The Farm Manager is responsible for oversight and management of the daily operations of the Village Center greenhouse. This position will work with soil and soilless agriculture in order to develop crop and harvest schedules. The Farm Manager will work with others within the CDS community to make recommendations about new plant and crop varieties to grow and add to current menus with the goal of delivering high quality plants and produce year-round. In addition, the position is tasked with researching and implementing innovative farming technologies that allow for continuous improvement opportunities with CDS.
This position may require working longer hours and being on call to attend to the farm holidays and weekends if necessary.
Who we are:
Housing & Dining Services provides services to over 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students on the CU Boulder campus. Our 650 full time staff and 1000 student staff strive to provide excellent customer service and to support student success through our programs in residence hall and apartment living, dining services and catering, conference services and childcare. The Housing & Dining Services Campus Dining leads the industry with superior quality food and exceptional dining experiences. We have 13 convenient campus locations, including all-you-care-to-eat dining centers, grab-n-go’s, convenience stores, coffee shops, bakery, and a late-night café.
Key Responsibilities:
Growing
Manage year-round production planning including:
Execute appropriate crop rotations, pest management, irrigation, fertilization harvesting and other cultivation techniques.
Responsible for management of growing conditions and nutrient mixes for optimal production that enhances taste, nutrition, speed of crop turnover and overall quality.
Manually harvest crops and prepare harvested crops for transportation to all units.
Select and purchase seeds, plant nutrients, disease control chemicals and garden care equipment.
Position and regulate plant irrigation systems and program environmental and irrigation controls.
Perform manual agriculture, aquaculture or horticultural tasks.
Management
Work with culinary leadership to determine crops to be grown.
Confer with management to report conditions, plan planting and harvesting schedules, and to discuss changes in fertilizer, herbicides, or cultivating techniques.
Train employees, volunteers and student staff in horticultural techniques, such as germinating, propagating, harvesting, and grading and packing.
Subject matter expert and is responsible for review of employees work to ascertain quality and quantity of work performed, and makes recommendations for improvement as needed.
Participate in inspections of facilities to determine maintenance needs, related to environmental control system, irrigation/fertilization system and general facility upkeep.
Keep up to date with developments and interests in the market and on other developments in horticulture applicable to company progress and excellence.
Facilitate community engagement through leading tours and information sessions.
Assign work schedules and duties to nursery or greenhouse staff or volunteers and supervise their work.
Follow best practices for food and workplace safety and sanitation of operation.
Record Keeping
Maintain audit trail for all activities from input purchasing through growing.
Keep detailed records of all harvested produce as well as all production budgets.
Provide detailed analysis of production records to meet marketing and management needs.
Record and track all crop rotations and planting diagrams.
What you should know:
You will need the ability to perform physical activity: lifting (up to 100 lbs. assisted); carrying (50 lbs.).
You must have a valid driver’s license.
This position may require working longer hours and being on call to attend to the farm holidays and weekends if necessary.
Qualifications
What we require:
Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, agronomy, biology or similar field.
Experience may substitute for a degree on a year for year basis.
Must also possess 2 additional years’ experience with focus in horticultural space (hydroponics/aeroponics experience necessary), growing baby greens, micro greens, living lettuces and herbs, controlled environment systems, including hydroponics, growing systems, and environmental control systems (e.g. Argus, Priva), preferably in a multi-level environment, scheduling planting and cropping to meet customer demand.
Thorough knowledge of plant growing, disease prevention, and pest remediation, especially IPM principles.
Servsafe certified and or certificate appropriate for the position level or the ability to obtain Servsafe certification or certificate appropriate to position level within 6 months of hire. Must possess appropriate Servsafe certification or certificate appropriate to position level for the duration of employment with CDS.
Familiarity with Microsoft Office – Excel, Word, PowerPoint.
What you will need:
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both written and orally, with direct reports, peers, clients and service providers inside and outside the organization.
Ability to instruct team on control systems, fertilization, CO2, water, power and environmental control.
Preferred:
Master’s degree in Horticulture, Agronomy or a similar field.
Experience growing in a closed environment (e.g. greenhouse).
Experience with food safety and HACCP protocols and auditing procedures.
Anticipated salary for this position is $50,000.
For more information: Colorado State Farm Manager Job
