Farm Hand & Creamery Assistant

Clear Spring Creamery is hiring for the Farm Hand & Creamery Assistant position in Clear Spring, MD. This hands-on role supports the operation's day-to-day production and care work. Reliable execution and early communication matter because the work directly affects plants, animals, equipment, coworkers, customers, or the surrounding property. What you will do • Feed, water, observe, move, and care for animals according to the farm's routines and welfare standards. • Clean and bed housing, maintain fences and water systems, and keep feed, tools, and care areas orderly. • Report changes in appetite, behavior, movement, injury, health, births, or facility condition immediately. • Milk the Jersey herd in an eight-milker swingline parlor, set temporary fence for daily pasture moves, help sort or treat cows, and use a tractor for hay feeding and pasture clipping after training. • Bottle milk and yogurt, follow the creamery sanitation schedule, maintain orderly facilities, complete basic scheduled tractor care, and keep useful farm and production records. • Cover about two weekend farmers-market shifts per month by driving the farm's box truck or van to the Washington-area market, setting up, serving customers, and returning products and equipment accurately. How the work fits together Animal checks set the order of the day. Feed, water, health, weather exposure, and secure housing are confirmed before lower-priority projects. The employee records or reports observations, completes assigned husbandry and facility work, and rechecks gates, animals, equipment, and supplies before the shift ends. At Clear Spring Creamery, the employer also makes these role-specific priorities clear: Milk the Jersey herd in an eight-milker swingline parlor, set temporary fence for daily pasture moves, help sort or treat cows, and use a tractor for hay feeding and pasture clipping after training. Bottle milk and yogurt, follow the creamery sanitation schedule, maintain orderly facilities, complete basic scheduled tractor care, and keep useful farm and production records. Cover about two weekend farmers-market shifts per month by driving the farm's box truck or van to the Washington-area market, setting up, serving customers, and returning products and equipment accurately. What the employer is looking for • Prior dairy experience is not required. The farm welcomes transferable skills, initiative, sound problem solving, care for animals, and interest in learning direct-market dairy, milk processing, or pasture management. • Ability to work in heat, cold, rain, and mud; remain on your feet for several hours; climb into and out of a tractor; bend and stoop; carry tools; and lift 50-pound mineral bags or newborn calves. • Dependable attendance, direct communication, and willingness to follow the employer's safety, quality, and customer- or production-care procedures. • Ability to complete the role's active, in-person work and to ask for instruction before using unfamiliar tools, equipment, products, or animal-handling methods. Schedule, conditions, and compensation This is full-time work averaging 35–45 hours per week with seasonal variation. A typical week contains two or three longer days, two or three shorter days, and one consistent day off. Some weekend availability is required for milking or farmers markets. Pay is $18–$20 per hour based on skills and experience, with quarterly bonus eligibility after six months and additional bonuses for successful Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship coursework. Farm products are available at half retail price and unsellable products are sometimes offered free. Applicants relocating for the role may ask whether limited housing help is available, but housing is not guaranteed. The employer publishes $18–$20 per hour. Applicants should confirm the final hours, overtime treatment, starting assignment, travel or reporting point, supplied equipment, and benefit eligibility directly with the employer before accepting an offer. This is an in-person agricultural and animal-care position with a small operation. Daily priorities can change with weather, plant or animal condition, equipment availability, customer schedules, and the season. The successful person should arrive ready to work, communicate early when a task or condition is unclear, follow the employer's safety and quality procedures, and leave tools, vehicles, production areas, and job sites secure and ready for the next shift. Applicants should expect active work that may include long periods of standing or walking, bending, lifting, repetitive hand tasks, noise, dust, mud, pollen, heat, cold, rain, or work around moving equipment. The exact physical demands differ by assignment. Candidates should discuss any accommodation needs with the employer and confirm the final schedule, overtime treatment, training period, travel expectations, and benefit eligibility before accepting an offer. Only compensation and benefits expressly published by the employer are included here; unpublished terms have not been estimated. How to apply Email a resume, cover letter, and two references to seibert@clearspringcreamery.com. Finalists should expect a paid working interview that may include cow chores, creamery work, or a market shift.