Assistant Farm Manager — Annual Crops

Private Farm and Ranch; Carmel Valley (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid vacation and sick days

Paid holidays

Daily lunches

Uniforms and laundry service

End-of-year discretionary bonus

Job summary

Private Farm and Ranch seeks an Assistant Farm Manager for Annual Crops to lead intensive market-garden production and tractor-scale fields. The role blends hands-on fieldwork with leadership, driving crop plans, rotations, season extension, and harvest planning to deliver year-round, high-quality produce for private guests and partners.

The position requires seven years in organic vegetable production, greenhouse propagation experience, and strong management skills.

Qualifications

• Minimum seven years in organic annual crops or diversified vegetable production.
• Familiar with intensive market garden systems and succession planting.
• Experience with greenhouse propagation, transplant management, and protected crops.
• Ability to plan crop plans, calendars, and harvest forecasts.
• Strong observation skills for stress, pests, and irrigation issues.

Responsibilities

• Lead annual crop and market garden management, from planning to harvest.
• Oversee greenhouse and nursery oversight and schedules.
• Implement organic soil health, irrigation, and IPM practices.
• Ensure harvest quality, weights, and records across systems.
• Supervise farm crew, train staff, and maintain safe workflows.
• Coordinate with kitchen, partners, and clients for harvest needs.
• Maintain field maps, production records, and forecasts.

Skills

Market gardening

Crop rotation

Season extension

Standardized beds

Greenhouse propagation

Field planning

Team leadership

Irrigation management

IPM knowledge

Recordkeeping

Education

Degree in horticulture or related field

Job description

PRIMARY PURPOSE AND FUNCTION

The Assistant Farm Manager of Annual Crops is responsible for leading annual crop production across intensive market-garden beds, protected growing structures, and larger tractor-managed field plantings.

We are specifically seeking an experienced and enthusiastic market gardener who understands the precision, organization, pace, and hands-on nature of diversified vegetable production. The ideal candidate will be highly familiar with standardized-bed production, intensive crop spacing, succession planting, season extension, efficient cultivation, rapid bed turnover, and maintaining dependable year-round harvests.

While the market garden is a central responsibility, some crops will be grown in larger field blocks when they require more space, mechanical cultivation, or greater production volumes. The Assistant Farm Manager must be comfortable managing both intensive market-garden systems and more traditional tractor-scale annual production.

This is a hands-on leadership position. The Assistant Farm Manager will work directly in the field, lead crews by example, monitor crop health closely, and continually improve the farm’s production systems.

The position supports the farm’s mission to produce exceptional, nutrient-dense organic food for our culinary team, private guests, members, restaurant partners, and specialty accounts.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Annual Crop and Market Garden Management

• Oversee annual vegetables, culinary herbs, specialty crops, protected-culture crops, and other assigned annual plantings.
• Manage production from crop planning and soil preparation through planting, cultivation, harvest, crop termination, and bed or field turnover.
• Develop and execute crop plans, planting calendars, rotations, and succession schedules that provide consistent harvests and minimize production gaps.
• Apply appropriate market-garden practices, including standardized beds, intensive spacing, season extension, efficient rotations, and rapid bed turnover.
• Plan larger tractor-scale field plantings for crops requiring additional space, mechanical cultivation, or higher production volumes.
• Determine whether crops are best suited to market-garden beds, protected structures, or larger field blocks based on spacing, quantity, labor, cultivation, and harvest requirements.
• Coordinate bed and field preparation, compost application, seeding, transplanting, trellising, pruning, cultivation, weeding, and crop cleanup.
• Maintain accurate field maps and clearly identify beds, field blocks, plantings, and crop stages.
• Adjust production plans based on weather, crop performance, kitchen demand, sales forecasts, and available labor.
• Continually improve crop quality, yield, workflow, mechanization, and labor efficiency

Greenhouse and Nursery Oversight

• Supervise and support the Greenhouse Lead, who is responsible for daily propagation, nursery production, irrigation, crop care, sanitation, and greenhouse environmental management.
• Establish greenhouse priorities and ensure propagation schedules align with field plans, succession schedules, and target harvest windows.
• Meet regularly with the Greenhouse Lead to review germination, transplant readiness, crop health, pest and disease concerns, supply needs, and upcoming plantings.
• Provide troubleshooting assistance and accountability while allowing the Greenhouse Lead appropriate ownership of daily greenhouse operations.
• Oversee greenhouse purchasing, inventory, recordkeeping, and the scheduling of protected tomato, cucumber, and other annual crop cycles.

