Farmhand

Mary's Land Farm; Ellicott City (MD); On-site; USD 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

Mary's Land Farm is seeking an Animal Caretaker / Farmhand to perform daily animal care, maintain barns and pastures, and support guest interactions during visits and events. The role requires comfort with outdoor, hands-on chores and operating equipment as needed.

The position is full-time and outdoors year-round, with weekend availability. Training will cover feeding routines, safety, and hospitality during guest encounters on the farm in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Qualifications

• Friendly, positive attitude with strong customer service skills.
• Dedicated, dependable, and punctual.
• Able to work outdoors in all weather, including heat and cold.
• Able to perform physically demanding work and lift 50+ lbs regularly.
• Comfortable working around farm animals.
• Weekend availability (farm open daily).

Responsibilities

• Perform daily morning and evening chores for livestock and poultry.
• Clean and maintain barns, stalls, pens, and animal areas.
• Muck out bedding and remove waste on a schedule.
• Report animal health or safety concerns to management.
• Greet guests and assist during encounters, tours, and events.

Skills

Customer service

Dependable

Punctual

Outdoor/physical work

Weekend availability

Job description

Position Summary

The Animal Caretaker / Farmhand is responsible for the daily health, feeding, and care of the farm's livestock and poultry, and for keeping barns, paddocks, and animal areas clean, safe, and guest-ready. This role executes structured morning (AM) and/or evening (PM) chore routines and provides general animal care throughout the shift, including feeding, watering, cleaning, pasture checks, and hands-on work with the farm's zebu calves. The person in this role often works directly with guests during animal encounters and must be comfortable representing the farm to the public.

Responsibilities

• We are looking for a dependable, friendly, hardworking Farm Hand to join our team full-time. This is a hands-on outdoor role split between caring for our animals and maintaining the land, buildings, and grounds. Because our guests visit the farm daily, we want someone who is as comfortable talking with visitors as they are driving a tractor or cleaning a barn.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Animal Care

• Perform daily morning and evening chores, including feeding, watering, and health and behavior checks
• Clean and maintain barns, stalls, pens, coops, and animal areas
• Handle mucking, bedding, and waste removal on a consistent schedule
• Report any animal health or safety concerns to management right away
• Help keep animal areas safe, clean, and guest-ready

Property, Land & Farm Maintenance

• Maintain fields, pastures, fencing, paths, and general grounds
• Complete repairs, hauling, and general upkeep around the property and buildings
• Support orchard and garden work, including planting, pruning, harvesting, and clean-up
• Operate tractors and other farm equipment safely (tractor experience preferred)
• Perform seasonal tasks such as mowing, brush clearing, snow and weather clean-up, and event setup and breakdown

Guest & Customer Service

• Greet and assist farm guests in a friendly, professional way
• Answer questions about the animals and farm, and help keep visitors safe around animals and equipment
• Help prepare the farm for events, tours, and busy visitor days

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Friendly, positive attitude with strong customer service skills
• Dedicated, dependable, and punctual
• Willing and able to work outdoors in all weather, including summer heat and winter cold
• Able to perform physically demanding work and lift 50+ lbs regularly
• Comfortable working around farm animals
• Weekend availability (the farm is open daily)

Preferred

• Tractor or heavy equipment experience
• Prior farm, livestock, or grounds maintenance experience
• Experience in agritourism, events, or guest-facing roles
• Basic mechanical or repair skills

SCHEDULE & WORK CONDITIONS

• Outdoor, physical work year-round in all weather
• Weekend and some holiday availability required, since animals need daily care
• Busier and more physically demanding in the warm months

COMPENSATION

Competitive and based on experience. Details will be discussed during the interview.