The Cornell Small Farms Program is pleased to announce job openings for full-time student positions this summer, with additional opportunities into the 2020-2021 school year. They are open to undergraduate, continuing students (enrolled fall 2020) and are based on Cornell University’s Ithaca campus.
About the Cornell Small Farms Program: We envision a future where diverse and vibrant urban and rural farms build human capacity, revitalize communities, supply regional food systems, and foster ecological resilience in a changing world. We do this by supporting and developing small farms-focused research and extension programs and fostering state-wide collaborations in support of farmers. Learn more at: www.smallfarms.cornell.edu
Hours and Pay Rate: The summer positions run from mid-May to mid-August, but exact dates are flexible. Work is 39 hours per week at $12+ per hour based on experience. School year positions are 10 hours per week, with start and end dates based on semester schedules.
Job Description: Our student positions offer an opportunity to gain experience in communications, educational programming, and applied research serving small farms in New York and the Northeast.
Responsibilities will be split between hands-on, research and outreach/extension efforts over the course of the summer and can vary depending on the unique strengths and interests of candidates. Project details and current activities can be found at: www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/projects/
Student work and responsibilities will fall within staff-directed projects, such as:
- Soil health practices in organic vegetable production — Get hands-on research experience and learn about soil building practices with the Reduced Tillage project. Support field research trials, manage vegetable crops from planting to harvest, learn plant and soil sampling techniques, and collect and organize data to share with farmers.
- Workforce development and management training — Support the Labor Ready project with interviews, data collection, and storytelling to serve Hispanic farm managers.
- Educating military veterans in agriculture — Help plan, promote and tell stories about our Farm Ops project’s trainings for military veterans interested in farming and other agricultural careers.
- Communications and outreach for small farms — Develop your writing, editing and content curation skills by supporting our program’s ongoing communications efforts. This includes daily social media and news posts, production of a twice-monthly newsletter and quarterly magazine, plus other marketing materials as needed.
- Specialty mushroom production — Be the main point person on our production research efforts by following research protocols, inoculating and managing fruiting mushrooms, harvesting, and collecting data around yields and environmental conditions. There is also a market research component that will require 2 – 3 overnight trips during summer months to NYC to collect consumer preference data at farmers markets and CSA pickups.
Qualifications:
- Some familiarity with farming or agriculture and enthusiasm for learning more about small farms in NY
- Interest in agricultural research and ability to conduct physical work in a field setting
- Excellent organizational skills with strong attention to detail
- Demonstrated ability to work well independently and in a team
- Ability to work with and organize data in Excel for analysis
- Must be comfortable learning to use programs such as WordPress, Email Management platforms, Google Drive and Google Analytics
- Work-study students preferred but not required.
How to Apply: Send a detailed resume and cover letter to Kacey Deamer at kacey.deamer@cornell.edu. Include in your cover letter whether you are eligible for work-study, and whether you are interested in working:
- Full-time summer (39hrs/week)
- Part-time school year (up to 10 hrs/week)
- Both Summer and Part-time school year
Please submit all materials to Kacey by Wednesday, February 19.