Urban Harvest STL
URBAN HARVEST STL: Position Description
FARM MANAGER – Little Sprouts
Urban Harvest STL builds community around inclusive and resilient local food systems. We believe all members of our community should have equitable access to fresh, healthy food regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or location and the ability to grow it, if they desire. We grow healthy food and community in St. Louis through urban agriculture, environmental sustainability and public programming. We manage a network of urban farms and distribute the majority of food we grow through partnerships with other nonprofits to improve fresh food access for St. Louisans impacted by low food access.
Little Sprouts Early Childhood Garden Education, pairs farm management with a hands-on weekly gardening program for Pre-K students. Urban Harvest STL provides a gardening curriculum focused on age-appropriate, nature-based learning for 175 preschoolers located at two early childhood centers. These lessons help children connect with their food, nature, and their bodies. Produce grown in the garden is used in cooking demonstrations and taste tests during garden classes. The remaining produce is provided to the school cafeteria or distributed to families.
Position
The Farm Manager- Little Sprouts is responsible for regular farm operations of the Little Sprouts Early Childhood Education School gardens located at Flance Early Learning Center and Guardian Angel Child Development Center, both located in North St. Louis. The Farm Manager will work in close partnership with the Little Sprouts Educator and Director of Education to align crop plans, harvest dates, lesson activities, and overall garden management.
Accountability
The Farm Manager is directly accountable to the Director of Urban Agriculture with strong collaborative efforts expected with the Director of Education, the Little Sprouts Educator and Partner school staff.
Responsibilities
Farming Production:
- Develop, manage and implement a crop plan and harvest schedule for school gardens in collaboration with the Director of Urban Agriculture, Education Program Manager and Little Sprouts Education, with feedback for partner communities
- Utilize organic no-till farming methods such as cover cropping, composting/vermicomposting and crop rotation
Properly harvest and handle produce in according to the food safety guidelines - Address pest and disease management using organic methods
- Modify and expand irrigation systems as needed
Cultivate seedlings and microgreens in the greenhouse - Nurture edible and pollinator-attracting plants in a variety of settings including greenhouse, farm rows, raised beds, a food forest, and planters
- Ensure that farm site, greenhouse, and storage areas are maintained and well-kept
Education & Community Engagement:
- Meet regularly with the program team for farm and curriculum planning.
- Meet quarterly as Little Sprouts team with School staff to discuss upcoming events and garden needs
- Work with school culinary teams to provide available produce
- Supervise Federal Work Study students and volunteers on regular farm tasks
- Conduct educational tours of the Little Sprouts farms for interested parties, as necessary.
- As time permits or is required, assist with Little Sprouts lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
Administrative Duties:
- Maintain and adhere to a weekly work log to plan and record details of field work accomplished
- Ensure accurate and timely entry of data pertaining to harvest, distribution, sales and donations
- Organize and maintain an inventory of seeds and other supplies across our network of farms
- Assist in creation of training materials and standard operating procedures in conjunction with Director of Urban Agriculture
- Assist in the management of planned site activities, including ordering, scheduling and logistics
- Assist with other duties as assigned
Qualifications & Skills
- A passion for urban agriculture, early childhood education, health and community development
- At least one year of organic vegetable farming or gardening experience required
- Understanding of no-till vegetable production methods required
- Degree in a relevant field or combination of experience and training resulting in equivalent knowledge and skills required
- Comfortable working in proximity to insects and other wildlife in an organic growing environment and willingness to work in St. Louis outdoor weather conditions required
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail required
- Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs and do physical labor outdoors for extended periods of time required Experience with native and perennial planting preferred
- Facilitation of volunteer groups of 5-20 people preferred
- Ability to work effectively independently and in collaboration with diverse groups of people and stakeholders
To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to: careers@urbanharveststl.org with the subject “Farm Manager – Little Sprouts”. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. The priority application date is Feb 6, 2026 and anticipated start date is March 10, 2026. Please contact careers@urbanharveststl.org with any questions.
For more information about Urban Harvest STL, please visit our website at https://www.urbanharveststl.org
