Fertile Ground Farm
Join Our Team
Now Hiring Field Crew for 2023
Our Farm
We are an organic vegetable farm operating on a beautiful 100 acre property near Waterloo. Since building relationships with the people we feed is really important to us, most of our produce is sold through our 300 member CSA (Community Shared Agriculture), supplemented by local restaurant & retail sales, online store, and a spring seedling sale. We have wonderfully supportive & committed CSA members, and are always looking for ways to create opportunities for community interaction and involvement. While our primary focus is our vegetable fields, we also raise pastured laying hens and our land supports 40 acres of hay and a similar acreage of woodlot, wetland and meadow habitat. Projects for the 2023 season include continued development of tillage reduction strategies, partnering with the Cambridge Food Bank through our Community Shares Program, hosting a Regional Seed Showcase Garden in partnership with the EFAO, and (possibly) Farmer-Led Research trials (you can meet Farm Manager Angie in the featured video).
We have 1 heated greenhouse and 3 unheated tunnels for tomatoes and season extension. Three tractors are used for primary and in-row cultivation, though we still do a lot of field work by hand. Our team consists of 3-4 full time seasonal workers, a Field Manager, and Angie (Farm Manager) who is an equal participant in harvest & field work activities as well as carrying out all the administrative tasks of the farm. Continuous learning & ongoing systems improvement are important here. Having facilitated new farmer training courses and workshops for a number of farmer training organizations and hosted interns for almost a decade, Angie is experienced at providing a solid educational experience alongside the day-to-day production work. Although the landscape is very rural, we are less than a 10 minute drive from the west edge of the city of Waterloo.
Skills & Assets to Thrive on Our Team
Diversified market gardening is highly skilled work. Applicants will ideally have experience on a vegetable farm. Whether experienced on not, the ability to absorb and integrate detailed instruction and feedback is key. We are looking to build a team with quick hands, positive & collaborative attitudes, strong observation skills and tenacity to see tasks through start to finish. Adaptability to roll with rapidly shifting task priorities, curiosity to drive your learning, a desire to contribute creatively to the ongoing improvement of our farm systems and a sense of humour are all highly valued.
Our work is physically and mentally demanding, with long hours outdoors in all weather. Great stamina, and in particular strong back and knees are essential.
Tractor experience and/or comfort using power tools to perform repairs & do some construction work are valuable assets.
We have 2 positions available for the 2023 season:
To Apply
Send resume and a letter outlining your relevant work and farming experiences, as well as your motivations for working with us to: info@fertilegroundcsa.com
Applicants from members of BIPOC & LGBTQ+ communities are welcome.
Only Canadian citizens/permanent residents or those with legal Canadian work permits will be considered.
Housing/Transportation
Please note: While we don't provide on-farm housing, St. Agatha and West Waterloo are within reasonable biking distance, and we are only 10-20 mins drive from town.
