Looking for someone to help with the daily operations of a two-acre farm with produce, fruit trees, goats, and chickens. We are looking to grow our farm, as we have every year.
As a landowner, when you make land available for farming you help secure a future for farming in your community. Farmers are looking for land—from a small vegetable plot, to livestock or crops. Productive, sustainable uses for all or parts of your property can bring many rewards!
Join the Vermont Sheep and Goat Association for a day long lambing clinic. Master Shepherd, Chet Parsons, will start the morning off with a class to go over the basics: ewe nutrition, early signs of labor, when to intervene in a difficult labor, dystocia, handy equipment to have on hand, clip, dip, and strip. After a potluck lunch, the class will move down to the dairy barn where Sam Dixon and Renee Lacoss will be in the middle of lambing 75 ewes.
Join herbalist Katherine Elmer to traverse the folk wisdom and modern scientific understanding of some common wild and cultivated forest fungi. We will taste mushroom chai, share recipes, and discuss the optimal processing and medicinal benefits of tonic varieties of medicinal mushrooms such as shiitake, chaga, reishi and turkey tail.
Come join Rural Vermont and Mary Lake on Saturday, March 18th at Center Farm in Montpelier for an on-farm slaughter and processing workshop. In the first half of this 2-part workshop, participants will learn how to humanely slaughter a lamb and then how to efficiently butcher and process a lamb in the second half of the workshop.
The Vermont Wild Kitchen is back! Join Rural Vermont for the first episode of 2023 where they'll be cooking up a hearty trout dish served alongside a marinated kale salad dressed "Vermont-style" with maple, apple cider vinegar, and garlic. March's featured chef will be Ryan Yoder of Yoder Farm in Danby. Ryan's farm is known for the gallons of apple cider vinegar they produce every year with tons of local, wild apples!
Live streamed on Youtube and Facebook!
Please join us Friday, February 24th at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier for a community conversation about the socio/economic/political/cultural/agroecological contexts of Cuba and the broader Latin America and Caribbean, as well as political updates, experiences of Vermont’s recent delegation to the Small Farmers’ Conference in Cuba, and opportunities for participation, engagement, and solidarity.
This event is co-hosted by the Vermont Agroecology School Collective, Rural Vermont, and the Caribbean Agroecology Institute.
5:30-6:30: Potluck Dinner
Yorlis Gabriel Luna, of the Asociacíon de Trabajadores del Campo (ATC in Nicaragua), the Latin American Institute of Agroecology Ixem Ulew, and La Via Campesina, will lead us in taking a closer look at the agroecology and food sovereignty movement in Nicaragua, discuss the role of peasant revolutionary thought in Latin America, solidarity and trans-nationalism, and how it all applies to the Vermont context.
This presentation will be held on Zoom; please RSVP.
Retreat Farm, Ltd., a non-profit organization in Brattleboro, VT, connects people with the land and with one another. The Farm’s 500+ acres of forest and farmlands,10+ miles of trails, and historic buildings are home to a variety of public and educational programming that serve 80,000 visitors annually.
Retreat Farm seeks an Assistant Lands Manager with the experience, skills, and work habits necessary to ensure the preservation, maintenance, security, safety, accessibility, environmental integrity, and beautification of this expansive and vitally important community resource.
A strong candidate is someone who is skilled in the operation and maintenance of all land maintenance equipment including mowers, tractor, skid steer, etc. Helpful skills will include familiarity with plant material and forest species (invasive and native), and experience with the care and feeding of farm animals.
The Assistant Lands Manager will be an integral part of the Retreat Farm team and will assist in all aspects of our property maintenance and farm operations.
Responsibilities include:
- Assisting with interior roads and parking lot maintenance, including snow removal
- Emergency site management with the willingness and ability to respond quickly to any weather, security, property damage or loss, and safety challenges
- Assisting with all grounds care as needed (mowing of Farmhouse Square in advance of an event, salting sidewalks in winter, brush cutting, installation and maintenance of seasonal plantings, etc.)
- Assisting with maintenance of existing trails, meadow pathways, and new trail construction
- Assisting events managers for special needs where help is needed
- Providing backup support for other Retreat Farm personnel
- Taking a lead role in team safety training and management of first aid kits
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING. All applications should be submitted through Indeed.
https://www.indeed.com/job/assistant-lands-manager-26d6736a17ed1a61
Please share a resume and a detailed cover letter explaining why you're a good fit for this position.
About Retreat Farm
Retreat Farm believes that employees from diverse backgrounds are critical to achieving its goals. The organization seeks to recruit, develop, and retain staff who reflect the diverse communities it serves. All candidates who meet the qualification requirements are encouraged to apply.
Retreat Farm is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, religion, ethnic or national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. Retreat Farm is a non-smoking campus.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $19.25 - $22.00 per hour
Benefits:
Flexible schedule
Paid time off
Retirement plan
Be a part of a team that cares for a small herd of beloved animals visited by over 100,000 people each year!
Retreat Farm seeks one part time person with the experience, personality, and skills necessary to help manage the Farm’s core animal program—an important part of connection to the Farm’s historical past, to the region’s working heritage, and to the communities that enjoy the farm today.
Retreat Farm serves as a vital community resource, stewarding 500+ acres of forest and farmlands, 10+ miles of trails, and a farmstead with eight historic buildings. As a nonprofit, Retreat Farm facilitates a variety of programs to connect people to the land and to one another, and it serves over 80,000 visitors annually.
The Animal Care Coordinator reports to the Manager of Animal Care, and is a member of Retreat Farm’s farm, lands, and facilities team, working in partnership with all Retreat Farm staff and occasional volunteers.
Responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include: care, feeding, and ensuring the health of our resident animal population including an ox (Carlos), a donkey, and goats. Day-to-day responsibilities include feeding, watering, cleaning up after, and helping to monitor the health of the Farm’s current animal population.
The ideal candidate:
· has broad farm-based experience including the care and feeding of large farm animals.
· can operate a tractor and skid steer.
· can lift 50 lbs., and lift repeatedly (e.g., when moving loads of hay).
· has strong communication skills and the ability to work as part of a farm and lands management team.
Though this position requires some prior experience with large animals, training will be provided for care of Retreat Farm’s specific animals. Training will also be provided on necessary farm equipment.
Compensation:
· Pay range: $22-26.00 per hour based on skills and experience, up to 20 hours per week
· Retirement plan
· Potential for paid time off
Schedule:
● Flexible shifts determined in coordination with all farm staff
● Some weekend work may be required.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING: All applications should be submitted via Indeed.
https://www.indeed.com/job/part-time-large-animal-care-coordinator-ed42…?
Please share a resume and a detailed cover letter letting us know why you are a good fit for this position. In addition to work experience, please include any non-paid large animal experience. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, on a rolling basis. The position is open until filled.
Retreat Farm believes that employees from diverse backgrounds are critical to achieving its goals. The organization seeks to recruit, develop, and retain staff who reflect the diverse communities it serves. All candidates who meet the qualification requirements are encouraged to apply. Retreat Farm is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, religion, ethnic or national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation.
