Principal Accountabilities
An incumbent may perform any combination of the below listed accountabilities:
1. Manages the daily operations of the Applied Agriculture Department’s farm that functions as a student learning production laboratory. Supervises educational laboratory specialists within the agriculture facilities, including establishing work schedules, assigning tasks, and evaluating employee performance.
2. Establishes relationships with agriculture vendors and works with outside organizations to promote the production agriculture program.
3. Selects crop types, ensures crop rotation, and produces crops to achieve volume, quality, and cost objectives in each facility for year round production. Conducts a wide range of farming operations including cultivation, sowing, spraying and harvesting.
4. Maintains production and other farm laboratory records including the estimated operating costs, budget, ordering of farm supplies, and the pricing and marketing of produce to the industry (wholesale and retail). Manages daily cash deposits and billing receipts. Plans and organizes marketing and sale of produce to achieve high returns.
5. Oversees hydroponics operations in tomato and lettuce systems, ornamental greenhouse facilities, high tunnel production greenhouses, and field production growing areas.
6. Installs and operates hydroponics equipment. Operates farm equipment such as tractors, plows, sprayers, cultivators, mulch layers, etc. Ensures safe and effective handling of equipment.
7. Installs and/or repairs greenhouse equipment to include heating, irrigation, pumps, filters, controllers, etc.
8. Develops and manages an Integrated Pest Management Program. Conducts training for greenhouse staff on Worker Protection Standards, pesticide applications, proper record keeping and storage. etc.
9. Assists staff, faculty and students in relation to instructional needs.
10. Clean and maintain buildings, sheds, equipment and facilities to ensure health standards and high quality of produce.
11. Performs related work as required.