working at Titus Farms
About our Farm:
We are a small, family-run, diversified veggie, fruit, and flower farm in rural Ingham County, about 30 minutes south of Lansing. We offer a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program to mid-Michigan residents and hearty Farmers Market sales across the area.
Working on the Farm:
We offer hardworking folks the opportunity to immerse themselves in all facets of vegetable and flower production and CSA logistics. We aim to ensure that our employees are respected and valued farm members. If you desire to learn more about farming, we encourage you to continue to learn and develop skills year after year.
Farming is hard, but we work together to push through the difficult days alongside you in our small crew.
Is there hand-weeding? Yes! Do we pick lots of kale? Yes!
Our farm also continually invests in equipment and infrastructure to reduce some of the physical, repetitive work of farming. We use transplanters, mechanical cultivation, tractors, and other tools to simplify jobs and maintain our bodies.
But working outside for long days, standing and moving your body, means that you will treat this job like a sport.
Maintaining good physical health or being aware of your body is essential if you work with us.
Do you work year-round? Yes!
While work is generally available year-round, we primarily need help starting in March or April, with the greatest need from May to November
The Farm slows significantly in late December, and only a few people work year-round. Please do not plan to work significantly during January or February.
Hours and starting and ending dates are flexible.
Who runs this show? Rebecca Titus
All positions report to Rebecca, the farm owner/manager, who will most likely be at your side most of the time. Please be aware that we are a small crew, and usually, you end up doing a little of everything unless you specify your interests or intent, i.e., “I just want to work at the market! Or, “I’m passionate about flower design!”
Talk to Rebecca about whether you have an internship you need to satisfy, too!
Finally, it’s important to note that Titus Farms will not tolerate harassment and aims to cultivate a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment. We commit to a future where everyone’s contributions are celebrated, nurturing a flourishing community and a professional work atmosphere.
Even 4 hours per week on the farm is helpful!
What do the jobs look like?
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Full or Part-Time, Season or Year-Round
-You are the glue that holds the farm together!-
Two to six people work in teams and are responsible for planting, weeding, mowing, harvesting, and more. You often work alongside owners or other farmhands.
This work varies from field to pack shed to market. You may work outside or indoors, with a focus on efficiency.
See a full Job Description Here.
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You are a farm crew member, with all the general requirements therein, but focusing on our cut flower operations.
Harvest takes place on Monday and Friday mornings, with design often happening on those afternoons.
Responsibilities:
Harvesting flowers in mud and rain, pollen and bees abound—seriously, lots of bees. Often, this is done for 2-6 hours straight.
Cleaning flowers in-field.
Arranging bouquets.
Identification of primary flower species and the cleaning techniques for each type.
Cleaning glassware and buckets.
Planting and maintenance of flower fields.
Collecting plant material, i.e., the fall.
Requirements:
A desire to learn about cut flowers and learn our bouquet technique.
Like other farm crew members, you must lift heavy things, stand for multiple hours, and move quickly to complete your tasks.
About Bouquet/Design Work:
As our bouquets reflect our style and values, you will receive critiques and may be asked not to perform design work.
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July through mid-October
Wednesday or Thursday evenings —> 2:30-6:30
You make a CSA site run smoothly and are responsible for the following:
Helping unload the farm vehicle.
Setting up the CSA site, which involves putting out signs, organizing boxes and add-ons, and being aware of who will arrive and what they need.
Check members off the CSA list and report when someone doesn’t attend.
Talking with members about the veggies and how they like to use them.
Communicating our member policies.
Loading everything back onto a vehicle.
Successful applicants will love to talk about food and interact with others who do!
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Help us sell our veggies, eggs, and flowers at the market!
Market Times:
Meridian Township Farmers Market
Saturday: 7:00 am-3:00 pm
Wednesday: 2:00 pm-7:00 pm
Requirements:
You must be able to stand and move around for 8 hours or more.
Ability to lift 40-plus pounds to restock the tables.
Responsibilities include:
Helping set-up and tear down
Adding up purchases using mental math.
Giving everyone an excellent customer experience!
Keeping the stand tidy and food safe.
Using our payment system (Square).
Handing out CSA shares.
Compensation
Part-time: $14-$16
Full-Time: $15-$20
Other benefits we offer, primarily for Full-time crew:
“Farmer Food”/farm freebies, gear stipend, end of year bonus, educational opportunities.
No experience is necessary.
We understand that you will learn and grow with us.
Compensation increases with experience and knowledge.
Potential Schedules
Note: We generally work on holidays.
On the Farm:
We work Monday-Friday on farm.
Start time ranges from 7:00-9:00 am depending on workload and weather.
End time varies based on your schedule, but is often 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm.
It is not uncommon to work 10-hour days in August/September/October, but generally not more than three days in a row.
Flower Specialist: You must be available Monday and Friday mornings. Design work is done on Monday, Tuesday, or Friday afternoons and occasionally on Wednesday mornings.
Off-Farm Work:
Farmers Market: Saturdays 7:00 am-3:00 pm or Wednesdays 2:00-7:00 pm, other days are possible based on our market schedule.
CSA: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 2:00-6:30 pm
Working even 1-2 days a week is helpful to our farm!
Knowledge and Abilities
Positive attitude/work ethic and a Desire to Learn about Organic Farming
We aim to help you learn about our type of farming.
A History of Good Attendance
Reliability is a key to successful farming.
Ability to work quickly in a high stress environment.
Although we ask you to be detail-oriented and careful, you must strive to be fast.
We work to produce a product that is sold for money. That money pays you, pays us, and keeps the farm afloat.
Grit.
Ability to work, often repetitively, outdoors in hot, cold, buggy, rainy, and sunny conditions.
Ability to kneel, bend, walk, lift, and carry 30-50 lb. crates repeatedly and for many hours.
Desire to maintain a clean and healthy work environment.
We ask you to clean up after yourself, and if you notice something needs cleaning, do so.
You will engage in food safety training yearly to maintain a safe food chain.
Good communication skills.
Be comfortable taking directions and asking good questions.
Ability and willingness to talk with your coworkers to achieve a goal together.
Attention to detail and ability to focus on quality.
You must work carefully and be detail-oriented. We are sometimes picky and fastidious.
We aim for really high-quality vegetables.
Basic Math Skills.
We do a lot of counting, weighing, dividing and adding. There are jobs on the farm that don’t require this but, many do.