Meadow Lynn Farms - Market Garden Training Manual 2020

1. Introduction to the Farm

All staff is required to have some knowledge about our farm and our farming practices. Our main goal is to provide excellent customer service and educate the community about our farming practices. We also want all our staff to know what we do on the farm and be apart of our farming family while employed here.

"Meadow Lynn Farms is a family farm in Simcoe, Ontario. We are committed to producing quality strawberries,grain crops, hay and purebred jersey cattle by following sustainable agricultural practices. We believe that sustainable agriculture incorporates the health of all things; the soil, the natural ecosystem, the farmers, the community and individual people"

• Meadow Lynn Farms is a family farm owned and operated by the Judd Family. • We have been farming on this property since 1946 • There are four primary owners: Fred & Sharon Judd, and Thomas & Sarah Judd. Grandpa (Ron Judd), Grandma Jewson, Susan Judd (sister) and Sarah Judd (sister) are also familiar faces on the farm • Our primary business is dairy farming. We have about 100 head of cows, 45 are currently producing milk. We have purebred Jersey cows produce less milk, but more butterfat than Holstein cows. • We have been growing strawberries for over 30 years. Sharon and one part-time helper would run the patch on their own when we first started. • We typically grow over 10 different varieties of strawberries • In 2011 we started production of strawberry juice, strawberry jellies and strawberry syrup. Our juice is sold retail, but more is shipped in bulk and used in making beers, ciders and wines. • We produce crops: Hay, wheat, soybeans, corn. Some crops are produced to feed the cows, while other crops are sold. • There are two bee hives on the property to help pollinate strawberries and to help support bee populations in Ontario • Our cows live on pasture until they becoming milking age, where they are then housed in the barn and exercise area. They eat soybeans, corn/corn silage and hay/ balage and some mineral supplements. • We have a website that you can refer customers to for more information about our farm: meadowlynnfarms.com • Sharon is the primary contact for strawberries, Fred takes care of cropping and Thomas oversees the barns. Sarah runs a market garden (CSA/Veggie box program) and sells her produce through the CSA and Simcoe Farmers Market. • We provide tours of our dairy barns to school children and day camps. • Milk Truck- The milk truck picks up milk from our farm every other day. This is important to note for traffic flow during the days of pick-up.

icloud/pages/market-garden-training-manual-2020 1 • Our farm is conventional (excluding the market garden), which means that we use Integrated Pest Management to control pest pressures and disease and do spray to protect our crops when necessary. The market garden is pesticide-free and uses organic growing methods.

Specific to Market Garden: - we grow over 30 different kinds of vegetables - pesticide-free - there are a few crops that we do not produce, but we do buy from other organic growers. - these are mostly potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash and fruit

CSA: Community Supported Agriculture - our veggie box model We provide seasonal veggies to our box members

- shared risk program where we share the bounty and the risk with our csa members - they become part of our community and develop a relationship with their local farmer - Invited to the farm for on-farm events and to learn about new, fun and interesting vegetables

- Pick up for veggie boxes is Tuesday, delivery is Wednesday mornings our veggie box website is meadowlynnmarket.com

icloud/pages/market-garden-training-manual-2020 2 2. Job Description

Market Garden Manager Duties: • Oversee the daily activities in the market garden • Help staff fulfill planting, harvesting and packing duties • Trains new staff • Works on large projects outside of daily routines • Collects Sunday night orders from clients for Tuesday packing • Coordinates deliveries of produce and boxes on Wednesdays • Plans weekly tasks for the farm • Works directly with Sarah to plan weekly schedules • Other duties as assigned

Field Managers Duties: • Planting, cultivating and weed maintenance • Field maintenance and preparation for vegetable harvest • Harvesting vegetables, washing and packing for Tuesday pick up • Plant care and packing for plant sales • Seeding in the greenhouse and in the field • Pruning, topping and caring for plants • Other duties as assigned

icloud/pages/market-garden-training-manual-2020 3 3. Expectations while at work Work Hours

• Retail and picking patch are open from 8:00 am-8:00pm, every day of the week during Strawberry season, weather permitting. • Market Garden hours are from 8:00am- 4:00pm in the spring, 7:00am- 3:00pm in the summer • We expect that all staff has a mode of transportation to and from the farm • In the case of a rain event, Sharon or Sarah will let you know whether or not you are working. We work rain days unless instructed otherwise • Breaks: We take two 15minute breaks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon at an appropriate time between tasks. (unpaid) • Lunch: 30 minutes (unpaid) you are welcome to bring your lunch to work and place it in the veggie cooler. • In the past, we have bundled breaks and lunch together for a total of 1 hr so that staff is able to leave the farm during lunch break to run errands. Staff will decide together what they will do together as a team at the start of the summer.

