EMPLOYMENT
Come Work With Us
We are excited to provide the opportunity for individuals to learn the inner workings of our small farm business. We are a young, highly motivated farm that is committed to sustainable and organic practices. We are a small enough farm that your presence will have an impact, but large enough to be financially sustainable. We believe that the size of our farm is ideal for individuals wanting to learn how to vegetable farm on a small scale, as we do most things by hand with limited tasks done by mechanization.
There will be countless ways to learn ALL aspects of farming:
- Greenhouse production: seeding, spotting, irrigation, plant identification, and succession planting.
- Harvesting and packing: harvesting, washing, sorting, quality control, and storage requirements.
- Soil fertility and pest management.
- Marketing: CSA, wholesale accounts, and farmers markets.
- Field work: field preparation, transplanting, drip irrigation set-up, and weeding.
In addition to the hands-on education, you will receive:
- $2,000 monthly stipend.
- On-farm housing.
- 5 paid vacation days and 5 paid sick days
- Field trips: This region has a strong community of sustainable farms. We are friends and neighbors with farms who have intern programs, encouraging the exchange of information and experience through farm tours.
- Produce from the farm.
- Discussions and readings: We will work together a majority (7+ hours) of the work day. This allows ample opportunities for discussion about the specific tasks we are doing and questions that might arise. We also have quite a few reference books, as well as articles and publications that you will have access to.
Skills and qualities desired:
* Strong work ethic
* Serious interest in agriculture
* Ability to physically work long hours
* Attention to detail
* Communication skills
* Sense of humor
If you are interested in working with us for the 2023 season, please send a letter of interest to [email protected]
Holly Hammond - Originally from Arizona, Holly has been farming most of her life. Growing up with 5 sisters and 1 brother on an 80 acre u-pick vegetable farm, Holly’s love of growing food was cultivated at a young age. After going through some personal changes, which included taking a complete year off from farming, she’s excited to be back at it! One of her greatest delights is sharing a meal with others and experiencing others excitement of tasty veggies!
When she’s not growing food, she can be found baking up treats, wood block carving, playing volleyball, or just resting from all the farm work she accomplished!
Helen Clites is originally from Northern Virginia and moved to the Charlottesville area in 2019 when starting at Whisper Hill as a crew member. When not farming she loves collecting various skills and hobbies for creative pursuits, such as knitting, playing musical instruments, and programming.
Brielle Sansone - Originally from Buffalo, NY Brielle first came to the Charlottesville area in 2020 to work at Whisper Hill Farm. Passionate about working outside and physical labor she's excited to be back for a second season and to have the opportunity to learn more. When she's not farming Brielle can be found boxing, river rafting, doing art work, spending time with people she loves and playing with her new puppy!
Theresa Chester is originally from coastal North Carolina and is new to Charlottesville as of this year. She loves walking, hiking, and generally being outside soaking up the sun. She also dabbles in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Charlottesville BJJ. Theresa is new to farming (and all things pertaining to plants) and she is excited to learn as much as she can this year at Whisper Hill.
Maddie Reid is originally from Salt Lake City, Utah and is joining Whisper Hill for the 2023 season. This is her second season of farming (first was 2022 in Minnesota), and she's excited to learn more about produce, herbs, and soil. She enjoys reading, long walks, being with loved ones, colorful clothing, and music.
Our farm is located fifteen miles south of the city of Charlottesville and three miles north of the town of Scottsville. The land that we lease is part of a larger (1,200 acre) certified organic farm and is surrounded by rolling pastures and woodland. This region is rich with history (Thomas Jefferson's Monticello) and, with its proximity to the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are plenty of beautiful day hikes nearby.
We work together a lot and finding the right fit between our farm and our employees is very important. If you are interested in applying, please send us an email indicating your interest. We will promptly reply with our application and additional information.
With it being early in the season, preference will be given to applicants that are able to visit. We also think it is important for interested applicants to speak with past employees about their experience working with us. This process will hopefully help both parties in determining if our farm is the right place for you. We look forward to hearing from you!