Balfour Farm LLC
Balfour Farm LLC is a 100-acre certified organic dairy and farmstead creamery located in central Maine, about 1.5 hrs north of Portland, 45 minutes to Bangor or Augusta, and just an hour from the coast and mountains. The farm is 3 miles off I-95.
We are completely off the grid and operate on solar power with a backup generator. We utilize rotational grazing and put up our own feed (dry hay and baleage). The farm is diversified, with our dairy herd of Normande cows, which we milk and process all our milk into a variety of cave aged raw milk cheeses, yogurt, soft and fresh cheeses. We maintain breeding stock for our pork production, raising whey fed pigs from start to finish, and a flock of 200-300 hens for egg production. There are two large greenhouses and garden space for vegetable production as well.
Our products are sold at the Portland Farmers market year-round, to independent grocery stores, food coops and farmstands throughout Maine as well as online and in our farm store, The Little Cheese Shop
Location
Hours and Work Season
30-40 hours per week, higher in summer season. Additional hours may be available for the right candidate in the creamery or farm store
Payment Type
Pay
Job Description
Requirements:
-work day is 7 am to 3 pm, SATURDAYS are required for this position
-work with safety in mind
-ability to lift 50 lbs
-be able to work in all kinds of weather- this position is 90% outside work with a strong manual labor component
-2-3 years experience in pasture based farming, concentration on dairy is preferred, but will train the right candidate
-experience with diverse livestock(pig, cows, chickens)
-experience operating farm equipment: tractors, skid steers, trailers, chain saws, trimmers, mowers, hay implements
-be willing to learn, follow directions, provide feedback and ask questions when uncertain of a course of action
-maintain a clean appearance and workspace
-time management skills are essential to work effectively and efficiently, both independently and as a team member
-be reliable and timely
– be responsive to changing seasonal needs of the farm
-be able to work autonomously , planning and prioritizing your work day to accomplish all tasks
-have a valid, clean Maine Driver’s license and reliable transportation
-have a good attitude and work ethic: be honest and work to the best of your ability, complete tasks without cutting corners
-other skills such as carpentry and building trades, mechanical skills and machine repair are desirable
Responsibilities:
-daily animal care: feeding and watering, cleaning pens, moving fencing; gather, clean and package eggs
-dairy: milking, scraping barn, cleaning equipment, feed calves, feeding hay, moving fence, moving cattle, monitoring: grass growth, water tanks and lines, herd health, maintain records
-hogs: feeding, watering, monitoring farrowing and heat cycles, maintain records, moving/repairing fencing, loading hogs/moving hogs to barn for loading
-chickens: feed, water; gather, clean and package eggs; monitor flock health, move fencing
– seasonal: fencing repair, installation and maintenance, hay harvest, firewood, mowing grass, plowing snow, brush removal, equipment maintenance, farm building maintenance, grounds maintenance
-support farm operations as needed throughout the year with other duties as assigned
-contribute to a healthy work environment by giving and receiving feedback
Benefits
- Paid sick days
- Farm products
- Paid training opportunities, Educational opportunities
What to Expect from Us
We provide a period of extensive training. Once this is complete, you are expected to work independently with support as needed. We are often working concurrently on other projects on the farm.
We won’t ask you to do anything we wouldn’t do ourselves.
We try to be flexible with work schedules, but rely on you to show up when scheduled.
We encourage an environment of continuous learning, open communication and collaborative problem solving.
We are dedicated to continuous improvement of farm operations and culture by encouraging employees to take an active role this process by contributing their ideas and perspective.
Application Details and Deadline
Balfour Farm LLC
- Physical Address
-
461 Webb Rd,
Pittsfield, Maine 04967
- Phone
- (207) 213-3159
