Senior Farm Operations Lead
What started as a small garden in a vacant lot in this little inner-city neighborhood, quickly turned into the City of Dallas’ first urban farm. The original farm is 1.25 acres boldly situated in the South Dallas community of Bonton, an area ravaged by generational poverty, crime, and classified by the USDA as a food desert. In 2016, a local family, the Treffingers, were inspired by the mission of Bonton Farms and generously donated 20 acres of land located about 10 miles from the original farm. They loved it so much that when another 20 acre plot adjacent to the original one became available, they purchased it and donated it for further expansion of Bonton Farms. That 40 acre site is what we call "The Bonton Farms Extension". It happens to be one of the largest urban farms in the Unites States. In this unlikely setting, we are cultivating a sustainable and vibrant urban farm with the mission to restore lives, create jobs and ignite hope.
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
- Wellness resources
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
Reports To: Farm Manager
Classification: Full-Time, Hourly, Nonexempt
Location: Dallas, Texas
- Support the Farm Manager in carrying out seasonal crop, livestock, and farm-production plans.
- Help coordinate daily planting, cultivation, irrigation, harvesting, washing, packing, storage, and post-harvest activities.
- Perform hands-on farm work alongside the farm team and provide assistance where operationally needed.
- Assist with seed starting, transplanting, crop rotation, soil preparation, composting, fertilization, pest management, and weed control.
- Monitor crops, soil conditions, irrigation systems, and growing areas and promptly report concerns to the Farm Manager.
- Help ensure farm products are harvested and prepared according to established quality and timing requirements.
- Support the timely preparation of farm products for Bonton Farms’ social enterprises, community programs, markets, and distribution activities.
- Maintain accurate production, harvest, inventory, equipment, and farm-activity records as assigned.
- Identify production delays, plant-health concerns, supply shortages, equipment problems, and other operational risks and communicate them promptly.
- Help ensure tools, materials, and supplies are properly staged and available for scheduled work.
- Assist the Farm Manager with communicating daily priorities and distributing work assignments to farm employees, apprentices, volunteers, and program participants.
- Lead morning work assignments or team check-ins when directed by the Farm Manager.
- Demonstrate proper farming methods, equipment use, animal-care practices, and safety procedures.
- Work alongside team members while helping monitor productivity, work quality, and completion of assigned tasks.
- Provide routine coaching, instruction, and redirection regarding established procedures and performance expectations.
- Reinforce attendance, conduct, safety, and work-quality expectations established by Bonton Farms and the Farm Manager.
- Communicate employee performance, conduct, attendance, or safety concerns to the Farm Manager promptly.
- Refrain from making independent hiring, termination, compensation, disciplinary, or formal performance-management decisions.
- Promote a respectful, accountable, productive, and collaborative work environment.
- Serve as the designated senior lead during assigned periods or when the Farm Manager is temporarily unavailable.
- Perform and support daily feeding, watering, health monitoring, and general care of livestock.
- Help ensure animal-care routines are completed consistently and documented as required.
- Monitor animals for signs of injury, illness, distress, or unusual behavior and immediately report concerns.
- Maintain clean, secure, and sanitary animal enclosures, feeding areas, water sources, and related facilities.
- Assist with animal movement, routine handling, and other livestock activities within established procedures and the employee’s training.
- Help monitor gates, fencing, enclosures, and other animal-security measures.
- Safely operate authorized farm vehicles, tractors, mowers, tillers, trailers, hand tools, power tools, and other agricultural equipment.
- Complete required pre-use inspections and ensure equipment is cleaned, secured, and properly stored after use.
- Immediately report equipment damage, mechanical concerns, safety hazards, and facility issues.
- Assist with basic preventive maintenance and minor repairs within the employee’s training and authorization.
- Help maintain organized tool, supply, equipment, and storage areas.
- Support the upkeep of farm structures, fencing, gates, irrigation systems, pathways, growing areas, and workspaces.
- Assist with assigned opening, closing, and site-security procedures.
- Help track tools, equipment, fuel, supplies, and maintenance needs.
- Model and reinforce farm-safety procedures, proper tool usage, and required personal protective equipment.
- Support compliance with established food-safety, sanitation, harvesting, washing, packing, storage, and transportation procedures.
- Immediately report injuries, hazards, damaged equipment, animal incidents, chemical concerns, food-safety risks, or unsafe working conditions.
- Assist with maintaining required safety, equipment, production, and operational documentation.
- Follow all organizational policies and applicable agricultural, environmental, food-safety, and workplace requirements.
