Farm Assistant
Location: Heligan Home Farm, The Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Austell, Cornwall
Salary: £16,049.40 for a 3-day week (full time equivalent £26,749)
Contract: Part-time role, 3 days a week (including some rotated weekends). This job is part-time initially but with the potential to become a full-time role.
Workday hours; 08:00 - 16:30
Days holiday a year: 17 days
The Lost Gardens of Heligan is an extraordinary, beautiful and historic Cornish estate, which has become one of Cornwall’s most popular and best-loved destinations. In addition to the gardens, Heligan has its own 100 acre Home Farm, which has been a Rare Breed Survival Trust Farm Park since 2017.
We are looking to recruit a farm assistant, to join our small, fun, dedicated livestock team. The role does require, commitment, flexibility and someone who is enthusiastic about farming as regeneratively as possible.
The person who fills the role will need to be both confident and competent with tractor work and handling stock, particularly cattle. As part of the team, you will be joining us in our ambition for Heligan Home Farm to become a showcase for regenerative farm practices, using rare and native breed livestock. Jobs will include working on breeding programmes with some of our rare breed stock, as well as the day-to-day handling and care-giving to our wide range of animals.
Job responsibilities will include;
- daily animal health checks and feeding,
- mucking out and bedding up,
- A range of tractor work
- making sure all public viewable areas are tidy and presentable for the day ahead,
- partaking in animal management procedures,
- helping in carrying out our regenerative grazing plan,
- farm and estate maintenance,
- electric fencing cells as part of our grazing plan,
- assisting the team with livestock events e.g. vaccinating/ TB testing etc.
To be considered for this post it is essential that candidates have relevant qualifications in and/or experience of:
- Have experience of working with cattle and other livestock, and caring for them to a high welfare standard
- Confidence carrying out vital daily husbandry tasks to a high standard.
- Work well as part of a small team as well as being self-motivated when working alone.
- Be confident in tractor driving
- Be able to effectively communicate within the team and to the public that enter the gardens where necessary.
- You must hold a full driving licence
In addition to the above, candidates will preferably also have experience of:
- Knowledge of ecological principles and UK habitats,
- Experience with basic machinery maintenance
- Have an understanding and experience with regenerative grazing and soil management techniques, this would be preferable but is not necessarily essential.
- Confidence and experience towing a stock box.
Training will be provided for various aspects of the job.
We are looking for someone to do Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, but potentially we can discuss flexibility with the successful applicant. The job does require some flexibility and will involve working some weekends.
How to apply
Please send your CV along with a letter (one side of A4) highlighting how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria for this role. Applications to be sent to [email protected]
The closing date for applicants is Sunday 18th May, but we will be interviewing throughout the recruitment process.
