Farm Hand & Creamery Assistant

Full-time — $18-20 / hour + Bonuses — Clear Spring, MD

This entry-level position is designed to welcome a motivated candidate to direct-market dairy by giving you a chance to participate in all parts of our small, pastured dairy farm.

For a PDF of the job description, click here.

Position Description

Built for someone who hasn’t necessarily had the opportunity to work full-time on a dairy farm, this would be a good fit for someone without prior dairy experience but who brings some transferable skills, or an opportunity for someone who has some dairy experience but wants a chance to learn more about direct-marketing, milk processing, or pasture management.  Especially if paired with enrollment in the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (more information below), this position should prepare you to be a farm or creamery manager at a pastured dairy.  ‍‍

About Us‍ ‍

Clear Spring Creamery is owned and operated by a first-generation female dairy farmer who was a farm-worker for over a decade before finally taking over Clear Spring Creamery in 2022.  ‍‍ ‍

Our small herd of about 35 Jersey cows rotationally grazes about 75 acres of pasture (which we share with abundant wildlife!), and then we pasteurize and bottle their milk on the farm in our Grade A creamery / processing facility.  All of our milk is sold direct-to-the-consumer at the farmers markets we attend every weekend in the DC area.  We make and sell whole creamline milk, chocolate milk, and yogurt every week, and heavy cream & skim milk seasonally.  ‍‍ ‍

In addition to taking pride in the quality of the products we sell, we work hard to look out for the well-being of our cows and the ecosystem.  We also do our best to make sure our people—both customers and employees—are happy.  We prioritize the well-being of our people, animals, and land and enjoy working with people that share similar values.

‍‍About the Ideal Candidate‍ ‍

Due to Ariel’s experience as a farm-worker, we try to look out for our people, provide a reasonable work-life balance, and give opportunities for professional development & growth.   ‍‍ ‍

In return, we appreciate a certain amount of good-natured willingness to go with the flow and jump in to help where needed.  We like folks who notice problems or work that needs to be done and propose possible solutions.  We do A LOT with a small team, so we love working with folks that take responsibility for doing their job well and chip in to support the rest of the team where they can.‍‍ ‍

We also love our cows and enjoy working with other animals lovers.  One of Ariel’s primary motivations for becoming a farmer is to support all the diversity of life that can thrive on a healthy farm, so nature nerds are welcome!‍‍

Finally, this job requires a certain amount of physical fitness.  As with most dairy farms, the cows are milked 365 days of the year, so we are counting on someone who is able to work in summer heat, winter cold, and spring rain & mud.  While we are usually able to break up the day to avoid prolonged repetitive motion tasks, we need someone that can be on their feet several hours a day, climb in and out of the tractor, stoop or bend to the ground, lift 50 lbs (bags of cow mineral; newborn calves), carry tools, etc.‍‍ ‍

Job Responsibilities

Though the job may include a wide range of activities depending on the season or new projects we take on, the following responsibilities form the backbone of this position:‍

• Milking the cows in our 8-milker swingline parlor‍

• Setting up fence for our daily pasture moves

• Using the tractor to feed hay & clip/mow pastures

• Helping with handling/sorting cows or giving medical treatments

• Assisting with bottling our milk & yogurt

• Keeping the creamery & other facilities clean & tidy according to our sanitation schedule

• Basic tractor maintenance according to our maintenance schedule

• Approximately 2 weekend market shifts per month—drive our box truck or market van to DC & staff our farmers market stand

• Trimming fencelines w/ weed-whacker

• Helping maintain farm records

While the responsibilities listed above are the foundation of this position, we would love a candidate that is excited to take on more responsibilities.  With time and depending on your skills & interests, your work could grow to include:

• Social media or newsletter content creation

• Equipment or facility repairs (minor plumbing, electrical, mechanical)

• Running the pasteurizer & making yogurt in the creamery

• Supporting on-farm research with UMD-Extension

• Farm tours or educational events for customers/the public

Compensation

• $18-$20 / hour, depending on skills & experience

• Qualify for quarterly bonuses after 6 months employment (once trained)

• Bonuses for successful completion of MGIC courses for Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (see below)

• Farm products may be purchased at half retail price; products we are not able to sell are occasionally available for free.

‍Schedule / Hours

• 35 – 45 hours per week (seasonal fluctuations)‍

• At least some weekend availability is needed (for milking and/or farmers markets).

• A typical week usually includes 2-3 longer days, 2-3 shorter days, and 1 consistent day off every week.‍ ‍

An example of a possible typical work week is below, with the shifts filled by this position marked in grey.  While milking, bottling, and markets need to happen at a certain time, we can offer some flexibility when it comes to when you do your other work.  Note that we only milk once a day.

How to Apply

Please email a resume, cover letter, and 2 references to seibert@clearspringcreamery.com.  The application process will include a (paid) working interview where you will be able to do cow chores, help out in the creamery, or join us for a market shift, so you get a chance to experience the work in-person before committing.

If you would be relocating for this position and would need housing, please let us know--we may be able to help.

About the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship‍ ‍

The Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship, administered nationally by the Dairy Grazing Alliance and locally by Pasa, is a formal apprenticeship program registered with the US Department of Labor.  Typically a 2-year program, graduation requires 3700 hours of work on an approved mentor farm, successful completion of 7 courses offered by the Managed Grazing Innovation Center, and 40 hours of extracurricular learning (pasture walks, webinars, etc).  Apprentices and their mentor farmer also meet regularly with an education coordinator that helps keep everyone on track. 

DGA is an opportunity to provide structure to your work, so it’s easier for you to turn your everyday responsibilities into learning opportunities.  It also helps you connect with other like-minded people and provides a peer group to support you.  Apprentices graduate to Journeyworkers; examples of job openings available to Journeyworkers can be found on the DGA website .