Sustainability Student Employment

What we offer

Farming is fun, and farming is very hard work. You will gain basic farming skills and have full access to how we grow vegetables at Book & Plow. We invite you to stay engaged on the farm: ask questions, make observations, offer suggestions, test ideas. The staff of Book & Plow Farm seeks to affirm and celebrate the people who work here. We invite you to the farm to be yourself. Come to the farm to spend time outdoors, work with your hands, and work on a team. The farm is a space for people to build community around growing vegetables.

What we ask

We rely on student-farmers to seed, plant, cultivate, and harvest the vegetables that feed the Amherst College Community. No farming experience is necessary, but applicants need to be aware that farming is physically demanding. Arrive on time to your scheduled shifts. Be prepared to work in any weather. We will never ask you to do a job you cannot do, but we will ask that you push yourself. We will support your development as a student farmer. You will hear “I need you to work harder right now,” along with suggestions for working smarter.

Apply to work via Workday. Email mives@amherst.edu for more details.

The Jobs

Spring Work Study: Seeding. In the Spring we are setting the stage for the season. Spend your time seeding in the greenhouse, doing some early wash/pack and planting, infrastructure and field set-up. Work one or two three-hour shifts per week, March–May.

Commencement/Reunion: Planting. This is a frenetic two-weeks where we are seeding a lot, planting a lot, harvesting and washing a lot. Work 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday for two weeks, May 14–May 25.

Summer Internship: Cultivating. Summer interns play a vital role in all aspects of vegetable production at Book & Plow from improving infrastructure, greenhouse seeding, and crop care, to harvest, post-harvest handling and community outreach. You will assume a leadership role in the day-to-day operation of the farm and develop an independent project related to the farm that engages your academic, professional or personal goals. We go on field trips and enjoy crew lunches. Work 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. four days a week for ten weeks, June–August.

Fall Work Study: Harvesting. In the Fall we are in full-harvest mode. There is the twice-weekly greens harvest for delivery to Valentine, the end of season bulk-harvests of storage crops; wash/pack and delivery to Valentine and our CSA program, and field clean up to finish the season strong. Work one or two three-hour shifts per week, September–November.