- Participate in required safety, equipment, food-handling, emergency-preparedness, and organizational training.
- Use farm chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, and related materials only when properly trained and authorized.
- Coordinate with Social Enterprises and other Bonton Farms departments regarding harvest availability, product needs, deliveries, events, and farm-related requests as directed.
- Support farm tours, volunteer activities, educational programs, community events, and special projects.
- Provide clear and professional information to visitors regarding established farm procedures and activities.
- Interact respectfully with employees, apprentices, volunteers, community members, customers, vendors, and visitors.
- Represent Bonton Farms and its mission positively in all internal and external interactions.
- At least three years of hands-on experience in farming, agriculture, horticulture, ranching, landscaping, greenhouse production, or a closely related field.
- At least one year of experience serving as a crew lead, senior team member, trainer, or work-group coordinator.
- Working knowledge of crop production, irrigation, soil preparation, harvesting, farm maintenance, livestock care, or related agricultural practices.
- Ability to organize daily work, provide clear instructions, and monitor task completion.
- Experience safely operating agricultural equipment, landscaping equipment, power tools, or comparable machinery.
- Ability to recognize operational, equipment, animal-care, and safety concerns and communicate them promptly.
- Valid driver’s license and an insurable driving record.
- Reliable transportation and the ability to report consistently to assigned farm locations.
- Ability to work a flexible on-site schedule, including early mornings, occasional evenings, weekends, or holidays when operationally necessary.
- Basic proficiency with email, electronic timekeeping, and recordkeeping systems.
- Experience with diversified vegetable production or urban agriculture.
- Experience supporting livestock or animal-care operations.
- Experience with sustainable agriculture, composting, integrated pest management, or regenerative farming practices.
- Experience training or guiding employees, apprentices, volunteers, or individuals with different skill levels.
- Experience working in a nonprofit, workforce-development, educational, or community-based environment.
- Applicable agriculture, horticulture, equipment-operation, food-safety, pesticide-handling, or first-aid certification.
- Strong hands-on agricultural and operational skills.
- Dependable leadership, attendance, and follow-through.
- Ability to balance team-lead responsibilities with physical farm work.
- Ability to organize people, tools, materials, and supplies around daily priorities.
- Sound judgment and the ability to respond appropriately to changing conditions.
- Clear, respectful, and timely communication.
- Ability to train and guide others through demonstration, instruction, coaching, and reinforcement.
- Ability to follow established plans and escalate concerns appropriately.
- Commitment to safety, quality, accountability, and responsible use of organizational resources.
- Ability to work effectively with employees and community members from different backgrounds and experiences.
- Alignment with Bonton Farms’ mission, values, and community-centered culture.
- Work outdoors in heat, cold, rain, humidity, dust, mud, and other changing weather and environmental conditions.
- Stand, walk, bend, kneel, stoop, reach, climb, push, pull, and perform repetitive physical tasks for extended periods.
- Lift and carry up to 50 pounds independently and heavier items with appropriate assistance or equipment.
- Safely work around livestock, insects, plants, soil, fertilizers, farm equipment, vehicles, and tools.
- Travel between Bonton Farms locations and other assigned work sites.
- Use required personal protective equipment and comply with established safety procedures.
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Our Mission
Transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where change yields health, wholeness and opportunity as the norm.
Vision
The change in Bonton becomes the change in the World.
Core Principal
Our values are bathed in our Christian faith, born out of a passion for people and guide how we put them into action.
What is Bonton?
For the last 200 years, racial injustice and systemic oppression prevented opportunities in Bonton, a community in South Dallas, that were a given elsewhere. People here experienced higher rates of diabetes, stroke and cancer, and 48% of residents lived in poverty. Residents have been denied access to the seven human essentials that are necessary to survive and thrive - health & wellness, economic stability, safe and affordable housing, transportation, a sense of belonging, education and access to fair credit. Today, the community is transforming, and healing is coming from within.
Who We Are
Bonton Farms is on a mission is to transform lives by disrupting systems of inequity, laying a foundation where health, wholeness, and opportunity are the norm for all people. While many nonprofits work to solve one issue, Bonton Farms focuses on place-based interventions to build community capacity for long-term change. As the ecosystem of community resources improves, the neighbors in Bonton use these resources to build successful, self-sufficient lives, ultimately interrupting the impact of decades of disenfranchisement. Bonton Farms’ programs focus on the all of the seven human essentials that the community has been denied for so long. We invite you to come and join us in the transformation!
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