Farm Manager / Director of Farm Operations

Location: Bluff, Utah
Farm Size: Approximately 1500 acres
Position: Full-Time, Year-Round
Relocation: Relocation to the Bluff, Utah area required

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on Farm Manager / Director of Farm Operations to develop and operate a new commercial farm along the San Juan River near Bluff, Utah. and Monticello utah.

The property consists of approximately 500 acres predominantly sandy-loam soils and substantial access to irrigation water from the San Juan River.  and 900 acres of dry wheat farm in monticello.  The farm is being redeveloped from the ground up and will ultimately include a diversified mix of commercial produce, melons, potatoes, onions, specialty crops, orchard fruit and other crops selected according to profitability and site conditions.

This is not a position for someone who only manages an established farming operation. We are looking for an agricultural operator who can build the farming system, establish fields, develop irrigation, select varieties, manage planting and harvest schedules, supervise employees, control production costs and ultimately be accountable for farm profitability.

The successful candidate will work directly with ownership and have significant influence over the long-term development of the property.

Primary Responsibilities

Farm Development

• Lead the conversion of the property into a productive commercial farming operation.
• Develop individual fields and establish an efficient field layout, crop rotation and production schedule.
• Evaluate soils, drainage, compaction, salinity, fertility and field conditions.
• Identify areas requiring land leveling, drainage improvements or soil amendments.
• Coordinate soil testing, water testing and agronomic recommendations.
• Develop windbreaks, access roads and other necessary agricultural infrastructure.
• Help determine which portions of the property should remain out of production because of drainage, flooding or other limitations.
• Coordinate contractors, irrigation specialists, agronomists and equipment suppliers as necessary.

Crop Production

Manage commercial production of crops that may include:

• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe and specialty melons
• Potatoes
• Onions and garlic
• Pumpkins and winter squash
• Sweet corn
• Peppers and chile
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Other high-value vegetable crops
• Orchard crops including peaches, apricots, apples, pears and plums
• Potential specialty and experimental crops

The Farm Manager will help ownership continually evaluate crop profitability and determine which crops deserve additional acreage.

Irrigation & Water Management

• Manage irrigation supplied from the San Juan River.
• Work with ownership and engineers on river intake, pumping, filtration and distribution systems.
• Operate and maintain pumps, filters, valves, mainlines and field irrigation systems.
• Design irrigation schedules based on crop requirements, soil moisture, weather and growth stages.
• Manage drip irrigation, fertigation and low-pressure sprinkler systems.
• Monitor water quality and sediment issues.
• Maintain irrigation records and identify opportunities to reduce energy and water costs.
• Develop contingency plans for pump, filtration or electrical failures.

Experience managing large-scale surface-water irrigation is strongly preferred.

Orchard Development

• Assist in designing and establishing the farm's commercial orchard.
• Select varieties and rootstocks appropriate for southeastern Utah.
• Develop planting density, irrigation, fertility, pruning and pest-management programs.
• Manage frost risk and orchard establishment.
• Develop long-term orchard production and harvest forecasts.

Crop Planning & Agronomy

• Develop annual crop plans and planting schedules.
• Recommend varieties based on climate, marketability, yield and disease resistance.
• Develop fertilizer and soil-amendment programs.
• Manage integrated pest-management programs.
• Monitor fields continuously for insects, disease, nutrient deficiencies and irrigation problems.
• Maintain production records by crop and field.
• Establish measurable yield, quality and cost targets for each crop.

Harvest & Postharvest Operations

• Plan and supervise harvest crews.
• Coordinate harvest timing with customers and packing requirements.
• Manage washing, grading, cooling, packing and storage.
• Maintain product quality from field through shipment.
• Monitor harvest losses and packout percentages.
• Coordinate refrigerated transportation and outbound logistics.

Employees & Labor

• Recruit, train and supervise seasonal and full-time farm employees.
• Establish daily work schedules and production expectations.
• Manage crew leaders and equipment operators.
• Maintain a safe and productive work environment.
• Forecast seasonal labor requirements well in advance of planting and harvest.
• Help establish employee housing or transportation programs if required.

Equipment & Maintenance

Oversee operation and maintenance of equipment including:

• Tractors
• Tillage equipment
• Bed shapers
• Plastic mulch layers
• Drip-tape equipment
• Planters and transplanters
• Sprayers
• Cultivators
• Potato planting and harvesting equipment
• Harvest wagons
• Skid steers and forklifts
• Pumps and irrigation equipment
• Trucks and trailers

The Farm Manager should be mechanically capable and comfortable diagnosing routine farm-equipment and irrigation problems.

Budgeting & Profitability

The position will be accountable for more than crop yield.

