Assistant Goat Farm Manager - Afterglow Dairy Farm - Port Washington, WI

Afterglow Dairy Farm
Port Washington, Wisconsin

FULL-TIME
JOB OPENINGS

FARM OVERVIEW

In late 2012, the Afterglow Farm Dairy farm owners acquired an active 300 head cow dairy operation located at 820 Lake Road, Port Washington, Wisconsin. The farm was converted to the current goat farm with the primary purpose of producing quality goat milk using sustainable farming practices.

The goat farm officially launched in June 2013 with a set of key strategies aimed at directly tackling known goat industry challenges (genetics, scale, quality, etc) in order to achieve profitability by year three (2016) and to achieve maturity and long-term stability by year five (2018). The farm is now fully operational, and features an efficient goat milking production facility with capacity to eventually milk up to approximately 600 goats, which fits well within the capacity of the original cow dairy footprint. A small farmstead creamery designed for artisan value-added production is planned for 2017, once sustainable milking operations have been fully developed.

Today, the farm is almost fully developed, currently in the midst of annual kidding season, milking more than 450 goats and is on track to produce more than 100,000 lbs of milk on average monthly within the year. All of the facilities have been or are in the process of complete upgrades, providing a farm with solid infrastructure and buildings well designed for the goat farm uses. The dairy is surrounded by owned land that is in production for feed and forage. Management of the land is provided by the farm management in combination with custom hires. The farm does not own field equipment at this time.

The farm was initially developed by the owner in partnership with a founding General Manager Barry Midtling, an experienced farm owner and goat producer. His wife, Sandra Midtling ,who is an experienced veterinarian and cheesemaker, has served as herd manager. Barry and Sandra are supported by two full-time and two part-time farm hands. Barry and Sandra Midtling will be retiring from the farm in Summer, 2016, so replacement leadership is now being sought. A new, experienced General Manager Brent Foat has been hired and we are now looking to add assistant leadership to the existing team.

FARM ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER: TWO OPEN POSITIONS.

We are seeking an experienced dairy farmer to serve in the role of Assistant Manager. There are currently two open positions that can be adapted to candidate skills. Afterglow Dairy Farm is willing to train the right candidate with limited goat – specific experience, however sufficient farm experience, work with dairy animals and background in animal science is required. Specific experience with dairy goats is strongly preferred. The Assistant General Manager will be responsible for assisting the General Manager all operational elements of the goat farm by either directly providing the following tasks or managing and providing direction to employees. These are not comprehensive duties and are merely intended to highlight primary responsibilities:

General Management
Assist With:

• Purchase animals, feeds, and equipment;


• Oversee installation of equipment;


• Oversee day-to-day goat farm operations;


• Follow protocols for milking routine, feeding routines, animal health, and crop production;


• Manage milking operations including providing some milking of the dairy herd daily, monthly dairy herd improvement efforts, cleanliness of parlor and milking equipment and maintenance of milking equipment;


• Keep facilities and equipment clean, including maintaining hygienic conditions in the goat barns and milking parlor

Herd Management
Assist With:

• Provide oversight for herd management including animal data entry and animal care;


• Manage milking operations including milking the dairy herd, cleanliness of parlor and milking equipment and maintenance of milking equipment; and,


• Oversee day-to-day animal health needs and animal-related operations including parasite management, udder health, routine body condition evaluation, vaccinations, hoof trimming, hair clipping, etc.


• Work with General Manager to develop and implement breeding plan.


• Maintain all records pertaining to goats—DHI, parasite loads, treatments, stock registrations through ADGA , kid identification, birthing, sales, etc.


• Manage sale of livestock including kids.

Feeding and Kid Rearing Operations
Assist With:

• Feed TMR to milking herd and young stock;


• Establish and move fences for any rotational grazing of animals;


• Arrange all planting and harvesting of directly grown feed and forage, and manage all custom hire relationships for third party purchases;


• Keep feed records and inventory reporting;


• Maintain feeding equipment and keep corrals clean;


• Feed and observe kids including feeding, disbudding, vaccinating, tattooing, etc.

FARM HAND: ONE OPEN POSITION (LATE SUMMER) Although current Farm Hand positions are filled- we expect some openings may be available during summer and encourage any candidates who do not fit Management roles but have on-farm experience to consider applying for Farm Hand positions. These are Full and Part Time.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Afterglow Dairy Farm is willing to train the right candidates with limited goat – specific experience, however sufficient farm experience, work with dairy animals and background in animal science is required. Specific experience with dairy goats is strongly preferred.

• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge of goats and experience working with dairy animals.


• Must have experience working on a farm, preferably a goat farm. Willing to train exceptional candidates with limited goat farm experience.


• Must be familiar with all aspects of job responsibilities.


• Ability to work independently and with other co-workers.


• Sound judgment and commitment to sustainable farm values.


• A two or four-year degree in a related field is preferable but not required. On –farm experience may be substituted for education and is generally more important than extensive academic training.

COMPENSATION AND OTHER INFORMATION

Management positions are full-time and Farm Hand positions are both full and part-time. Hours fluctuate seasonally. Management personnel are expected to live on-farm and to be available 24 hours a day unless back-up arrangements are made. Weekend work is required for all positions.

Afterglow Dairy Farm offers a competitive compensation package. Current hourly workers are paid $12.50 – $16.00 / hour. The Assistant General Manager and Herd Manager positions are salaried position. Currently salaried employees are paid between $40,000 – $50,000, depending on role, plus two weeks paid vacation, housing (if available) and retirement benefits. Compensation for each employee is determined based on experience.

Port Washington is a small Wisconsin town that boasts a strong agricultural heritage. The farm is located just 15 minutes from the town center and is also only 30 miles outside the Milwaukee metropolitan area, offering candidates access to the best of both rural and urban experiences.

INTERESTED CANDIDATES
Submit a Resume with Email Letter of Interest to:

Juli Kaufmann
Afterglow Farm Business Manager
Interest should be submitted As Soon As Possible, but NO LATER than June 1, 2016.

Feel free to email Juli Kaufmann with any related questions or for more information.

Job Type: Full-time

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