transferable to many different settings (rural ,suburban,urban etc..)
  • Experience with off grid farming
  • Access to our 2 decades of no till farming, gardening and homesteading experience

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS:

  • Seasonal full-time position -early April to mid-late October (40 hours/week)
  • The schedule is 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday, including a 45 minute paid lunch break.  We start early and end early on Mondays & Thursdays during the busiest harvest weeks. The salary starts at $17.00-$19.00 per hour, depending on experience. We will pay above this rate for a highly qualified candidate.
  • As a full time/full season employee you will be entitled to 5 unpaid vacation days and 2 paid sick/personal days during the season, to be determined in consultation with farm managers.
  • There is a 4 week probation period, starting at the hiring date.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

  • When we have extra veggies after harvest we make them available for the crew at no charge
  • There is also a 25% discount for employees if they want to order items we would be selling elsewhere, those items would need to be ordered through our online farm store.  We will set you up with a discount code.
  • Full time/full season employees (those who work May through October 28th):
    • 2 paid sick/personal days
    • 5 unpaid days off 
  • (Note: You will need to check in, with as much advanced notice as possible, ideally 2 weeks, when requesting time off) When requesting time off we will always try to accommodate you, but there may be certain time periods or situations where we have less flexibility because of the needs of the farm.

HOW TO APPLY:

Your application must include these 3 things:

  • A resume, including 2 references that we will contact.
  •  A short letter expressing your motivation for the position and how this position will help you reach your long term goals. 
  •  A letter of recommendation from an employer or professor

Now taking applications and interviewing for the 2025 season. Send your application to: smallaxefarminvt@gmail.com or 731 Whitehill Rd., East Ryegate, VT 05042

Part Time – Wash/Pack Crew

PROFILE OF THE IDEAL APPLICANT:

  • Someone looking for 1-3 full or part time days working in our pack room
  • Ease of working independently and in teams
  • Attention to detail and work 
  • Has a valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
  • Has a smartphone with phone service on our farm (Verizon works best)

AMONG YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Working in our wash room & pack room
  • Packing out salad greens
  • Packing and labeling produce heading to our CSA, to grocery stores, coops and restaurants
  • Washing salad greens
  • Spraying/dunking all other produce heading out for delivery

WHAT WE OFFER:

  • A fun, high paced work environment
  • A beautiful place to work in the hills of northern Vermont
  • A discount on Small Axe produce

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS:

  • Seasonal part-time position -dates and number of days per week are flexible.  1-3 days can work, hours are flexible.  May-September (timeline flexible)
  • The salary starts at $16.00 per hour, depending on experience. We will pay above this rate for a highly qualified candidate.
  • There is a 4 week probation period, starting at the hiring date.

ACCOMMODATIONS:

  • When we have extra veggies after harvest we make them available for the crew at no charge
  • There is also a 25% discount for employees if they want to order items we would be selling elsewhere, those items would need to be ordered through our online farm store.  We will set you up with a discount code.

HOW TO APPLY:

Your application must include these 3 things:

  • A resume, including 2 references that we will contact.
  •  A short letter expressing your motivation for the position and how this position will help you reach your long term goals. 
  •  A letter of recommendation from an employer or professor

Now taking applications and interviewing for the 2025 season. Send your application to: smallaxefarminvt@gmail.com or 731 Whitehill Rd., East Ryegate, VT 05042

Employee testimonials:

“I chose Small Axe Farm to complete an internship requirement I needed to finish my degree in Plant Science from SUNY Cobleskill. My experience at Small Axe Farm was everything I had hoped for and them some! I was able to take the concepts I had been studying in school and apply to them to a very successful market garden style enterprise. This unique hill-side farm offers so much opportunity to learn about regenerative farming techniques and the intricacies of running a small scale vegetable operation. Heidi and Evan were so welcoming and would take every opportunity to share their knowledge and experience. Through my time at Small Axe I felt that they were able to successfully create a relationship between employee, community and the farm”. Giovanni

“I had the incredible opportunity of working at Small Axe during the 2022 season. After completing a farmer training program in 2021, I was looking for a job that would put my skills to the test, challenge me, and foster growth both professionally and personally. My expectations were quickly exceeded after just the first couple weeks of starting at Small Axe. Evan and Heidi are both passionate educators as well as farmers, sharing their knowledge throughout the season and genuinely caring for the growth of their team members. Working at Small Axe is defined by more than just farm work. Collaboration, farm business tactics, efficiency and systems thinking are some of the many learned skills that define working at Small Axe. Alongside gaining valuable experience farming on an organic vegetable operation, I gained essential life skills and friendships I will cherish forever. My gratitude goes out to Evan and Heidi for building this inspiring place. If you have the opportunity to work at Small Axe, don’t pass it up, take it!” Luke