Full-Time Summer Positions Available at the Dickinson College Farm!

The Dickinson College Farm seeks enthusiastic students interested in gaining hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture!  The College Farm offers students a unique opportunity to engage in a variety of projects relating to food production, renewable energy, livestock management, community outreach and more! Successful applicants will be hard working and good-natured with an interest in exploring sustainable land management first-hand!

Deadline: March 10th

2013 Summer Application

For more information please contact halpinj@dickinson.edu!

Student Farmer/ Summer Position Description:

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 10^th 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 two major summer camps 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.

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.  Student farmers assist with all aspects of overseeing our stand; from harvest to marketing and sales!  We also sell to local restaurants in Carlisle.  Establishments like the Green Room and Piatto’s are also customers.

Students employed during the summer will be directly involved with maintaining a wide range of vegetable crops, from planting to harvesting.

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.

Speaking of the farm, it 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 5 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 community outreach projects like educational programming and work with our local food bank, Project SHARE.  Students employed for the summer will be integral to the success of our ongoing work with SHARE plus serve 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, education outreach and community service work.

While the projects at the farm are diverse in scope, the day to day work demands a positive attitude, team work, and perseverance.  The farm staff aims to make the work experience at the farm both fun and educational.  Our summer employees are more than a work force and participate in regularly scheduled educational programs, from weekly learning sessions to field trips.

Now for the details!

• Summer student farmer positions start in late May and run until classes resume in late August.
• 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!
• In addition to free housing, student compensation includes $8.00 an hour.

The deadline for 2013 summer position applications is March 10, 2013. Applications can be dropped off in person to room 122 in Kaufman or emailed to halpinj@dickinson.edu.

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