Lazy Lady Farm, a small goat dairy and cheese operation located in northern Vermont, is seeking a full-time (ie 40 hrs/week), long term (ie able to commit for minimum of one year, ideally longer) employee, to begin immediately. The preferred applicant is one who has a desire to do any and all farm tasks, a curiosity about how the farm functions and a willingness to participant in all that we do here. The applicant must also be able to work quickly and efficiently as production has a cost to it. This is not a job for someone low key. This is a job for someone who is excited about the cheese world and farm work.
About the day-to-day: the work week is Sunday through Thursday. Mornings are spent either in the cheese room hooping cheese and washing forms or in the cave wrapping, flipping, washing and brushing our cheeses. After a 3-4 hour break in the mid-day, there is a milking shift (including barn chores) that begins at 5 pm, and ends at 8pm.
The ideal candidate will have at least some background in farming or animal husbandry and/or food service, boundless energy and a strong desire to learn and contribute. Attention to detail and ability to absorb and apply new information is essential — training is rigorous, the learning curve is steep and you will be expected to work independently once the training period is complete.
Training pay for the first two weeks is $10.50/hour. After the training period, the rate increases to $11.50/hour, and as proficiency and efficiency is acquired it will be raised to $13/hour. Housing is not available on the farm, but can be arranged in convenient proximity to us. Having a car is a must, as is the grit to survive our long (but breathtakingly beautiful) winters.
Lazy Lady has been in business since 1987. We milk 40 registered Alpine and Saanen dairy goats and produce about 375 lbs of cheese per week, roughly 12 differently styles in all. The farm is off grid and electricity is made with solar panels and a wind generator.
Serious inquiries can email Laini Fondiller: laini@lazyladyfarm.com, with Cheesemaker’s Assistant in the subject line. We are looking to hire someone immediately (ie by the first week of September).

–Lazy Lady Farm uses sustainable agriculture methods to earn Animal Welfare Approved certification–

WESTFIELD, VT (FEBRUARY 3, 2015)–The herd of dairy goats at Lazy Lady Farm is now certified as Animal Welfare Approved. This certification and food label lets consumers know these animals are raised in accordance with the highest animal welfare standards in the U.S. and Canada, using sustainable agriculture methods on an independent family farm. Lazy Lady Farm is the first farm in Orleans County to achieve this certification.

Like other AWA farmers across the country, Laini Fondiller recognizes the growing consumer interest in how animals are raised on farms. Managing animals outdoors on pasture or range has known benefits for animals, consumers and the environment. Lazy Lady Farm is a 35-acre off the grid property, powered by solar panels and a 1K wind turbine to minimize the farm’s carbon footprint. Fondiller implements a rotational grazing strategy at the farm, regularly moving the 40 milking Alpine goats around each of the 14 small paddocks to graze, giving the fields time to recover before the goats return. “Rotational grazing provides for proper foliage growth without overgrazing and allows us to cut the pasture if needed to eliminate what the goats didn’t eat, encouraging the preferred grasses to grow back uninhibited,” Fondiller explains. “The soil, hay and pastures are our biggest tools for creating award-winning cheeses.”

Fondiller has spent the last 25 year or so at Lazy Lady Farm working to create a consistent, productive, and profitable goat herd, sourcing the right genetics to ensure good milk production and great health. She raises registered Alpine goats at Lazy Lady Farm for milk quality and quantity: “Careful breeding from proven genetics, great pastures, proper grain feeding, and decent hay are all important factors in creating a consistent, productive, and profitable herd,” she says.

AWA Program Director Andrew Gunther says, “The accountability and integrity offered by Animal Welfare Approved farmers like Laini are unmatched in food production. We’re glad to have Lazy Lady Farm in the AWA family.”

Lazy Lady Farm Certified AWA goat cheese is sold at the Capital City Farmers Market in Montpelier, VT. For more information about Lazy Lady Farm visit www.lazyladyfarm.com or email laini@lazyladyfarm.com.

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About Animal Welfare Approved
Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) audits, certifies and supports farmers raising their animals according to the highest welfare standards, outdoors on pasture or range. Called a “badge of honor for farmers” and the “gold standard,” AWA is the most highly regarded food label in North America when it comes to animal welfare, pasture-based farming, and sustainability. All AWA standards, policies and procedures are available on the AWA website, making it the most transparent certification available.

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