Assistant Agronomist for Crop Consulting in Yakima, WA

A PDF version of this job announcement can be accessed here.

This is a residency-like position for applied science agronomic crop consulting, primarily within Central Washington and Northeast Oregon. There is an expectation that the successful applicant will, after a two to four year period, be able to manage a department of sales, support staff, and provide consulting recommendations for clients.

The successful applicant will initially be dividing time into three categories which includes field work (~50%), meetings, and research applications (~25%), and miscellaneous other tasks (~25%), as defined below.

Field work may comprise about 50% for this position, and may reach more like 80% during the first year. Duties will include soil sampling, moisture monitoring, plant tissue sampling, and pest management scouting in a variety of crops. The Assistant Agronomist will also assist in making grower contacts, as well as coordinating tasks, working with, training, and supervising part time summer scouts and summer sampler employees. (Please refer to job descriptions for part-time summer and fall samplers.) The use and maintenance of the company mechanical equipment, irrigation monitoring equipment (e.g. data loggers, WaterMarks), and 4-wheelers may be necessary.

Internal or external research will utilize approximately 25% of this position. The Assistant Agronomist will assist in and gather data for Agrimanagement internal or contract research projects, for in-season data. The goal is to develop technology, the use of sound products, and document applied research findings to best management practices that can be applied to our grower recommendations. Functions include internal and external research of literature and industry information. Some of these tasks tend to occur more during the winter months.

The Assistant Agronomist will participate in, keep up with, and contribute expertise in the use of established products and new registrations or releases of new products, including but not limited to herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fumigants, fungicides, fertilizers, and alternative products for organic production, etc.

This position may also support work in dairy nutrient management, crop production and fertilization of forage fields.

Miscellaneous other tasks will take about 25% of this position. This may include:

• administrative and supervisorial preparation for service bids and contract work orders,
• planning for appropriate sampling designs,
• utilizing Agrimanagement proprietary software to record and report data and to write client recommendations,
• helping R&D efforts to improve our use of in-house sampling techniques and technologies, including GPS/GIS software, or field data recording methodologies,
• provide training for summer sampler and scout employees as well as development of training plans and materials, and
• possible IT assistance, statistical support, or analysis support for various miscellaneous projects, which may be skill level appropriate.

Important Capabilities and Skills:

• Strong ethics,
• Strong critical thinking and analytical skills,
• Strong problem solving skills,
• Clear and concise oral and written communication skills,
• Self dependant, yet team oriented,
• Strong, positive social interaction skills, and
• Physical stamina to perform sampling and scouting services.

Knowledge in the following disciplines are helpful:

• General Ag, business, farming, or gardening experience,
• General chemistry, physical science, entomology, and nematology,
• Soil and fertility knowledge,
• Plant nutrition and physiology,
• Plant pathology,
• Crop production science,
• Training and sales experience,
• Computer and software skills, and
• GIS experience.

This position requires a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy, Horticulture, Soils, Plant Pathology, or similar Ag Science degree.

At the time of hiring, a professional position contract will be signed. After seven months of employment the employee is required to earn the Washington State Pesticide Consultant license. By four years of employment the employee must be certified by the American Society of Agronomy’s Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Program, or the NAICC’s CPCC-I program.

A training plan will be mutually developed for the 2016 year and beyond as fits the employee and Agrimanagement’s professional goals, employee career interests, and the company's labor needs. This initial starting point is anticipated as a mutual opportunity for a long term relationship.

The compensation package is competitive to the agricultural service industry and, depending on experience and training, is negotiable. