See what other Upper Valley farmers have tried to solve the challenge of finding and keeping labor. We’ve asked and surveyed dozens of farmers and here is what they said:
In 2017 we partnered with DailyUV to create the UV Farmer Job Directory. Due to changes at the DailyUV site, the directory will not be live in 2018.
Looking for a place to advertise for farm labor?
Vital Communities just launched a farm labor focused job directory as part of a Northeast SARE Partnership grant that is designed to help farms hire and retain farm staff.
The UV Farm Job Directory is FREE and EASY to use.
1 Easy Step:
Create a help wanted advertisement in the market section of dailyuv.com
2017 Farm Job Directory Instructions for Farmers:We are using dailyuv.com‘s website to host this new virtual job directory. There is a news page on the site that has helpful information on what to expect from a farm job, the benefits of working on a farm, and the positions available. It will also include basic information about the farms looking for labor.
Farmers create a free help wanted ad on the daily.uv site for the position(s) you are hiring for (go to dailyuv.com/market and click on “SELL”, you will be asked to set up an account (join now), then create your ad). Once your ad is created, I will add a link from the main job directory page to your specific farm ad, so that someone can click to your ad if they want to learn the details about the position(s) open at your farm.
We are running catchy, paid advertisements throughout the dailyuv site and in the Valley News that points prospective workers to the main job directory page to create traffic to the page, and sharing this with all of the potential sources of local labor like the vo-techs, VTC, Sterling College, state DOE offices, Facebook, etc.
Finding and retaining quality farm labor is a challenge many of you face. Lack of skilled labor is affecting production, sales, and profits for Upper Valley farms.
With Northeast SARE funding, Vital Communities is partnering with farmers to find solutions.
The information we collect from this survey will be compiled and shared with farmers. From these benchmarks, you will learn how other farms are successfully finding labor, compare pay rates and benefits, and other best practices. Scroll down for our growing suggestions for where to post job listings and useful labor management resources.
We are also working to increase the connection between potential labor sources (ag high school programs, VTC, CRAFT programs, 4H, Sterling, etc.) and farmers with an online farm-focused job directory to be tested during the 2017 season. Stay tuned for details.
Valley Food & Farm staff are able to help with your specific situation or question. We work with farmers who are in the dreaming/planning stage, just starting out, and/or growing their farm business.
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Beth leads Vital Communities' Food & Farm team, including its Upper Valley Farm to School programming, and also oversees Valley Quest. Before joining Vital Communities, Beth worked in the environmental and place-based education fields for 17 years in various positions around New England including at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science and as the Director of Education at the Nature Museum in Grafton, Vt. She previously served on the boards of the Vermont Science Teacher Association and the Vermont State-Wide Environmental Education Programs, a coalition of dozens of individuals and organizations promoting sustainability and environmental education in Vermont. Beth is a New Hampshire native and lives in Hartland, Vt., with her husband and two children, and serves on the Hartland School Board. When Beth is not working you will find her exploring the woods around her home with her family or cooking up a new taste test (made of local foods, of course!) for her children.
Part of Vital Communities' Food & Farm team since 2012, Becka fosters relationships that keep agriculture a daily part of community life in the Upper Valley. She works with current and future farmers, businesses, schools, and partners across Vermont and New Hampshire to build connections that support farm viability and keep our landscapes working. Becka lived in Seattle for many years, where she worked for the Washington State University Small Farms Program, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Seattle Tilth, and area vegetable farms. Becka is also a writer, founding and writing Ask Umbra at gristmagazine.com until 2009. She holds a BA from Brown University and lives in Hartland, Vermont, with her family.
Doreen Guillette
Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator
— Doreen Guillette, Assistant to the Executive Director, Flavors Coordinator
Doreen Guillette joined Vital Communities in January 2020 as the Flavors of the Valley Coordinator and Assistant to the Executive Director, with many years of administrative and management experience at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, self-employment, and volunteering. An Upper Valley native, Doreen spends most of her time and energy caring for her mini-farm and a large family in Norwich. She is a strong advocate for local community and is president of the Beaver Meadow Chapel, Trustee of the Beaver Meadow Schoolhouse, and Co-Chair of the West Norwich Community Resilience Organization. Doreen enjoys hiking, kayaking, writing poetry, nature photography, and cooking meals that come from her own land.
— Nancy LaRowe, Food & Farm and Local First Coordinator
Nancy joined Vital Communities as the Food & Farm Coordinator in 2014. She works to support and grow our local food system and economy. Nancy has lived, worked, and farmed in the Upper Valley for more than 25 years and believes our community is healthier and stronger when our connections to food and the farms that produce it stay vital.
Nancy's informal job title is Farmer-in-Residence: she also runs a pasture-based cattle farm in Norwich. Nancy is on the Board of the Norwich Farmers' Market and a retired Norwich volunteer firefighter and EMT. She loves puttering in the garden, hiking with her dog, and visiting farmers' markets.
Valley Food & Farm staff are able to help with your specific situation or question. We work with farmers who are in the dreaming/planning stage, just starting out, and/or growing their farm business.
The Upper Valley berry season typically ranges from late June to early October. In our short, but fruitful season, we can enjoy raspberries and strawb [...]
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[...]
We have an exciting project for new farmers in the White River valley portion of our region! The High Meadows Fund is supporting a series of free pe [...]
