Listing Information
Currently Hiring
YesNumber of Workers Sought
1Type of Farm
Vegetable, OtherMarketing Strategy
Community Supported Agriculture, Farm Stand, Farmers' Market, Restaurant, Wholesale, OtherMarketing Strategy (Other)
We have a wide variety of on-farm programs and events, including a large email newsletter list.Paid
YesPay Rate
Pay starts at $17-19/ hour depending on experience. Overtime pay for weeks over 40 hours. All employees covered by workplace comp insurance. Quarterly evaluations with potential for performance-based raises up to $20/ hour, or $22/ hour for individuals who take on extra responsibilities such as administration or management in their second year at the farm.What are the dates of your position?
Start: We are currently accepting applications for employees who would start in early spring (mid to late April). Applicants interested in year-round farm employment are strongly encouraged to apply, with winter work schedules negotiated based on individual needs.Are you open to shorter periods of employment or do you prefer that workers stay the full season?
Prefer full seasonHousing
YesExplain the room and board arrangements or describe options in your area
Housing options include: two rental rooms in a shared house on the farm (max 3-4 people in the house), or two tiny-home style private cabins on the farm. The cabins are equipped with sleeping loft, power, refrigerator, electric heat and electric cook-top, wi-fi access, composting toilet, and kitchen sink. Cabins do not have running water, but are have refillable jugs and a water spigot for refilling is nearby. A bathhouse building with a heated shower, washing machine, and wood-fired sauna is next to the cabins and available for everyone on the farm. Our entire farm property is non-smoking and no tobacco use is permitted on-farm. Currently there are no on-farm housing options for part-time positions.Please share three things you think people should know about living with you.
Our life and growth as a farm has been pretty intense; we built/ are still building our farm without a lot of experience or resources, but with an immense amount of determination and grit. People who thrive here, and who have bonded into the best seasonal teams, are generally much like us: passionate, determined, and obsessive about food and farming. Many have made an attempt or two to quit farming but find they just can’t stay away. The crew members who came to us without farm experience and did do well here all had one characteristic in common: they had experience in self-driven passionate pursuit of something they cared about beyond the limits of what most people would consider reasonable. That has included a musical career, a startup business, medical school, and fiction writing; these pursuits were totally outside of farming, but they knew what it was like to be motivated by a meaningful goal. None would consider themselves normal.Do you have a website, social media account, or job posting anywhere else?
YesDescribe yourself, your family, background, farming experience, philosophy, goals and interests
SweetRoot Farm is a small organic farm run by partners Noah Jackson and Mary Bricker in the center of Montana's Bitterroot Valley. With help from an additional 3-7 people at various points in the year, we raise vegetables, herbs, flowers, and laying hens on 10 acres just outside of the town of Hamilton. Despite our cold-climate location, we are a four season farm. Using a combination of storage crops and winter greens grown in low-tech unheated tunnels, we feed locals the entire year.In 2024 we enter our tenth season of full-time farming, with about 2.5 acres in production including four stationary unheated high-tunnels (30’x 60’) and six moveable “caterpillar” tunnels (16’ x 100’). We sell through a local farmers market, a self-serve farmstore, a farm membership program and a local grower's cooperative. We grow organically and with minimal tillage techniques but have not yet completed organic certification.
Describe the physical setting of your farm and the nature of the community in which you live
SweetRoot is situated in a rural-residential neighborhood just outside of the town of Hamilton, in the center of the Bitterroot Valley. Our immediate neighbors are a mix of cattle pasture and rural homes, with a good view of both the Bitterroot and Sapphire mountains.From the farm, the town of Hamilton is a flat bike ride of less than 2 miles. Though small, the town of Hamilton has a lot to offer, serving as a work and social hub for much of the Bitterroot Valley. The vibrant downtown offers several coffee shops, restaurants, two excellent local breweries, a micro-distillery, independent bookstore, and more. The larger university-town of Missoula is about a one-hour drive to the north for additional options. There are multiple trailheads for accessing the Bitterroot National forest and other public lands within a 5-10 miles drive, and a good swimming hole on the Bitterroot River about a half-mile from the farm.
Please see photos and read the farm newsletters at www.sweetroot.farm for more details
Describe your farm operation
In 2024 we enter our tenth season of full-time farming, with about 2.5 acres in production including four stationary unheated high-tunnels (30’x 60’) and six moveable “caterpillar” tunnels (16’ x 100’). We sell through a local farmers market, a self-serve farmstore, a farm membership program and a local grower's cooperative. We grow organically and with minimal tillage techniques but have not yet completed organic certification.
From May to October we attend the farmers market in Hamilton on Saturday mornings and serve a seasonal farm membership of about 110 households. Our self-serve farmstand is open year-round, including acting as the pickup point for a 75-household winter farm membership from November-April. As a four-season farm, we offer year-round employment options for crew who demonstrate good attitude, skills, and initiative during the main season. Winter options range from half to full-time to ensure some recovery and rest while also meeting people’s financial needs.
Describe the work to be performed by applicant
Responsibilities will include soil and bed prep, seeding, transplanting, cultivation, greenhouse management, irrigation, harvest of a diverse range of crops, post-harvest handling, direct-sales (farmers market and farmstore, membership pickup), animal care (laying hens), general farm upkeep, and record keeping.What do you expect of a worker?
People applying to this position should be able to commit to a minimum work season of mid-April through early November, but crew who are a good fit are encouraged to continue on through the winter. Full-time crew can expect to work 5 days/ week, with two full days off each week. Some positions will require working at least one weekend day, or weekend duties will rotate throughout the crew. Farm crew need to be able to work in all weather conditions, and to be able to lift 40-50 lbs repeatedly (not every day, but regularly during bulk harvest days especially). We aim for 40-hour workweeks, but crew should be prepared for the possibility of 2-5 hours of overtime per week during times of urgent planting, bulk harvests in advance of fall freeze-up, or if problems arise during the week.We expect farmhands to be comfortable working alone, or with a small team, and to be able to both give and receive feedback diplomatically. Our farming is heavily dependent on efficiency of human movement, so we do a substantial amount of coaching and very specific feedback.
Describe the learning and educational opportunities available to a worker
We are in a constant process of evaluating and improving our farm, and we invite crew into both the learning and behind the scenes farmwork alongside us. If someone has specific learning goals for the season, we work with them to make a plan for professional development in addition to the basic training to farm effectively and efficiently for the season. Everyone on the team receives in-person training and feedback on any tasks they are to perform, and we have been expanding our library of quick-reference sheets, standard operating procedures, and checklists for regular/ repeated tasks. We have close ties with many farms in the region and can help facilitate visits to other farms for motivated individuals. Team members are encouraged to attend at least one of the “Field Day” events hosted by Missoula’s Community Food and Agriculture Coalition. We also have a deep archive of Growing for Market magazines, and a substantial library of farming books available specifically for crew to check out.Are you a full-time farmer?
YesDo you require a trial period or require a prospective worker to visit your farm before hiring?
YesTrial Period Description
Whenever possible we schedule a working interview and visit to the farm to assess if we are all a good fit.Please attach any photos of your farm and operation
