2025 Vegetable Apprentice

September 5, 2024

Glynwood

Cold Spring

OTHER

The Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming is an equal-opportunity employer.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all
employees.
Overview: Glynwood’s Advanced Vegetable Apprenticeship Program is for individuals who
have full-time experience working on a commercial farm and who are ready to increase their
farming knowledge to prepare for a career growing vegetables. Glynwood’s vegetable operation
is certified organic and produces over 60 vegetable crops on 5 acres for our CSA, farm store
and food access partners. We employ two distinct small-scale, diversified production systems; a
low-till permanent bed system on .75 acres including several high tunnels and a mechanized,
tractor tillage based system on the remaining acres. Apprentices gain a solid foundation in the
skills necessary to manage a small commercial vegetable operation using both low-till and
traditional tillage methods. From tractor operation to business planning, compost production to
crop rotations, the Advanced Vegetable Apprenticeship aims to provide a comprehensive
overview of how to manage a vegetable farm.

This 9-month Advanced Apprenticeship is an intensive vocational training program. Apprentices
work full-time in the fields as a member of the vegetable crew and are an integral part of the
planting, care, and sales of crops for our customers. Beyond gaining hands-on experience and
learning technical skills as field crew, apprentices receive significant educational support
including extensive in-field training in farm management and decision making; complete
assessments of their skills and progress towards program goals; and a 60-hour classroom
curriculum. All of this is built into the full time schedule. Apprentices are expected to support
Glynwood’s culture of philanthropy and may be asked to contribute to story-telling projects or
events led by our development and communications team.
Regular Work Hours:
The apprenticeship begins March 17, 2025 and ends December 10, 2025. Daily start and end
times vary by season and include occasional longer workdays, and weekend chores every 4
weeks. The basic work schedule is as follows:

March to Mid-May: 7:30am - 4:30pm workday with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break
Mid-May to Mid-August: 7am - 5pm workday with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break
Mid-August to December: 7:30am - 4:30pm with a 1 hour unpaid lunch break

Compensation:
$15.50 per hour wage

Paid time off: 6 vacation days, 5 sick days, paid holidays (however, farm staff rotate

coverage of holidays and receive comp time for any holidays worked)

An average of 200 paid educational hours
$500 in a Healthcare Reimbursement Account
$200 workwear stipend, and $250 education stipend
Free Glynwood eggs and vegetables; and a 40% discount on Glynwood meat and Farm

Store products

Private room in a 6-bedroom house shared with the other apprentices

Employee Housing:
Apprentices are assigned a private room in a 6-bedroom house and can expect to have 4
housemates. We cannot accommodate pets or significant others. Apprentices must be willing to
share a living space with coworkers. Please carefully consider if you will be comfortable in this
living situation before applying for this position.
Educational Opportunities
In addition to working on the farm, apprentices receive significant education through a
combination of a 60 hr classroom-based curriculum with expert instructors and an additional
30-50 hrs of education delivered by farm managers as learning modules. These modules last
1-3 hours and cover 20 different key farming topics including:
Composting Crop rotation
Cover cropping CSA sales model
Crop planning Direct seeding

Fertility management Record keeping
Field and bed preparation Task efficiency
Greenhouse & propagation Tomato grafting
Harvesting & post-harvest handling Transplanting
Irrigation Weed control
Pest & disease IPM and spraying Winter production & storage

Prioritization and decision making

Apprentices participate in weekly field walks and the planning and prioritization of weekly tasks
to gain experience with management priorities and decision making. Responsibilities such as
greenhouse management, tractor maintenance, record keeping, and irrigating are also rotated
among apprentices to provide additional opportunities to gain valuable management
experience.
All apprentices are encouraged to visit regional farms as part of the Mid-Hudson Collaborative
Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT). Apprentices also gain access to a robust alumni
network and other organizational contacts for long-term technical and general networking
assistance.
Essential Job Duties
The following job duties encompass the day-to-day work of the vegetable team and are also
core competencies apprentices can expect to learn.
Greenhouse seeding and Pruning and trellising
management Irrigating
Transplanting and direct seeding Pest and disease control
Hand weeding, hoeing, and other Field tractor work

weed management tasks Record keeping
Harvesting Supervising CSA pickups
Washing and packing Compost making
Cover cropping Machine and tool maintenance

Mulching

Eligibility Requirements

High school diploma or GED

Must have worked at least one full season (5 consecutive months) on a commercial

vegetable operation
Valid US Driver’s License in good standing

COVID-19 vaccination

Additional Requirements

Basic competency with the Google Suite, including word processing, spreadsheets,

email, and calendar
Ability to communicate clearly in English, verbally and in writing

Professional, collegial, direct and non-aggressive communication skills

Capable of both working alone and on a team Physical Demands
This is a physically challenging role. The Vegetable Apprentice must be able and willing to:

Stand, crouch, kneel, and bend for extended periods doing repetitive tasks
Lift and move harvest bins, rock bags, materials, hoses, etc. up to 50lbs at a time on a

regular basis

Perform other physical activities as needed for producing vegetables
Work steadily outdoors in all weather including heat, cold, rain, and wind. (Working

outdoors is not required when conditions are hazardous to human health.)
Travel and Weekend Work
Apprentices are required to participate in the vegetable team’s weekend chore rotation,

in which they are responsible for greenhouse care, field irrigation, and fertigation.

Apprentices may participate in field trips off site, and may attend one or more

conferences that require overnight stays.
About Glynwood
As an organization, we believe that Glynwood has a role to play in addressing racism and
inequity in our country’s food system, and commit ourselves to advancing diversity, equity,
inclusion, and access in our organization, and in all of our work. We are committed to proactive
learning, orienting ourselves towards healing racism and oppression, and expanding spaces for
those who have not been historically included.

We regret to inform you that this job opportunity is no longer available