Assistant Farm Manager / Restoration Technician

Tamarack Vermont Sheep Farm and Redstart seek a candidate with strong interests in farming, livestock, ecological restoration, and forestry. This position will include responsibilities at both Tamarack (assistant to the farm manager) Redstart (ecological restoration and forestry technician). 

This position is ideal for someone who is excited about a wide range of agricultural and conservation work in Vermont and New Hampshire. Flexible and curiosity are important attributes, as are a strong work ethic, and the ability to work independently or with a crew of like-minded individuals. Enthusiasm for restoring and caring for the land is essential. If you feel you would thrive in a dynamic environment with the opportunity to develop diverse agricultural and forestry skills, from physical labor to project planning, this position may be for you.

At Tamarack Farm, seasonal work includes:

• Summer: Rotational grazing using flexi net, hay-making including tractor operation and maintenance, high tensile fence maintenance, soil and forage sampling, grazing planning, selecting breeding stock and market animals, preparing lambs for market, trucking.
• Fall: Breeding for the subsequent winter’s lambing, fall grazing management, feeding round bales in outdoor paddocks, finishing market lambs and bringing to market.
• Winter: Infrastructure repair and equipment maintenance, planning for the following spring and summer, preparation for lambing. Lambing begins in February and is the most intensive season on the farm.
• Spring: End of lambing, managing ewe/lamb pairs, weaning, preparation for haying and grazing.

Year-round work at Tamarack includes livestock feeding and handling in indoor and outdoor areas, flock health monitoring and husbandry, basic farm construction and maintenance, equipment operation and maintenance, and assessing and improving the quality of our land base (pasture and hayfields). The employee will have an excellent opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a production-scale livestock operation that is dedicated to animal welfare and caring for the working landscape. Laying hens and meat chickens are recent additons to the diversifying farm operation. 

Seasonally, Redstart technicians focus on:

• Spring: Habitat restoration and improvement projects focus on native tree plantings along rivers and streams and in important wetlands. Technicians will be trained in proper tree and shrub care, planting, identification, and post planting stewardship.
• Summer and Early Fall: The focus is on treating non-native invasive plants. Technicians will join teams of 2-5 others, and learn to successfully identify and treat common non-native, terrestrial invasive plants. Treatments consist of selective herbicide application (including foliar backpack spraying and cut stump treatments) and manual treatment methods (pulling, mowing).
• Fall: Upland stream restoration becomes more prevalent – using chainsaws and other tools, woody material is added to create better aquatic habitat and to address flooding concerns, increase resiliency in the face of climate change, and improve water quality. Detailed inventories for carbon credit offset programs and conservation organizations are also common in this season.
• Winter: Forest inventory and plan development, harvest tree marking, boundary line painting, apple pruning, timber stand improvement, maple sugaring.

In each season, Redstart keeps the work diverse so that employees are always learning and growing their capabilities and careers; the summer and fall season will include some elements of the winter and spring work to accomplish these goals. Redstart is a unique organization that manages more forested parcels for small landowners than any other organization in Vermont or New Hampshire, and is often working to assist these landowners, nonprofit partners, and public agencies accomplish ecological restoration objectives.  

General Qualifications:

• Interest in outdoor and physical labor in a variety of conditions
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Strong work ethic and communication skills
• Valid Drivers’ license and reliable transportation
• Working cell phone

Desired Qualifications (Tamarack):

• Interest in sheep, lambing, grazing, grass, poultry.
• Interest in practical and efficient operations, positive attitude, proactive, organized and neat.
• Interest in hay making and equipment operation
• Pluses: interest in or skill with equipment; experience with livestock, especially sheep; experience with software.

Desired Qualifications (Redstart):

• A degree (completed or planned) and/or interest in the natural sciences including environmental science, forestry, or related area.
• Prior knowledge/identification skills of non-native plants – some on site learning expected
• Basic GIS and GPS skills.
• Willingness to become a certified pesticide applicator in the State of Vermont and New Hampshire.
• Chainsaw safety (Game of Logging levels 1-2 preferred) and/or prior experience using a chainsaw.

Terms of Employment:

• Full-time, approximately 45 hours/week, with seasonal variation
• Year-round for the right candidate. Internships are also available for those seeking a shorter commitment.
• Basic housing available at either a discounted rate or no cost.
• Salary commensurate with experience, with increases as experience is gained.
• For the right candidate the work can begin immediately.

About Tamarack Farm: Tamarack Farm is located in Corinth, Vermont, and we are dedicated to producing good food, conserving heritage breeds, and restoring and caring for land. We focus on two main heritage sheep breeds: the Dorset Horn and the Tunis, which have been managed from the same bloodlines withing our family for 100 years. We have participated with nonprofit partners in generic collection efforts, with genetic material from our flock stored in the Smithsonian Institute Washington DC. We rotationally graze our 130 ewes in the summer and use a combination of barns and out-wintering during the winter months. We make our own hay and use tractors and skid steers for hay making and winter feeding. After weaning, our lambs are fed a combination of grass, grain, and hay. Our primary product is meat, while hay is a secondary product. Recent diversification has added laying hens and meat chickens. We own our farm in Corinth, Vermont, and lease other fields in the area. More information can be found at http://tamarackvermont.com.

About Redstart: Redstart is a diversified natural resource consulting and contracting company focused on assisting people, organizations, and communities address natural resource issues. We strive to balance the needs of people with the need to maintain and enhance the ecological integrity of our forests, fields, and waters. Our services include forest management, invasive plant treatment, riparian restoration, stream and culvert assessment, ecosystem restoration, and community land conservation. Our 1,100 non-industrial forest management clients collectively own 175,000 acres, and other clients include federal, state, and town government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Redstart is based in Corinth, Vermont and is made up of 18 full-time employees and 4-8 seasonal technicians. Redstart’s web site is http://www.redstartconsulting.com/. 

Our goals, in everything we do, are to make the world a better place, to grow personally and professionally, to support one another, and to enjoy our work.