Responsibilities include:

• Develop annual operating budgets.
• Estimate production cost per acre by crop.
• Track seed, fertilizer, chemical, irrigation, labor, harvest, packaging and freight costs.
• Compare actual results against budgets.
• Calculate yield, revenue and gross margin by field and crop.
• Recommend expanding, reducing or eliminating crops based on profitability.
• Assist ownership with capital-equipment decisions.
• Evaluate buying versus leasing equipment.
• Identify opportunities to reduce operating costs.

The objective is to develop a profitable commercial farm, not simply maximize production.

Marketing & Sales Coordination

Working with ownership, the Farm Manager will:

• Forecast harvest volumes and dates.
• Help establish relationships with produce buyers, wholesalers, grocery distributors, restaurants and direct-market customers.
• Coordinate production with contracted demand.
• Help develop opportunities for premium and specialty crops.
• Avoid planting significant acreage without a realistic market and distribution strategy.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should have:

• At least 5 years of commercial farming or farm-management experience.
• Experience managing commercial fruit and/or vegetable production.
• Experience managing meaningful commercial acreage rather than exclusively small garden or hobby-farm production.
• Strong irrigation-management experience.
• Understanding of sandy or sandy-loam soils.
• Experience developing crop budgets and managing production costs.
• Experience supervising agricultural employees and seasonal harvest crews.
• Knowledge of fertility, pest management, crop rotation and soil health.
• Ability to operate and troubleshoot agricultural equipment.
• Strong organizational and recordkeeping skills.
• Ability to work independently and make field-level decisions.
• Willingness to live in or relocate to the Bluff/Blanding/Monticello area of southeastern Utah.

Strongly Preferred Experience

Exceptional candidates will have experience with several of the following:

• Commercial watermelon or cantaloupe production
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Pumpkins or squash
• Commercial vegetable production
• Orchard establishment and management
• Grapes or other perennial crops
• Drip irrigation and fertigation
• Surface-water or river irrigation
• Pump stations and filtration systems
• Farm development from undeveloped or previously idle land
• Desert or high-desert agriculture
• Soil salinity management
• Produce cooling, packing and storage
• Wholesale produce sales
• GAP or other produce food-safety programs

Experience farming in Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Idaho, California or another western irrigated-production region would be particularly valuable.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal person is both a farmer and an operator with christian values.

We are looking for someone who can stand in a field and diagnose an irrigation or crop problem in the morning, manage a 20-person harvest crew during the day, review production costs that afternoon and discuss next year's crop strategy with ownership that evening.

This individual should be comfortable building an operation rather than inheriting a finished one.

We particularly value candidates who:

• Think like owners.
• Understand profit per acre, not just yield per acre.
• Are willing to experiment on small acreage before scaling.
• Keep excellent production and financial records.
• Are mechanically capable.
• Can recruit and retain dependable employees.
• Understand both agronomy and commercial produce markets.
• Take responsibility for results.
• Communicate problems early rather than after a crop has been lost.

Initial Priorities

During the first 12 months, the Farm Manager will be expected to:

• Review the complete property and establish the final field layout.
• Complete soil and irrigation-water testing.
• Establish drainage and field-preparation priorities.
• Work with engineers and contractors to complete the San Juan River irrigation system.
• Develop a three-year crop rotation and planting program.
• Establish the initial orchard block.
• Prepare the first commercial production fields.
• Source seed, plants, fertilizer, irrigation materials and equipment.
• Recruit the initial farm workforce.
• Develop crop budgets and target production costs.
• Establish harvest, cooling and packing procedures.
• Help identify buyers before significant acreage is planted.
• Produce a detailed expansion recommendation following the first harvest season.

Performance Measures

Performance will be evaluated using measurable operating results, including:

• Yield per acre
• Saleable packout percentage
• Revenue per acre
• Production cost per acre
• Gross margin per acre
• Labor efficiency
• Irrigation efficiency
• Crop quality
• Harvest losses
• Equipment downtime
• Compliance and safety
• Employee retention
• Accuracy of planting and harvest forecasts
• Achievement of annual farm-development milestones

Compensation

Competitive compensation based on experience.

The compensation package may include:

Base salary

• Performance bonus tied to farm profitability and operational targets
• Relocation assistance
• Vehicle or farm truck
• Housing or housing assistance, depending on the final arrangement
• Paid time off
• Other benefits negotiated based on experience
• A significant performance-based incentive may be available for a Farm Manager capable of building the operation into a consistently profitable commercial farm.

Application Requirements

Applicants should provide:

• Resume
• Description of farms previously managed
• Approximate acreage managed
• Crops grown
• Irrigation systems managed
• Number of employees supervised
• Examples of crop yields or operational improvements achieved
• Experience developing new agricultural ground
• Experience with budgeting and cost-per-acre analysis
• Current location and willingness to relocate to southeastern Utah
• Professional references