Summer Student Farmer Position

 

 

The summer farm team harvesting beans

To apply: 

Summer 2024 Student Farmer Position Description and Application

Looking for a summer job that gets you outside? Interested in learning about how food is produced and growing food for your community? A summer with the College Farm might be just the ticket!

Before filling out your application to work on the College Farm this summer, we thought it would be helpful to provide an overview of what prospective student farmers can look forward to! 

The production fields at the College Farm are in full swing during the summer months.  This summer will be the farm’s 19th year running a Campus Supported Agriculture program (CSA) for Dickinson employees.  Our co-op requires that we grow a variety of vegetables, herbs, and small fruits to supply to the farm’s CSA members on a weekly basis. Our other big customer is the College Dining Hall.  Though we plan crops for harvest when students return to campus in the fall, the College also hosts summer camps and conferences in June and July in addition to providing meals through Union Station for College employees.  The farm is contracted to raise produce for these summer needs. Additionally, the farm is also an anchor vendor at Carlisle’s Farmers on the Square market. This outdoor market takes place each Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm. 

Students employed during the summer will be directly involved with maintaining a wide range of vegetable crops, from planting to harvesting. As you might imagine, this requires working outdoors in a team environment to accomplish the tasks of the day, from CSA and market harvest to weeding, watering and general plant care.  Students interested in the challenge of working outside, using their bodies and building callouses from hard work are encouraged to apply!


A student farmer holds a summer squash that looks like a smile up to her face
In addition to growing food, students will be involved with projects based at the College Farm.  Initiatives involving renewable energy, livestock, composting, irrigation, greenhouse production, construction projects and crop health will be on going at the farm.  Though the day-to-day work at the farm will include projects such as planting, harvesting, weeding, insect and disease control, and landscaping, students employed during summer can expect to fully immerse themselves in all that the farm has to offer.  Weekly classes on topics relating to crop production and human health plus monthly field trips to area farms aim to provide a deeper perspective for our summer employees. 

The Farm is located in Boiling Springs, just six miles from Carlisle. Students regularly take advantage of the farm’s close proximity to campus by biking to work.  However, there are also designated vehicles for students to use to commute to and from the farm.  The farm is also located near the Appalachian Trail, Yellow Breeches creek, and Municipal Park with five miles of walking trails.  So, after a day of work there are lots of recreational opportunities nearby!

Although food production is one of the primary focuses of the farm, we are also greatly involved with outreach projects. Students employed for the summer will be integral to the success of our ongoing work with local and campus communities, including serving as educators and tour guides for farm visitors.

In a nutshell, the opportunity to work at the farm for the summer season presents multiple opportunities for students to gain hands on experience in sustainable food production, renewable energy, the local food scene in this area, education outreach and community service work. 

Now for the details!

  • Student farmer positions start in late May/early June and run until late August when classes resume.
  • Students are required to fulfill 40 hours of work per week, Monday through Friday. 
  • Our days start at 7:30am and end at 4:30pm with one hour for lunch.   
  • Students receive FREE on campus housing for the duration of their employment at the farm and FREE transportation to and from the farm for work purposes.
  • Vegetables raised at the farm are plenty and we encourage our employees to take FULL advantage of these items! Staff discounts are also available for farm-raised eggs and meat.
  • In addition to free housing, the student compensation includes $9.60 an hour.
  • Requested unpaid time off during the summer is encouraged with pre-planning. However, multiple weeks off will negatively effect the overall farm operation. We ask that Student Farmers please limit time off over the summer to no more than 10 consecutive work days or a few long weekends. 

Student applications will be reviewed as they are received. The absolute deadline for applying is March 22, 2024.

Email completed applications to smithro@dickinson.edu

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Alex Smith at smithro@dickinson.edu or Jenn Halpin at halpinj@dickinson.edu

 

Annual “Anything That Floats” boat race at the Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs — a 4th of July tradition