Seasonal Vegetable Farm Worker – Sunnyside Farm
Last Updated On: February 25th, 2025 at 12:44PM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:27 Sweetwater Lane
Washington, Virginia, 22747
Primary Contact: Amanda Finley
Primary Phone:
Type: Cell
Number: 2153801499
Email: amanda@sunnysideconservancy.com
Website: https://www.sunnysideconservancy.com
Internship information
General Farm Description: Sunnyside Farm and Conservancy is nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in the shadow of Shenandoah National Park. It sits on a 400 acre parcel in Rappahannock County, VA just outside the town of Little Washington. 12 acres are in organically grown vegetable production, and 15 in pear, apple, and pawpaw orchards. We sell to several local restaurants and we do two weekly Saturday farmer’s markets, both nearby in Sperryville and Warrenton. What really sets us apart is the strong emphasis we place on wildlife conservation and building a healthy ecosystem. Although we manage certain areas for growing fruit and vegetables, we also manage them for growing nature and biodiversity. Sunnyside’s growing operation doesn't spray any pesticides or fertilizers, and instead we use crop rotation, growing green mulch, cover crops and farm-made compost to manage soil fertility and soil ecology, and we choose practices that minimize environmental impact above all else. Our goal is to create growing systems that will be sustainable for many years down the road, and to prioritize long term land health over short term gains. An exciting new program that will be launching this year is Sunnyside’s new Community Assisted Conservation (CSC) which is an online subscription platform and an innovative model for giving value to biodiversity and demonstrating the potential of a nature-first approach to land stewardship. Seasonal workers will assist by photographing and recording items of interest throughout the workday and those who show interest and aptitude may assist with creating online content. In addition, we also have a small flock of laying hens that provide eggs for farm use, and a herd of 5 goats that we intend to use to combat invasive species around the property, along with two miniature donkeys and horses.CRAFT Member Farm? No
Internship Starts: mid-march to mid-april
Internship Ends: end of November
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: rolling
Minimum Length of Stay: full season preferable
Internship Details:
For the 2025 season, Sunnyside will be hiring one additional full-time seasonal farm crew member to round out our working crew of 6. Ideally the season would begin between mid-March and mid-April and go until the end of November.
Seasonal workers will assist in all aspects of small-scale vegetable production including greenhouse work, direct seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting, washing and packing, and marketing vegetables. These are physically taxing, sometimes tedious jobs, done in all kinds of weather, but we try to switch up jobs frequently to break up the monotony. Seasonals will be expected to work five 8-hour days and have two days off in a row, though not necessarily on the weekends.
Educational Opportunities: Although all workers will assist with all jobs, if you have a particular area of interest or skill you’d like to learn, we can provide opportunities for those. Some examples include, driving a tractor, compost production, greenhouse management, conservation work, and goat care. Sunnyside being a smaller farm really gives our employees lots of opportunities to see vegetable and fruit production from beginning to end and to develop a complete skillset for all your future growing.
Skills Desired: Previous farming experience is a plus but not required. We can teach you everything you need to know. What’s more important is a good work ethic, being comfortable living and working with a small crew in a rural setting, and strong interest in learning how to sustainably grow vegetables.
Meals: Seasonal workers will have access to all the delicious home grown produce they can eat as well as farm fresh eggs from our chicken flock.
Stipend: Compensation includes on-site housing, free fruit, veg and eggs, one day off for every month you work at the farm, and hourly pay starting at $12.41 an hour with no previous farming experience.
Housing: On-site housing will be available for seasonal workers. You will have a private room in a shared house with one other returning seasonal employee. It will be the responsibility of tenants to keep the house clean. Guests are allowed as long as it is cleared with your roommates first. Pets are generally not allowed for seasonal employees but this can be negotiable depending on the pet and whether your housemate is amenable. We are located a 20-30 minute drive from any towns with large box stores and chain restaurants, so a car will be helpful. The three nearest large towns are Culpeper, Front Royal, and Warrenton, and Luray. There are other restaurants, small stores, and coffee shops in the nearby small towns of Little Washington and Sperryville a few minutes away, and we are about a 25 minute drive to the Thornton Gap entrance to Shenandoah National Park. Cell phone reception can be spotty but the seasonal house has wifi as do other spots around the farm.
Preferred method of Contact: email
