Part Time Farmer/Farm Educator

Overview

Part Time Farmer/Farm Educator Jobs in Chapel Hill, NC at Lupine Community School

Lupine Community School (LCS) is a nonprofit, nature-based school serving children from preschool through elementary school on our working farm campus in Chapel Hill. Our educational approach is rooted in experiential, place-based learning, with the farm serving as both a productive agricultural space and an extension of the classroom.

We are looking for a hands-on, knowledgeable, and self-motivated part-time farmer to help care for and develop our growing farm.

This is very much a “boots on the ground” position. We are looking for someone who enjoys the actual work of farming—getting their hands dirty, pulling weeds, managing pests, building beds, planting, harvesting, and continually looking for ways to make the farm healthier, more productive, and more beautiful.

Position Overview

The Part-Time Farmer will be responsible for the day-to-day hands-on work involved in maintaining and expanding our vegetable, fruit, herb, and flower production.

Because our farm is part of a school, this position is a little different from a traditional farm job. We want the property to be productive, beautiful, inviting, and full of opportunities for children to discover where food comes from.

The farmer will also work directly with our elementary students several times each week, leading hands-on farming experiences and helping children participate meaningfully in the life of the farm.

Primary ResponsibilitiesCrop Production & Farm Work

• Perform regular hand weeding within and around crop beds and growing areas.
• Plant, maintain, and manage seasonal vegetables, herbs, flowers, berries, fruit trees, and other edible crops.
• Build and prepare new growing beds and improve existing beds.
• Monitor crops daily for pests, disease, nutrient needs, and other problems.
• Use appropriate organic and ecologically responsible approaches to pest and weed management.
• Water and irrigate crops as needed.
• Prune, trellis, thin, mulch, amend soil, and otherwise care for plants throughout the growing season.
• Harvest produce at the appropriate time and maintain high standards for quality.
• Keep growing areas orderly, healthy, and productive.
• Help maintain tools, growing supplies, irrigation systems, and farm work areas.

Harvest, Produce Boxes & Farm Stand

• Harvest, wash, sort, and prepare produce for sale.
• Help develop and assemble attractive farm produce boxes featuring seasonal produce grown on the farm.
• Assist with planning what and how much to grow based on anticipated farm stand and produce-box needs.
• Help stock, organize, and maintain the school farm stand.
• Identify opportunities to increase the usefulness and income potential of what we grow while remaining consistent with the educational and community mission of the farm.

Farm Development & Beautification

We want someone who sees possibilities.

The Part-Time Farmer will help us continually develop the property by identifying places where edible and useful plants can thrive. This might include creating a new herb garden, adding berries along a fence line, expanding perennial plantings, establishing a strawberry patch, creating a pollinator area, or turning an underused corner of the property into a beautiful and productive growing space.

Responsibilities include:

• Help design and create new growing spaces throughout the property.
• Expand edible landscaping and perennial food production.
• Help establish and care for fruit trees, berries, herbs, flowers, and other specialty crops.
• Beautify farm and school areas through thoughtful planting and maintenance.
• Look for creative ways to make the farm increasingly productive, ecologically healthy, and visually inviting.

Farming With Children

A part of this position is helping children develop a genuine relationship with farming, food, and the land.

The Part-Time Farmer will lead hands-on farming classes with elementary students a few times each week, working collaboratively with school staff to give children meaningful opportunities to participate in real farm work. We want children to experience themselves as real participants in the farm, rather than simply visitors to it.

The Person We’re Looking For

We especially value someone who is a self-starter and a go-getter. We are looking for someone to own the responsibility of the farm. It is a requirement that this person have demonstrated ability to independently organize work, manage competing priorities, consistently follow through on responsibilities, and proactively communicate progress and farm-related concerns.

Farming is seasonal and highly time-sensitive. Success in this role requires someone who can recognize tasks that must happen immediately to prevent crop loss or missed opportunities. The right person will demonstrate a sense of urgency in accomplishing tasks and communicating any observed issues and/or resource-related needs promptly.

On a farm, there is always something that needs doing. We don’t want someone who needs to be given a task list every morning. We want someone who walks through the property, notices that a bed needs weeding, a tomato needs trellising, a plant has a pest problem, an area could use mulch, or a neglected corner could become a new growing space—and takes the initiative to address it or bring forward a plan.

The right person will be:

• Comfortable with physical, outdoor work in all seasons.
• Experienced with vegetable and/or small-scale diversified farming.
• Knowledgeable about planting, crop care, harvesting, soil health, weeds, and pest management.
• Willing to spend significant time doing hands-on work, including weeding, digging, planting, hauling, harvesting, and building beds.
• Reliable, able to work independently, and excellent at managing their time and shifting priorities.
• Organized and able to plan ahead for successive plantings and seasonal needs.
• Observant and proactive rather than waiting to be told what to do.
• Creative and excited about developing new growing spaces.
• Comfortable working around children and enthusiastic about sharing farming knowledge with them.
• Patient, kind, flexible, and able to communicate well with both children and adults.
• Supportive of Lupine Community School’s nature-based, experiential, inclusive approach to education.

Prior farming, market gardening, horticulture, or intensive food-growing experience is required. Formal agricultural education is welcome —we care most about practical knowledge, reliability, initiative, and demonstrated ability to grow things successfully.

Experience teaching or working with children is helpful but not required. We can support the right farmer in learning how to translate their agricultural knowledge into engaging experiences for children.

What Makes This Position Different

This isn’t simply a maintenance or landscaping job, and it isn’t a position where someone manages the farm from a desk. We are looking for someone who wants to farm.

At the same time, the goal of our farm is bigger than crop production. We are creating a place where children can understand food systems firsthand, participate in caring for the land, watch ecosystems develop, and experience the satisfaction of growing something from seed to harvest.

This position will be around 80-90% farming and 10-20% teaching children about farming and helping them participate in the process.

Expected hours: 25.0 per week

Work Location: In person

Title: Part Time Farmer/Farm Educator

Company: Lupine Community School

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

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