Work Attire

• Be prepared to work in all weather conditions. (Rain, heat, wind). • Clothing: Shirts and shorts/pants are required to be worn at all times.Sleeveless shirts may be worn, but no spaghetti strap tops. • Comfortable shoes are important as you will be walking frequently during the day. • Tuesday vegetable pick up day, staff must look presentable to receive customers.

Communication during working hours & use of personal phones

• The main line of communication on-farm is by walkie-talkie. Each team will be able to share a walkie talkie. • Sharon & Sarah may also be reached by cell phone for immediate and/or confidential communication • Personal cell phone use is permitted on-site during working hours. However, it is at the discretion of the supervisor to address cell-phone use that is interrupting productivity during working hours.

Special On-farm events

• Open house day: Open-house day is held annually during strawberry season for our customers. It is mandatory that all staff work on open-house day to accommodate the extra people visiting the farm. • • Who Let the Cows out: May 1 where the community is invited to watch the cows play on pasture for the first time in the spring • Tours: Our members have an opportunity to book tours with the farm one-on-one • Workshops & work-bees: Various through the season

icloud/pages/market-garden-training-manual-2020 4 4. Vegetable Knowledge

We will train you on the 30 different kinds of crops that we grow on the farm. To educate our customers we provide videos, recipes and tutorials on how to prepare the vegetables at home.

Each crop has different nutrient needs, light requirements, pest protection and harvest requirements.

Please see our vegetable charts in the shed to help assist you in the field.

Strawberries

We grow over 10 different varieties of strawberries, each with distinct colour, taste , size and texture. Berries are hand-picked fresh every day. They are picked ripe from the plants. We do not have coolers or storage space to keep berries overnight, so all berries are picked daily.

Most imported strawberries come from California. This is one reason why fresh berries taste sweeter and are fresher!

icloud/pages/market-garden-training-manual-2020 5 5. Customer Service

We strive for outstanding customer service: fast, efficient, quality products, and helpful staff. Outstanding customer service doesn't just happen, we need to create a plan to reach our goals. Outstanding customer service also creates customer loyalty. Loyal customers will buy more product, and will be more forgiving in difficult times.

Service Standards

A customer service promise is a statement describing the company's commitment to its customers. It also creates a common goal for employees and establishes expectations for customers.

Example 1: Walt Disney is the pinnacle customer-focused business. Its service promise is: To create happiness for people of all ages everywhere. It is simple to understand and could certainly appeal to its current and prospective customer.

Create a customer service standard:

Customer service standards or service values are statements that clearly define how the business will deliver on its service promise. They are essentially the priorities deemed critical for consistently providing outstanding service.

Difficult Customers

We try our best to maintain great customer relationship through the season, however, sometimes there may be a customer who is particularity difficult to deal with.

Always note that a supervisor or Sarah will be around to ask for help, or available by phone or walkie- talkie.

Customers receive weekly emails from us with the updated list of vegetables for the following week. Our communication lines are always open. Customers are also able to sign up for our text message reminder system for Tuesday pickup times.

icloud/pages/market-garden-training-manual-2020 6 6. COVID-19 workplace policies

In addition to our normal Health and safety policies, COVID-19 had added extra precaution to our daily lives.

Steps we are taking to manage COVID-19

- everyone is to have their own garden gloves, not to be used by any other person - a dedicated hand washing sink is on site in the veggie shed - a Jimmy John is located on the property so that no one has to use the bathroom in the house - picnic tables and patio tables are set up for staff to each lunch while respecting social distancing measures - extra hoes and tools have been purchased so that everyone has designated equipment in the field - Our online store will handle most money transfers instead of cash - Pre-packing plant sale orders to reduce exposure from public - Additional info graphics placed in the shed as reminders about COVID assessment tests and what to do if you feel ill. - Social distancing measurers are in effect, except possibly when training on equipment - Additional training for staff as directed. - Payments will be made by direct deposit instead of by cheques

7. Health and Safety Training

Meadow Lynn Farms has a Health and Safety Manual that outlines safe working procedures on the farm. This Health and Safety Manual also contains Standard Operating Procedures when working with large equipment. It is mandatory that all employees review the training program and complete the online training module:

8. Mentoring Program

If you are part of our Canadian Summer Jobs grant, a mentorship program is part of your direct placement. Please ask your supervisor about the requirements

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