The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture is currently seeking a landscaper from part to full-time. Work will range from traditional to edible landscaping styles. Applications are due no later than the 13th of February. Work will approximately begin the 1st of March and end approximately the 23rd of November. We are looking for someone with a team-orientated attitude, and who is also self-motivated. A comprehensive range of landscaping experience is preferred and you must be able to work on your own. Any examples of past work are welcome. To request or submit an application email dan@ColumbiaUrbanAg.org or mail CCUA; 214 St. Joseph St.; Columbia, MO 65201. Call 573-514-4174 for questions.
CCUA’s board president, Adam Saunders, stepped down at our December meeting to be hired as a CCUA employee. Adam will be administering the Americorps VISTA and USDA grants we have received via our partnership with the Missouri River Communities Network. Our new board member and board president is Jill Lucht! Jill grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and now lives in Columbia working as a Project Coordinator for “The Entrepreneurship Project”. The project is a training program to help people get started in their own production agriculture businesses. We want to thank Jill and all of our board members, who volunteer their time to make sure CCUA is successful!
Our partnership with the Missouri River Communities Network has been moving along nicely. MRCN won a grant for five Americorps VISTA members to help with food-related projects here in Mid-Missouri. We have selected who the five members will be…drumroll….
Heather Gillich is the new Urban Farm Educator VISTA
Sam Pounders is the new Urban Farm Outreach VISTA
Natalie Suntrup is the new Urban Farm Marketing VISTA
Nell McKay is the new Boonville Urban Farm Development VISTA
Hannah Hemmelgarn is the new Mid-Missouri Local Food Promotion Program VISTA
Heather, Sam and Natalie will work with CCUA in Columbia. Nell will be working in Boonville to establish an Urban Farm. Hannah will be working with MRCN to promote local foods in the region. They will begin their service in March. Congratulations everyone!
Here is a listing of the Internships we have available for 2012, please contact the appropriate person if you are interested in applying. These positions are unpaid and do require a regular time commitment by the intern. This is a great opportunity to give back to your community while gaining new valuable skills!
Harvesting and Processing Intern
Photojournalism Intern
Farm Hand Intern
Urban Farm Educator Intern
Outreach Intern
Harvesting and processing intern:
Tasks:
- Assist with twice-weekly harvesting of fruits and vegetables at the Urban Farm
- Weigh, process, and pack vegetables and fruits for market and restaurant sale
- Pick and clean apples grown by an urban orchardist
Desired outcomes:
- Learn to identify maturity in a diverse array of fruits and vegetables
- Learn proper harvesting techniques for a wide array of crops
- Learn Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) for pre and post harvest vegetable handling
- Learn the demands and limitations of Columbia’s local foods movement
Offered:
- Summer semester (May through August)
- Fall semester (August through November)
- Wednesday, Friday, Saturday mornings ~10-15 hours a week
Contact:
- Billy Polansky- billyp@columbiaurbanag.org
- Carrie Hargrove- carrie@columbiaurbanag.org
Urban Farm Educator intern:
Tasks:
- Assist with interpretive sign making for the Urban Farm
- Assist with weekly public workdays at the Urban Farm
Desired outcomes:
- Learn to interact with and educate various age groups
- Learn to succinctly deliver information through writing
- Learn the basics of task and people management
Offered:
- Summer (May through August)
- Fall (August through November)
- ~10 hours a week (schedule negotiable)
Contact:
- Carrie Hargrove carrie@columbiaurbanag.org
Job Description
Apply Online at https://my.americorps.gov/mp/listing/viewListing.do?fromSearch=true&id=43114
Job Purpose Summary
The position of the Outreach VISTA exists to improve the capacity of CCUA’s Opportunity Garden Coordinator. The overall goals of the Outreach VISTA is to help organize and implement the systems and resources needed to help disadvantaged people grow food and to also bring more local food to disadvantaged people. The Outreach VISTA will help raise money and obtain other resources to fund such programs. The Outreach VISTA will help raise and manage volunteers for such programs. The Outreach VISTA will take a leadership role in planning and managing CCUA’s Opportunity Garden program, including training participants how to garden.
Duties
• Organizing and managing educational activities relating to gardening
• Assisting in the development of existing and new community gardens in Columbia
• Developing record keeping systems through program evaluation, invoicing, processing of payments, and writing the standard operating policies and procedures for specific CCUA programs.
Skills
• Leadership
• Fast-learner
• Organized
• Self-motivated
• Flexible
• Good attitude
• Teamwork
• Good at learning and teaching
• Good knowledge of gardening and landscaping
• Able to communicate well with a variety of people – both written and verbal
• Able to respectfully take orders
• Able to confidently give orders
