Farm Animal Supervisor

Elawa Farm Foundation is a historic, non-profit farm located in Lake Forest, Illinois. Our mission is to steward a historic farm that enriches greater Lake County as a center for experiential learning to broaden access to education, nutritious food, and our local food system. We gather community through food and agriculture with a sustainable farm, weekly market, learning kitchen, and educational programming for youth and adults.

Elawa Farm Foundation has recently developed a farm animal program that includes goats, chickens, ducks, and bee hives. Our farm animals and bee hives will be leveraged for educational programming to the public as well as honey that will be sold at our market and eggs that will be provided to our kitchen.

Elawa Farm Foundation is currently seeking a permanent, part-time Farm Animal Supervisor who will report to our Director, Farm Operations. This position will focus primarily on the effective supervision of our farm animals and bee hives and leading educational programming with them to the public.

Job Responsibilities:

Farm Animals

  • Assess the health of each of the farm animals daily and report any issues to the farm manager.

  • Feed goats twice daily and ducks and chickens once daily.

  • Clean animal housing daily.

  • Inspect interior and exterior animal housing for overall safety daily.

  • Manage manure and soiled bedding by composting them.

  • Provide any special care that’s needed to maintain the health of animals that develop health issues.

  • Trim goat hooves monthly.

  • Brush goats monthly.

  • Regularly duck pond.

  • Train goats to be social with the public.

  • Lead educational programming with the public primarily with goats but may also include ducks and chickens.

    Bee Keeping

  • Maintain the health of our hives, collect honey, and remove hive parasites.

  • Insert honeycombs and insert new honeybees into prepared hives.

  • Regularly inspect beehives and retrieve honey in late summer.

We are seeking a Farm Animal Supervisor who is:

  • Passionate about farm animals and beekeeping

  • Comfortable and confident with working with animals and bees

  • Hard working and dependable

  • Calm under pressure

  • People-oriented, as this position is public facing

  • A creative problem solver

  • A clear and effective communicator (written and verbal)

  • Organized and detail-oriented

    Qualifications:

  • At least one year of hands-on work experience with animals in a public setting, preferably with farm animals

  • Some exposure to bee keeping preferred

  • Has reliable transportation to the farm.

Physical Requirements: Able to lift 40 lbs. and perform typical labor with exposure to a variety of weather conditions (heat, rain) and terrain (grass, gravel).

Status: This position is permanent part-time and at-will

Compensation: Hourly rate is $20/hour at approximately 20 hours/week. Part-time employees receive paid time off. Part-time employees also become eligible for a 401k plan after 1 year of employment.

Schedule: Wednesday – Sunday (Approx. 20 hrs./week)
Note: From December – March less weekend time will likely be needed since there will likely be no farm animal programming with the public.

Reports to: Director, Farm Operations

Equal Opportunity Statement: Elawa Farm Foundation does not discriminate in the selection of its staff on the basis of race, color, religion, gender identity, national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, income, marital status, or any other dimension of identity.

Application Deadline: Please complete the form below and be sure to upload your resume and cover letter by Monday, August 5, 2024.

Thank you!