Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position. 

The Temporary Horticulture Farmhand will work closely with members of the Horticulture Farm to accomplish daily operations. Activities include, but are not limited to, crop production tasks such as ground preparation, planting, cultivating, weeding, and harvesting cleaning and packaging produce and produce delivery. May work with the public at plant sale and U-pick events on campus

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Regular and predictable attendance is essential. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

• Assist with daily crop care
• Harvest, wash, pack and store produce
• Deliver produce to local markets
• Collaborate and cooperate with staff to complete time sensitive tasks
• Assist with basic repairs and maintenance on vehicles, tractors, equipment and facilities

Other roles/duties will be assigned as necessary to assist the College in the attainment of the goals set forth and the enhancement of a positive, respectful learning environment for all staff, faculty and students. 

Education required to ensure success in this position:
• Some high school

Experience required to ensure success in this position:
• Experience working outdoors
• Experience with vegetable and fruit crops, tractor operation, small equipment operation

Special skills, knowledge, and abilities:
• Professional conduct that embodies Berea’s Workplace Expectations
• Willingness to work with a diverse student body and college staff
• Ability to operate typical farm equipment including lawn mowers, trimmers, hand tools, tractors and
farm implements
• Ability to work in hot, humid conditions typical of Kentucky summers
• Ability to work in high-tunnels and greenhouse where temperatures may exceed 100F

License, certification, or registration necessary:
• Valid Driver's License

Physical requirements:
• Ability to navigate campus/public buildings and grounds
• Ability to repeated lift 50 lbs.
• Ability to work in hot or cold environments, both inside and outside
• Ability to engage in rigorous activity and extensive walking
• Ability to engage in a full range of visual observation, physical mobility, and motor skills needed to
accomplish tasks

Environmental conditions:
• Farm conditions with exposure to fumes, dust, pollen, plants, insects, rain, ice, snow, heat, and
humidity
• Walk in freezers or refrigerators

Ability to operate the following vehicles or equipment:
• Tractors with typical implements used for mowing, planting, materials transport, and harvesting
• Lawn mowers, hand and power tools, chainsaw, trimmers, etc.
• Standard office equipment: computer, phone, timeclock
• Vans and trucks used to transport students and materials
• Produce harvesting and cleaning equipment

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 46 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them with a no-tuition promise. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only ten federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2025. Washington Monthly has named Berea College the #1 Best College in the nation in its 2025 College Guide. Berea College appears in their rankings as #1 College (overall): Best College for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars,  #1 Best-in Class College,  #1 Liberal Arts College and #1 Best Bang for the Buck Southern College.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application! 
 

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.