Camphill Village Copake - Turtle Tree Seed CompanyAbout Camphill Village:The founding of Camphill Village in 1961 was part of a transformative movement in the UnitedStates to reform how society treats people with special needs. Worldwide, this was known asthe Camphill Movement. We are the first and largest Camphill community in the United States,and we are one of more than 100 Camphill communities, including villages and schools, thatexist around the globe.Camphill Village Copake is a non-profit organization dedicated to our mission of being anintegrated community where people with developmental differences are living a life of dignity,equality, and purpose.On 615 acres of wooded hills, gardens, and pastures in rural upstate New York, adults withspecial needs and long- and short-term service volunteers strive to live and work together asequals in extended families in homes throughout the Village.At Turtle Tree Seed, a workshop within Camphill Village, we manage 3 acres of land with a crewof folks with developmental differences, young volunteers for whom this is the first experience ofland work, and one or more experienced land workers working alongside people of varying skilllevels and abilities. We grow vegetable, flower and herb seeds, and do trialing of somevarieties each year. The seeds we grow here, along with seeds grown on partner farms acrossthe country, are cleaned, tested and packed for sale during the fall, winter and spring.More information about Camphill Village can be found at: https://camphillvillage.org and aboutTurtle Tree Seed here: https://turtletreeseed.org. Job Description:The Turtle Tree Seed team is seeking a part-time, year-round seed care and data associate toprovide germination testing, data collection, and operational support in our seed growingbusiness. Seed production requires a high level of attention to detail, beyond that of regularvegetable, herb or flower growing. This position is ideal for someone who has a long love of farming and plants, and who is interested in spending some time indoors, had excellent organizational skills and great attention to detail.Specific Job Duties Entail: Performs and evaluates germination testing for biodynamic and organic seeds utilizingstandardized testing procedures. Recognizes problems and reports to appropriate party. Collects and enters data; verifies accuracy of tested data. Weighs and updates inventory of available seed. Assists with organic and biodynamic handling certification. Assists with general operational duties as needed. This includes customer service taskssuch as answering phones, receiving orders, picking and packing orders, etc. Occasionally holding consciousness for the work of the team members withdevelopmental differences when others are out of the office temporarily or otherwiseengaged. Occasional support for greenhouses such as watering, opening, etc.Job Schedule:24 hours per week and is flexible.Qualifications:
Commitment to Camphill Village’s mission and to Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture High School Diploma or equivalent Strong interest in working with a diverse population with various abilities. Strong organization and time management skills. The job requires the ability to meetdeadlines. Attention to detail is vital in being successful in this job. Ability and patience to help workshop crew with appropriate tasks. Competent customer service skills, such as attentiveness, patience, flexibility, clearcommunication skills. Knowledge of agriculture/horticulture, biodynamic or organic gardening/seeds is a plus,but not required. General computer knowledge. Must possess the physical ability to use small instruments to include tweezers andsufficient vision to perform the duties described with or without reasonableaccommodation.Compensation: This is an hourly position. Pay begins at $18/hour for those with no prior experience ofworking with plants/seeds and is capped at $20/hr for more experienced individuals. Benefits: Up to 14 paid holidays per year 4 weeks of paid time off (PTO) in the first year, plus additional time thereafter 401k retirement plan with employer contributions On-the-job training
A diverse, beautiful, and non-traditional work environment. We also have a fabulous coffee shop, bakery, and Café on site where one can purchase delicious soups, salads, and other meals, and there is the opportunity to join one or more of our house communities for a lively hot lunch!
Application Process:Those interested should email the HR manager, Jess Albright, atjessicaa@camphillvillage.org with the header “Seed Care Position.”Please include a brief cover letter, resume, and 3 references. Applications should besubmitted as soon as possible.