Title: Windy City Harvest West Grower

Exemption Status: Non-exempt

Department: Windy City Harvest

Reports to: Operations Team

Year-Round Full time

Supervises: Lead crews of interns, apprenticeship students, corps and youth farm crew members, volunteers

Position Overview:

Windy City Harvest is committed to a continuum of job training. We value an innovative, entrepreneurial, and practical approach to sustainable agriculture and education. We hold high shared standards for all staff and participants to foster personal and professional growth. This is a hands-on farming position, providing farm production support to all Windy City Harvest farm sites and providing guidance to program participants about agriculture. This job is 60% production-focused, including maintaining accountability for a seven-day-a-week irrigation schedule; 40% programming-focused, on workforce development training using farming to develop job skills, including submitting all paperwork in a timely manner.

The person in this role is responsible for running all outdoor production aspects of the Farm on Ogden; creating and implementing a crop plan for outdoor youth farm production, production greenhouse management, landscaping ornamental areas and maintenance, keeping all farm production logs completed and well organized, and supporting the aquaponics team with production tasks. This role supports the Corps Crew Leader and Community Education Coordinator by setting a clear task list for program participant crews and properly training in production tasks, working side by side with corps transitional jobs and youth farm program participants; providing supervisory support as needed. This role supports the Apprenticeship Instructor by leading apprenticeship lab days, at any WCH site as requested, in collaboration with Site Coordinator; and supporting apprentice-led sites Rodeo Farm and Arturo Velasquez Institute (AVI) with production needs regularly.

Responsibilities

In this role you will be responsible for the following:

• Implement crop plan for sustainable vegetable production to meet a designated sales goal; use succession plantings, integrated pest management, and season extension in accordance with standard operating procedures.
• Create and implement farm, greenhouse, and landscaping area production schedules and be accountable for completing farm production tasks in a timely fashion. Forecast weekly labor management, tool, and supply needs; ask support from supervisor as needed.
• Train program participants to follow crop plan, greenhouse seeding, and harvest schedule.
• Be responsible for site irrigation and irrigation system maintenance; frequently checking that irrigation system is working properly. Be accountable for seven-day-a-week irrigation schedule and irrigate on weekends and holidays as needed. Report issues to supervisor.
• Support aquaponics system maintenance including water tests, feeding fish, cleaning filters, harvest, seeding, etc., as needed.
• Demonstrate enthusiasm for working alongside program participants, including youth, adult learners/apprentices, and formerly justice-involved trainees in an agriculture-focused job-development setting.
• Assist production team in the oversight and training of all on-site staff with production and programming tasks, including seasonal interns, volunteers, and all program participants. Provide and document productive feedback and set example for staff standards.
• Assist with lab field day portion of WCH Apprenticeship certificate program. Complete lab feedback forms in a timely fashion.
• Lead weekly farm walk with Corps Crew Leader and Community Education Coordinator, including program participants.
• Create a positive team environment around harvest, processing, seeding, and site maintenance with staff, program participants, volunteers, and visitors.
• Forecast weekly harvest availability, including edible ornamental plantings; maintain and provide accountability measures for weekly harvest. Send harvest availability to sales team by set deadline weekly. Coordinate harvests and inventory/restock harvest supplies weekly.
• Maintain and provide accountability measures for weekly harvest. Submit post-harvest paperwork in a timely manner. Update sales team with any harvest changes immediately.
• Harvest and process vegetables in compliance with Good Agricultural Practices and Food Safety Modernization Act standards and the Windy City Harvest post-harvest handling guide. Train participants in proper harvesting and post-harvest handling procedures.
• Complete all logs and records associated with production, site safety, food safety, and sales paperwork in an accurate and timely manner. Keep organized in production binder and in compliance with good agricultural practices (GAPS) protocols.
• Work at all Windy City Harvest sites and programs as assigned to meet programming goals and support a seven-day production schedule (work Saturdays, Sundays, holidays as requested). Effectively foster a collaborative environment with fellow WCH staff.
• Meet, uphold, and be accountable for aesthetics and site maintenance as outlined in site maintenance guidelines. Follow weekly landscaping production schedule to maintain monthly site evaluation standards.
• Attend weekly staff meetings and any scheduled meetings as requested with information ready to present out about farm production and program participant highlights.
• Be reachable by phone (call and text) and email during entire work shift. Regularly check email and reply in a timely manner. Stay in good communication with staff.
• Operate Chicago Botanic Garden vehicles and equipment in a safe and responsible way. Report any issues to supervisor immediately. Support with truck logs as requested.
• Work with Production and Sales Team to assist in the distribution of food to local retailers and markets; make produce deliveries as needed. Support with farm stands as requested.
• Safely transport supplies (tools, plants, amendments). Ensure program participant crews have drinking water on-site, transport water as needed.
• Manage safe tool and machinery equipment use and proper maintenance, ensure all staff on-site understand and sign tool protocols. Provide clear directions on which equipment should only be used by staff and not program participants.
• Safely operate landscaping equipment, be responsible for proper maintenance, and maintain up-to-date inventory and safety logs. Report issues to supervisor immediately.
• Maintain tool and harvest supply site inventory and keep track of tool checkout log. Inventory tools regularly. Report and log any broken equipment and materials that need to be purchased to supervisor immediately.
• Ensure you are present and ready for program participants at beginning of day, including being available to open site. Neatly put away all tools, supplies, and equipment, shut off irrigation, and properly lock up site at end of day. Report any site security issues to supervisor immediately.
• Lead weekly safety talks with staff and program participants, logging each time.
• Act as a resource for program information for project partners, community members, Chicago Botanic Garden staff, and the media.
• Give scheduled and impromptu tours as needed and train program participants in leading tours.

