Marion Polk food share
marion polk food share
1-2 APPRENTICESHIPS
FULL TIME (32 hours/week) Monday-Friday 7am-3:30pm
Apprentices can choose to work four 8-hour says or five 6.4 hour days
APPROX START/END DATES: May- November
$18/HR
LOCATION: Salem (Willamette Valley Chapter)
YEARS IN PRODUCTION: 13
PREVIOUS YEARS HOSTING: New Host Farm
PRACTICES: Organic Practices (not certified), dry farming
ACRES IN CULTIVATION: 3 acres
Fruits, Vegetables, Culinary Herbs, Cut Flowers
ON-FARM HOUSING? No
VEHICLE REQUIRED? No
LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English/ Spanish
https://marionpolkfoodshare.org/
https://www.instagram.com/marionpolkfoodshare/
https://www.facebook.com/MarionPolkFoodShare/
FARM OVERVIEW
Marion Polk Food Share’s mission is to bring people together to end hunger and its root causes. We distribute nutritious food for individuals and families to more than 70 local partners, including food pantries and meal sites, and deliver Meals on Wheels to homebound seniors and adults with disabilities. We operate an urban youth farm and support a network of community gardens that connect people and their food, and mobilize community members to address systemic issues that lead to hunger.
The Youth Farm functions primarily as a youth leadership and empowerment initiative. Each summer, 25–30 high school students join our farm crew to build job skills, learn about food systems, and develop a strong sense of community. The food we grow is distributed through our Veggie Rx CSA, which serves 115 families for 18 weeks. These families are low-income, food insecure and at risk of diet related illness, and all produce is provided at no cost. Additional harvest is distributed through our network of food pantries.
We actively cultivate approximately 3 of our 6 acres, focusing primarily on vegetable and berry production. We also maintain a small orchard with Asian pears and cherries. In addition, we keep bees for educational purposes rather than commercial honey production. Our farming approach combines mechanization and hand labor: we use two tractors for tillage and bed preparation, while planting and most weeding are done by hand. We have a Tilmor Power Ox for help with weed management and a Jang push seeder for direct seeding.
We have been steadily improving our agricultural efficiency, producing just under 50,000 pounds of produce in 2025, up from approximately 20,000 pounds in 2023. We are committed to sustainable farming practices that support healthy soils, ecosystems, and people. While we are not certified organic, we follow organic methods, do not use sprays or herbicides, and strive to minimize tillage as much as our heavy clay soils allow. We dry farm all our tomatoes, potatoes, winter squash, and field melons as well as the occasional experiment (onions! garbanzos!). We have just begun to explore flower production and will continue to include flowers in our crop plan. We are no experts in this area, but it is an opportunity for us to learn and experiment together.
TRAINING AND EXPECTATIONS
The expected duties for this position are listed below. Youth Farm staff will provide you with hands-on training and guidance for each task. There will be ample time to ask questions and work alongside staff while you get the hang of things. We also have a large library of books on a variety of agricultural topics that you are welcome to use. We conduct a field walk each Monday followed by a team meeting to set the weekly priorities and assign tasks. Quick daily morning check-ins provide an opportunity to make any necessary adjustments.
Agricultural support: This position supports the Youth Farm staff and youth crew in growing 20,000-50,000 pounds of organic vegetables for community distribution.
Assisting with greenhouse transplant production.
Operating tractor for mowing, tilling, and bed preparation tasks.
Using a variety of hand tools and cultivation equipment to reduce weed pressure on crops.
Assisting with irrigation maintenance and installation on plantings.
Implementing organic pest & disease control methods.
Assisting with maintenance of farm facilities and equipment.
Landscaping and maintenance: This position helps to maintain accessible pathways, clear work areas, functional infrastructure, and beautiful public spaces at the Youth Farm.
Mowing main pathways.
String trimming around irrigation valves, fence lines, parking lots, seating areas and hedgerows.
Mulching and weeding farm gathering spaces and perennial plantings.
Youth program support: This position ensures a supportive and safe educational environment for the teen participants at the Youth Farm by assisting with supervision of the youth crew.
Demonstrating safe agricultural work to youth crew.
Helping youth crew leaders troubleshoot problems with agricultural work.
Supporting youth farmers in harvesting, washing, and packing operations to benefit Farm Share Rx
and other community food distributions.
Assisting with grocery and supply purchases.
Supporting summer program kitchen operations and supporting youth farmers in cooking lunch using farm produce.
QUALIFICATIONS
We are confident that we can teach most skills to folks who have a positive attitude and a willingness to learn. While prior farming experience is helpful, we are open to taking someone with less experience if they have good attention to detail and some experience doing physically demanding work outdoors (sports, trail crews, outdoor hobbies etc.). Work will regularly involve sustained periods of standing and walking and moderate to heavy manual labor, including bending, reaching, squatting, crawling, stooping and use of the hands, arms, and fingers. The apprentice will regularly be required to lift up to 50 pounds and push/pull up to 300 pounds. Apprentices should be prepared to work outdoors in all weather conditions (chilly and rainy to hot and sunny and everything in between). Must be experienced with or willing to learn to drive large trucks (pick up, dump truck) and use farm/garden equipment (small tractors, walk behind rototiller, weed eater etc.).
The person should have a strong interest in learning about small-scale vegetable production, youth education or community food security/food systems work. We want someone who is a team player and is willing to lend a hand wherever they are needed. They should be able to convey information clearly, listen actively, and collaborate with team members. They should not be afraid to ask questions when needed. We would like someone who is excited by the opportunity to be a positive role model for our teen youth farmers by demonstrating qualities such as responsibility, compassion, kindness, work ethic, and a commitment to sustainable farming practices.
Apprentice must have a valid driver’s license and be cleared to drive company vehicles and tractors. Additionally, because we work with minors, we do require all staff, apprentices and volunteers to pass a full background check which will include a driving record check. A drug screen (excludes THC) will also be required.
COMPENSATION / ACCOMMODATIONS
$18/hr
Paid sick and vacation time
Paid federal holidays (Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
Farm produce for personal consumption
We have plenty of community gear to borrow (rain gear, rain boots, gloves etc.)
EQUITY AND INCLUSION
Marion Polk Food Share’s mission is to bring people together to end hunger and its root causes. We believe that food is a human right and that everyone deserves to have nutritious and culturally relevant food. We recognize that systemic oppression is a root cause of hunger. Injustices including racism, sexism, ageism, and other forms of oppression create inequity and are major contributors to poverty. Our commitment to ending hunger means we must understand and challenge the systems that unjustly and disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
Because we cannot end hunger without addressing its root causes, the Food Share embraces the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We carry these as core values of our work and culture by:
Striving to raise the voices of and be led by people with lived experience of systemic oppression and food insecurity.
Using an equity lens to influence decision-making, address disparities in services and undo the effects of systemic inequity throughout our organization.
Building partnerships with and advocating alongside groups focused on social and racial justice, poverty, and other forms of oppression.
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