Job Posting: Garden Sustainability and Regenerative Practice Lead
Passionate about living soil, regenerative growing, and caring for the land? Lead our sustainable transition in the garden!
About Us
The legacy of Ashbourne Farms is built on deep agricultural tradition, from breeding Shorthorn cattle to serving original farm-to-table cuisine. Today, that means responsibly raised animals, sustainably grown produce, and true care for our land. Through Haymarket, we celebrate the finest local and global artisans—bringing freshly harvested produce, artisan bread, pasture-raised meats, drive-thru coffee, and prepared foods straight from our soil to our shelves.
We are looking for an active, research-minded, and hands-on Garden Sustainability and Regenerative Practice Lead to join our garden team! In this role, you will be out in the dirt carrying out daily planting and harvesting, while taking point on guiding Ashbourne Farms toward cutting-edge regenerative and sustainable growing practices. You will champion low-till methods, expand perennial systems, track real-world data, and help share what works across our cattle, poultry, and animal teams to benefit the farm for generations to come.
If you love pairing physical farm work with real science and want to build a documented, living story of soil health, this is the role for you!
What You Will Do
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Daily Garden Operations: Handle day-to-day garden tasks—planting, cultivating, harvesting, and post-harvest handling—to keep crops thriving and share sustainable growing methods with curious visitors.
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Lead the Regenerative Transition: Partner with the Garden Manager to design, test, and refine a phased transition plan focusing on no-till/low-till techniques, cover cropping, crop rotation, perennial systems, and farm-wide compost.
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Champion Soil Health & Content: Monitor soil health through annual tests and daily observations. Document progress, milestones, and photo proof points to share our agricultural journey with customers and community partners.
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Farm-Wide Sustainability Collaboration: Team up with our cattle, poultry, and small animal teams to coordinate compost inputs and share sustainable strategies that fit their operations.
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Track Operational Data: Keep track of inputs, crop yields, and labor hours over time to show how improving soil health boosts overall efficiency and guides future planning.
How We Measure Success
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Customer Impact: Sharing real, documented milestones and proof points that connect visitors and partners directly to our sustainable mission.
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Operational Efficiency: Keeping input costs low and improving productivity over time as living soil health increases.
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Asset Protection: Safeguarding our land and topsoil through no-till practices and perennial systems to build generational health into the farm.
Skills & Abilities You Need
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Regenerative Agriculture Knowledge: A strong grasp of sustainable farming practices such as no-till/low-till cultivation, cover cropping, perennial crops, composting, and soil management.
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Curiosity & Science-Minded Focus: Eager to research, learn, and test new ideas in soil science and sustainable growing.
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Data Tracking & Organization: Comfortable collecting basic data on yields, labor hours, and input costs using spreadsheets or simple tracking logs.
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Clear, Fact-Based Communication: Able to explain sustainable farming methods clearly and enthusiastically to visitors, leadership, and animal teams.
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Accountability & Initiative: Highly self-directed with an eye for detail, precision, and reliable follow-through in an active outdoor setting.
Education & Experience Requirements
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Education: High school diploma or equivalent required. An Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Sustainable Agriculture, Horticulture, Soil Science, Environmental Science, or a related field is a plus (hands-on experience counts just as much)!
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Certifications: Permaculture Design Certificates, Regenerative Agriculture certifications, Soil Health training, or Organic Land Care credentials are all great bonuses.
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Experience: Minimum 2 to 3 years of hands-on experience in vegetable/produce farming, planting, harvesting, and crop handling.
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Practical Background: Demonstrated experience or coursework with at least one regenerative practice (no-till, cover cropping, perennial beds, rotational grazing, or composting).
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Leadership Style: Formal supervisory experience is not required; we are looking for personal initiative, clear ownership, and strong self-direction.
Physical & Workplace Requirements
This is an active outdoor agricultural role. To succeed, you must be able to:
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Stand, walk, and kneel on uneven terrain for prolonged periods, along with frequent stooping, bending, and reaching.
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Lift up to 50 pounds independently on an occasional basis.
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Work outdoors in all types of Kentucky weather, from hot summer sun to cold, wet conditions.
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Work a flexible farm schedule that may include occasional nights, weekends, or holidays as seasonal farm work requires.
