Irrigation Assistant

Gathering Together Farm is a long-standing sixty five acre organic mixed vegetables farm located in
Philomath, Oregon. GTF has farmed the loamy banks of the Mary’s River since 1987, focusing on high-quality organic produce and meaningful customer relationships. Over 35 years, we have built a loyal following of families and professional buyers from Corvallis to the coast, and throughout the Portland metro area. You can find our produce and see what we’re about at five different farmers markets throughout the year; or, of course, find our farm website for further background and details.

Start date: March-April (depending on Spring weather).

Time of work: Currently 8:00 am and starting earlier soon. 6:00 am start time during parts of summer will generally be the earliest start all year. Workdays are usually 10 hours, sometimes more and sometimes less. Weekend work is required, with schedule to be determined with the Irrigation Manager and the GTF owners.

Hours per week: Full-time and more, 40-60 hours per week.

Pay rate: $15-17 per hour starting wage, DOE, with growth possible.

Job perks:
 Complementary organic, high-quality farm produce for you and your family.
 Staff breakfasts and lunches are provided complementary on-farm most days of the week.
 Staff discount at on-farm retail store and on-farm GTF restaurant.
 Social connections with interesting and values-aligned co-workers local to the area.

Job learning:
 Gain a detailed understanding of all aspects of crop irrigation and soil moisture management on diverse, high-performance 65-acre organic vegetable farm. Under direction of the Irrigation Manager, you will be tuning in to the water status of the farm, and its effects on crop quality, yield, and plant health.
 Learn to manage GTF irrigation systems across a variety of field locations, field layouts, and irrigation
styles, and maintain the pumps, filters, and other supporting equipment necessary for good upkeep.
 Become more adept at managing water-based emergencies, and handling the stresses of summer
irrigating, as well as learning best practices for irrigation system winterization.
 Build your communication skills coordinating in English and Spanish between multiple functional areas of the farm. A GTF Irrigation Assistant’s work will contribute to the plans for ground prep, planting,
cultivation, and harvesting, and so will interact consistently with a wide variety of people on the farm.

As a small business, roles can shift frequently according to the needs of the business and the interests and
talents of the staff. It is possible that, in order to serve the needs of GTF and help its various team members, there may be other functions that you will be asked to contribute to during the farm’s various seasons.

Responsibilities:
 Study available resources for understanding irrigation fundamentals, generally, and for understanding
the details of irrigating at Gathering Together Farm, specifically. Among other approaches, you will be
required to read the Irrigation manual on the GTF file server that was created for this purpose.
 Closely follow all advice from your supervisor, the Irrigation Manager, to ensure safety of yourself and
other and to optimize water management for the crops and the success of the farm.
 Install and operate a variety of irrigation systems (drip, sprinkler, microsprinkler), and adjust and service as needed. Move irrigation equipment between locations on the farm as needed. Start and stop pumps, plan and record durations of irrigation sets, clean pumps.
 Maintain an awareness for safety at all times, and for the best care of the irrigation equipment, minding factors such as water pressure, placement of pipes, road driving, and operation of machinery.
 Communicate field observations, water issues, and any unusual situations encountered to the Irrigation Manager, Farm Manager, and other farm department managers and personnel as relevant.
 Communicate materials and parts needs to the Irrigation Manager, and monitor irrigation inventory.

Ideal Character and Skills:
 GTF is a bilingual workplace, so both English and Spanish language skills are highly valued.
 This is a production role requiring a strong physical constitution and the ability to maintain your body
under a full-season’s workload, amid the changing seasons and stressors such as cold, heat, and smoke.
This role requires that you be okay with lots of hours in the summer sun, and getting wet as you work.
 The Irrigation Assistant must be willing to prioritize the water needs of the farm, such that the farm’s
investments are protected, and so that the work performed by everyone else on the farm is cared for and
advanced. Sometimes this will take the form of “extra” hours and tasks beyond an original expectation.
 For this real it is essential that the Assistant be willing to follow directions exactly, and take their lead
from the Irrigation Manager. Most processes will be well-defined, and the irrigator must be willing to
follow them to the letter, when routine, and communicate with the Irrigation Manager when unusual.
 The ideal candidate will demonstrate a passion for organic farming, and bring prior practical experience and/or training or academic study in the art and science of specialty crop irrigation.

Physical Requirements:
This job role requires bending, stooping, and lifting up to 60 lbs, as well as pushing/pulling 100 lbs.
Physical ability to manage trucks and heavy equipment, and hand strength and dexterity to work with irrigation fittings, valves, pumps, and piping, and execute repairs, performing cleaning, and other tasks.

Diversity & Inclusion:
GTF is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion,
gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

To Apply:

Please send your resume and a concise cover letter to: gtf@gatheringtogetherfarm.com
If you have questions prior to submitting your cover letter and resume, please direct them to the email address above, including a contact number. Thank you.