Chicago Botanic Garden Values & Behaviors:

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will have the following:

• Minimum two seasons of sustainable vegetable production on a 1/4-acre site or larger
• Possess a driver’s license and access to reliable transportation
• Ability to strategically plan workdays with an effective labor plan and task list, and ability to work independently
• Willing and able to perform physically demanding tasks in all types of weather. Working outdoors and in an urban farm setting is dynamic
• Experience selling produce to a wide variety of markets, including walk-up customers at farm, farm stands, restaurants, small grocery retailers, and/or wholesale markets
• Experience with organic food production, integrated pest management (IPM), and farm protocols following Good Agricultural Practices guidelines
• Experience managing site tool and supply inventory
• Experience in creating and following crop plans and seasonal production schedules
• Experience projecting harvest availability, running harvests, and ability to adhere to food safety standards
• Experience training and overseeing individuals from varied backgrounds and skill levels
• Flexibility and comfort with shifting demands and schedules. Evening, early, weekend, and holiday shifts are part of this position occasionally
• Preference given to Windy City Harvest Apprenticeship graduates
• Produce Safety Alliance Grower Food Safety certification preferred
• Beekeeping, compost, aquaponic, and greenhouse management experience preferred

Physical Demands:
This is an urban farm setting. Staff must be able to work on feet all day in all weather conditions performing manual labor. There will be frequent lifting, standing, walking, bending, farm tool usage, machinery operation, as well as speaking to public, staff, and program participants. There will also be daily use of small farm machinery and post-harvest handling equipment. Staff is required to lift, push, and pull items up to 50 pounds.

*The Chicago Botanic Garden requires all existing employees to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated by October 15, 2021; hires after this date must be fully vaccinated upon hire or may request a medical/religious exemption after an offer is extended.*

Why Apply?
Come work in a setting that is like no other as you support our mission: We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life. Take the first step toward being one of the employees who make the Garden one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. Apply today. Please note that applicants who do not meet the required qualifications will not be considered.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, or basis of disability, or any other federal, state, or local protected class.

Disclaimer: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and qualifications required of personnel so classified.

In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Chicago Botanic Garden does not discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs or activities, including in employment or admissions. Please call (847) 835-8264 to contact our Title IX Coordinator should you have questions or concerns.