Year-Round Dairy Farm Assistant

Oxheart Farm is hiring a year-round farm assistant for one regular 8–10 hour day each week at its small family farm in Hager City, Wisconsin. The owners raise vegetables for an 80-member market-style CSA, rotationally graze beef cattle and seven dairy cows, and make milk, yogurt, and ice cream in an on-farm Grade A dairy plant. This is a varied production role for someone who wants real responsibility across milking, livestock, crops, and farm infrastructure rather than one repetitive task. What you will do • Complete an independent morning milking after training and follow the farm's milk-quality and cleanup sequence • Feed livestock, inspect water, observe health and behavior, and move or repair fencing as assigned • Harvest CSA vegetables and help wash, sort, and pack produce for on-farm pickup • Seed, transplant, weed, irrigate, and maintain field crops during the growing season • Assist with farm infrastructure projects and use and maintain equipment and implements safely • Record concerns and tell the owners promptly about an animal, crop, fence, sanitation, or equipment problem How the work fits together A normal workday begins with milking and animal chores, then shifts to the highest-priority farm project. Depending on the season, that may mean a CSA harvest, fence move, equipment task, vegetable planting, or infrastructure repair. The farm is intentionally diverse and the owners work alongside the assistant when possible, but the selected person must be comfortable finishing trained routines independently. Careful milking sanitation and quiet livestock handling are essential because the dairy products are processed and sold directly through the farm's local channels. What the farm is looking for The farm is looking for a hard worker with a genuine interest in small-scale food production. Prior farm, gardening, food-system, or large-animal experience is useful, and equipment experience is especially valuable for the year-round role, but curiosity and the ability to build safe competence matter too. Applicants should be able to lift heavy items repeatedly, move quickly for long periods, walk substantial distances, take clear direction, and work outdoors in changing Wisconsin weather. The owners prefer someone local who may want to stay for several years. Schedule, conditions, and compensation The year-round opening is one 8–10 hour day per week and pays $18–$20 per hour depending on experience. Ample vegetables and dairy products are included, and lunch is provided on every farm workday; the workday includes a half-hour unpaid lunch. The employer says the position can begin as soon as filled and that applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Candidates should confirm the regular weekday, any occasional weekend animal coverage, and how hours change during peak production. This is an in-person agricultural position. Priorities can change with animal health, weather, crop condition, water quality, equipment availability, and harvest timing. The successful person must communicate clearly, protect animal welfare and food safety, and leave useful notes when a task or concern carries into the next shift. Gates, tools, vehicles, feed areas, water systems, and production spaces should be left clean, secure, and ready for the next person. Applicants should expect physical work that may include long periods of standing or walking, bending, lifting, repetitive hand tasks, wet or dusty conditions, and work outdoors or in agricultural buildings. Dependable arrival matters because livestock and living production systems cannot simply wait for a late shift. Candidates should confirm the exact weekly schedule, overtime treatment, training period, and benefit eligibility with the employer before accepting an offer. How to apply Email a resume, an informal letter of interest, and two or three references to oxheartfarm@gmail.com. Specify the year-round farm assistant position and describe any milking, dairy sanitation, livestock, fencing, vegetable, equipment, or direct-market experience. The farm requires an in-person working interview for candidates under serious consideration.