Seeking Farm Steward for 2027 and Beyond!

The Jubilee Project is a mutual aid initiative based in Grand Isle, Vermont. We're committed to developing sustainable, non-market means to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing world. Today, we're thrilled to announce an opening for our Farm Steward position. We're looking for a person (or people) to bottom-line a 2.5 acre vegetable farm rooted in regenerative, indigenous-inspired growing methods.

Land rent and startup capital are two of the biggest impediments for new farmers. To gain access to these, farmers often enter into exploitative contracts, work on razor-thin margins, and endure precarity for many years, if not their entire career. Forced to put profit above all else, farmers sacrifice sustainability, crop-nutrient density, and even their own well-being. We believe there's a better, if unusual, alternative.

This stewardship position can be thought of as a traditional land lease with unbeatable terms:

$0 per acre: stewards pay no rent, period.
Startup capital assistance: if you need it (and we can afford it) we'll provide it.We'll always pay for permanent fixtures on the land (buildings, irrigation systems, wind tunnels, etc). Any capital you purchase is obviously yours to keep after your term ends.
Hands-on help: We'll provide our own labor and help organize volunteer work parties as needed.

As reciprocity, we'll expect to co-create a plan for the farm to ensure the land is sustainably developed, labor is equitably compensated, and decisions are made as consensually as possible. Together, we'll create a plan that supports your livelihood while also dedicating a portion of the produce to other mutual aid organizations.

This might seem unreasonably generous. What's in it for us? We have three main goals:

Make our idle land productive and learn from you in the process.
Contribute to the community sufficiency of our neighborhood and the broader Grand Isle area.
Help new farmers build wealth to start their own ventures (hopefully) using the sustainable principles we aspire to at Jubilee. More sustainable farming is a win for everyone.

More generally, we believe that non-market alternatives are critical to our species' survival. The Jubilee Project and its stewardships are experiments to learn what alternatives actually work. We don't claim to have every detail ironed out ahead of time, but we're committed to building relationships with our stewards that are equitable, mutually beneficial, and above all, consensual.

During your time at Jubilee, you'll partner with our Pomiculture Stewards, who care for our ~120-tree apple & pear orchard, and our Soil Steward, who is experimenting with bokashi composting, biochar production, and hügelkultur grow beds. You're also likely to work with some of our farming neighbors (varying from amateur to full-time professionals) to learn about the best agricultural practices in the unique Champlain Islands bioregion.

For this specific role, we're looking for someone with farming experience. However, if you share our vision of non-market relationships, mutual aid, and sustainable agriculture, we encourage you to check out our Get involved page. There are many ways to work together, and we'd love to hear from you.

Application Process

Starting now, applications can be sent to stewards@jubilee.diy. It should include:

A short personal statement (~1 page)
A résumé including your farming and other relevant experience
Your vision for this stewardship, in brief: what skills are you excited to use and develop? What are your particular interests? Who do you want to work with?
Your high-level business plan, as applicable. You're neither required to be profit-focused nor required to give everything away; the goal is to find a sustainable balance.

All applications will receive a response. If we'd like to proceed, we'll schedule a phone call to discuss your application.

If things go well, we'll schedule one or more remote conversations to further develop our shared vision and goals for the stewardship.

Finally, we'll have an on-site interview with the extended Jubilee team.

We expect to make a decision no later than November 1, 2026. If that changes, we'll inform all applicants.

Don't hesitate to email any questions to stewards@jubilee.diy.