Soil Health, Irrigation, and Integrated Pest Management

• Implement organic and regenerative practices that improve soil fertility, biological activity, biodiversity, water efficiency, and long-term ecological resilience.
• Manage compost, cover crops, crop rotations, reduced-tillage strategies, soil amendments, and organic fertility programs.
• Conduct frequent field and greenhouse inspections to identify plant stress, nutrient deficiencies, irrigation failures, diseases, insect pressure, and rodent damage before crop quality or yield is significantly affected.
• Develop and execute organic integrated pest management strategies and maintain accurate scouting and treatment records.
• Manage irrigation schedules based on crop stage, soil condition, weather, and protected-structure climate.
• Inspect and troubleshoot drip, overhead, fertigation, filtration, and other irrigation components.
• Use soil, water, or plant sap analysis testing when appropriate to guide management decisions.

Harvest, Quality Control, and Recordkeeping

• Ensure crops are harvested at the correct maturity, size, condition, and time of day.
• Maintain high standards for flavor, freshness, appearance, shelf life, and compliance with our farm’s established produce standards.
• Coordinate closely with the Harvest Coordinator regarding harvest timing, wash/pack procedures, cold-chain integrity, order fulfillment, and quality control.
• Communicate promptly regarding shortages, substitutions, crop failures, quality concerns, and changes in anticipated harvest volumes.
• Coordinate production with chef orders, kitchen needs, Produce Club deliveries, restaurant partners, private events, and specialty accounts.
• Maintain accurate planting, production, fertility, irrigation, pest-management, labor, harvest, inventory, and expense records.
• Ensure daily harvest weights and product volumes are entered correctly into farm logs and Local Line or other designated systems.
• Prepare timely crop forecasts and compare actual yields with production targets.

Team Leadership and Farm Operations

• Supervise, train, mentor, and provide daily direction to the Greenhouse Lead, farm crew, and contracted labor.
• Prepare clear daily and weekly work plans based on crop priorities, weather, harvest needs, and available labor.
• Lead by example and participate directly in fieldwork when operational needs require it.
• Train employees in planting, cultivation, irrigation, trellising, harvesting, tool use, quality control, and safe work practices.
• Foster a workplace culture centered on respect, clear communication, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Support the farm’s Injury and Illness Prevention Program, safety committee, employee training, and crew wellbeing.
• Maintain clean, orderly, safe, and professional production and storage areas.
• Assist with farm-wide projects and other responsibilities necessary for the success of the ranch property.

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• A minimum of seven years of agricultural experience focused on organic annual crops, diversified vegetable production, bio-intensive farming, or professional market gardening.
• Strong familiarity with the systems and daily operation of an intensive market garden.
• Genuine enthusiasm for diversified vegetable growing and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrated experience with succession planting, crop rotation, standardized-bed production, season extension, and rapid bed turnover.
• Ability to plan and manage larger tractor-scale annual plantings in addition to intensive market-garden production.
• Strong hands-on experience with greenhouse propagation, seedling production, transplant management, and protected-culture crops.
• Ability to create and execute crop plans, planting calendars, propagation schedules, and harvest forecasts.
• Strong observational skills and the ability to identify plant stress, nutrient deficiencies, irrigation problems, pests, and diseases.
• Experience with irrigation, fertility management, bed-preparation equipment, cultivation tools, and organic IPM.
• Proven leadership experience and the ability to train, organize, motivate, and respectfully direct diverse farm crews.
• Strong organizational, communication, recordkeeping, inventory-management, and crop-forecasting skills.
• Ability to balance long-term planning with the immediate hands-on demands of daily farming.

Preferred

• Degree in horticulture, agronomy, sustainable agriculture, plant science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience with year-round market gardening and annual crop production in California or a similar Mediterranean climate.
• Experience safely operating tractors and implements used for bed preparation, cultivation, mowing, and compost spreading.
• Familiarity with organic certification, food-safety standards, and compliant production records.
• Experience with Local Line or similar farm-management and inventory software.
• Experience growing produce for chefs, restaurants, or other quality-focused specialty accounts.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND REQUIREMENTS

• Able to perform full-time, active work in and around the property.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively and to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Ability to work safely on varied outdoor terrain and in diverse weather and greenhouse conditions.
• Ability to bend, stoop, squat, and kneel for extended periods.
• Ability to perform repetitive agricultural work and safely operate tools and farm equipment.
• Ability to lift and carry at least 50 pounds with or without reasonable assistance.
• Ability to work a regular Monday–Friday schedule, generally from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Willingness to work additional or irregular hours when required by weather, irrigation, planting, harvests, or emergencies.
• Possess a valid, unrestricted driver’s license and adequate vehicle insurance.
• Be legally authorized to work in the United States and willing to undergo an in-depth background investigation.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• Annual salary of 90,000–100,000, commensurate with experience.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for the employee and eligible family members, 100% employer-sponsored.
• Life and disability insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer matching up to 10%.
• Paid vacation and ten paid sick days.
• Twelve paid holidays annually.
• Daily lunches and snacks.
• Potential end-of-year discretionary bonus.
• Employer-provided uniforms and laundry service.