Bethel Farms, a family-owned sod farm with over 4500 acres, is hiring a Sod Production Manager to join their team in Arcadia, FL.
In 1958,
Bethel Farms is a large sod company based in Arcadia, Florida with over 4500 acres of sod production, over 200 employees, and has been family-owned since 1958. We continue to drive innovation and collaboration with universities and breeders to develop diversified top-of-the-line products. Bethel enjoys a culture where ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship are expected and appreciated. Employees with high energy, a willingness to learn new skills, good sense of humor, and openness to new experiences will thrive. Clean and neat office spaces in a professional environment.
We are hiring a
Sod Production Manager to join our team in Arcadia, FL. This person plays a central role in ensuring efficient, high?quality turf operations by overseeing all aspects of sod growing, harvesting, and delivery. Reporting to the VP of Turf, this hands-on leader plans, organizes, and directs daily farm activities, including timely planting, replanting, lifting, and harvesting, while maintaining varietal purity and ensuring all equipment is properly maintained. You will monitor fertilizer, nutrition, fungicide, herbicide, and irrigation programs, coordinating closely with farm teams to keep fields healthy and productive. In addition to hands-on fieldwork, you will manage a team of a mix of H2A labor and in-house labor totaling around 25 employees across two locations that are within 30 miles apart. While ensuring operational optimization, you will manage production scheduling, inventory management, and hiring, training, and safety programs.
We offer a competitive base salary, cell phone allowance, training, health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k, PTO, and paid holidays. Hours will be Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., on-call hours, and additional time of a minimum of every other weekend.
Essential Duties:
Grower responsibilities
- Direct timely planting and replanting
- Responsible for lifting and harvesting
- Supervise and maintain purity by variety
- Ensure that farm equipment is working properly and is well-maintained
- Monitor the Farm’s plans and implementation of fertilizer and nutritional programs, including fungicides
- Supervise and assist the Farm in the scheduling of herbicide applications, irrigation, and maintenance of fields
Production Management
- Monitor chemical orders and needs
- Identify and escalate priority issues
- Occasionally handle and resolve customer issues
- Discuss new hire needs and new hire selection with VP of Turf
- Assess office workforce requirements for high season and slow season
- Work with other functional areas/departments to ensure customer satisfaction
- Monitor the supervision of orders for harvesting/cut sheets/reconcile with payroll and others
Safety
- Plan and lead safety tailgate meetings
- Roll out/enforce Bethel’s safety program
- Provide a safe and positive work environment for all employees, including the coordination of quarterly safety meetings
Technology (all farms as needed)
- Train employees to utilize the current and future tech system
- Develop tech strategy to utilize Trimble land grading sprayer tip control integration and other system needs
- Work with technology vendors to stay up to date on current tech capabilities as well as implement further generations of advancement
- Write quarterly reports for the team about any new tech discovered for increased efficiency, including implementation, costs, timeline, etc.
- Responsible for operating drone tech, diagnosing and troubleshooting pivots, laterals, FireFly, and Sabanto units as needed at all locations
Employee Recruitment, Motivation, and Development
- Monitor employee morale and engagement
- Develop yearly goals under the direction of the VP of Turf
- Hold employees accountable for their development and training goals
- Collaborate with the VP of Turf and HR on employee recruitment, onboarding, and terminations
- Provide guidance, leadership, and motivation to those in need, collaborating with HR for training and incentives
Other Duties & Responsibilities as assigned.
- Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Requirements
- Sod production experience, on- farm management background, maintenance, and equipment operator experience
- Understanding of accounts payable, receivable, and logistics
- Bilingual (English / Spanish), preferred
- Proficient in relevant computer applications
- Knowledge of internal/external customer service principles and practices
- Possess or willing to obtain the Restricted Pesticide License (private applicator)
- Bachelor’s degree in horticulture, crop science, agronomy, or turf and grounds maintenance, or equivalent experience