Lake Divide Farm – Farmers’ Market Attendant – Stockbridge, Michigan

Last Updated On: noviembre 27th, 2019 at 11:41AM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
12638 Mt Hope Rd
Stockbridge, Michigan , 49285

Primary Contact: Helen Chandler
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 9083477272
    Email: lakedividefarm@gmail.com

Website: www.lakedividefarm.com

Internship information

General Farm Description: Who we are: Lake Divide Farm is a certified organic vegetable farm in Jackson county, Michigan. We are managing 18 acres for production, and grow vegetables and fruit on 11 acres. We sell through six farmers' markets including Michigan's historic Eastern market and the Kerrytown Ann Arbor farmers' market. We also run a market based CSA program, sell through wholesale avenues, and directly to restaurants. We are working to provide season-round healthful produce to our community. We are working to provide season-round healthful produce to our community. Our motto is: Good for the Earth, Good for the Farmers, Good for the People. The Trifecta of sustainability. Good for the earth: Taking care of the natural world is a important, after all, it takes care of us; Good for the farmer: We believe farmers should have livable hours and livable wages; Good for the people: We believe in food equality and bringing our produce to market at an affordable price and keeping it accessible is important to us. We are building an elite team of farmers that share our vision. Our overall goal is to fill year round, long-term positions with people that share our vision and want to take a responsible role in building Lake Divide Farm. We like to work hard, be effective, and have a lot of fun. If you want to work as a team to build a farm that is environmentally and socially sustainable and can support its farmers year round without running them into the ground, this could be the job for you. To find out more about us visit our website www.lakedividefarm.com or facebook or instagram page.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: May, 2020
Internship Ends: Wednesday before Thanksgiving, 2020
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled
Minimum Length of Stay: Full season

Internship Details:

To apply, include a statement of interest in your cover letter as well as two references.

The job in a nutshell: Sell Lake Divide Farm’s certified organic vegetables at 3 farmers’ markets from May through October!

We attend 6 markets per week in the high season and you could be heading to three of these, slinging our wares and making people happy. We grow a diverse selection of vegetables all of which are certified organic, fresh, and high quality. We strongly believe in keeping our produce affordable. While we do have some “boutique” items that are priced a little higher (baby ginger and micro greens for example), the majority of our produce is well within what a person could expect to pay at the grocery store.

The Job in detail:

Arrive on the farm at the start times listed below, load the vegetables into a van, and drive to market. Set up the stand and sell vegetables.

At market we expect the attendant to be performative and bring new customers into the stand while developing relationships with our existing customers. They must remain engaging and active throughout the entire market, talk about cooking and food production. They also must record CSA expenditures, notes, inventory, and market requests neatly.

At the end of market everything will be packed back up in an orderly fashion, returned to the farm and unloaded.

The hours (totaling 36 or 38 depending on which Saturday Market is assigned to this position):

Wednesday, 4:45 am to 4:45 pm (12 hours)
Thursday, 4:45 am to 4:45 pm (12 hours)
Saturday, 3:30 am to 5:30 pm (14 hours) or 4:45 am to to 4:45 pm (12 hours)

The Qualifications:

Retail and or customer service experience. Server/bartender experience is very relevant for this position.
Knowledge about vegetables. How to cook and store them, as well as different types and different ways they can look.
Ability to bring customers into the stand (fish) and obtain new customers
Perform quick and accurate mental arithmetic
Use a price computing scale
Use clear written communication
Multitask, often working with multiple customers at once.
Engage with customers
Sell product and upsell product
Set up an attractive and consistent market stand
Sell the produce confidently at the price set by the farm
Be able to answer standard market questions (what is organic, how does your CSA work, etc) and relay relevant question back to the farm
Ability to lift 50 lbs consistently
Willing to work a market in all weather conditions
Give 1 month notice for days off barring emergency
Be punctual

The Markets:

Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Market, Wednesday:

It is located in the Kerrytown District at 315 Detroit St, Ann Arbor, MI. It runs May thru December, 7 am to 3 pm. More than 100 vendors of all types attend the market and we have many regulars here. While it is still busy, you may find it more relaxed than some of the more hectic markets.

The Northville Farmers’ Market, Thursday:

The Northville Market is located at the corner of 7 Mile and Sheldon Roads. It runs May thru October, 8 am – 3 pm. There is a lot of vendor overlap between the Ann Arbor market and Northville market.

Detroit’s Eastern Market, Saturday:

The Eastern Market in Detroit is located about a mile northeast of downtown. It covers about 43 acres, bounded by I-75 on the West and Gratiot Avenue on the South. It runs year round from 6 am to 4 pm. It is one of our busiest markets and is always a wild time. We love participating in one of Michigan’s oldest markets. There is some vendor overlap between Eastern and our other markets.

Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown Market, Saturday:

Located in the same place as Ann Arbor’s Wednesday market, this market is a lot more packed and does a lot more business. There is a lot of customer overlap between this market and the Wednesday market, and obviously a lot of vendor overlap as well.

Note: For reasons of spacextime, you will only be attending one of the Saturday markets. We have yet to determine which one.

Educational Opportunities: There is no learning like hands-on experience If you have wondered what it really looks like to run a market farm, this is a great chance for an inside view.

Skills Desired: The Qualifications: Retail and or customer service experience. Server/bartender experience is very relevant for this position. Knowledge about vegetables. How to cook and store them, as well as different types and different ways they can look. Ability to bring customers into the stand (fish) and obtain new customers Perform quick and accurate mental arithmetic Use a price computing scale Use clear written communication Multitask, often working with multiple customers at once. Engage with customers Sell product and upsell product Set up an attractive and consistent market stand Sell the produce confidently at the price set by the farm Be able to answer standard market questions (what is organic, how does your CSA work, etc) and relay relevant question back to the farm Ability to lift 50 lbs consistently Willing to work a market in all weather conditions Give 1 month notice for days off barring emergency Be punctual

Meals: No

Stipend: $13/hour plus produce

Housing: No

Preferred method of Contact: Email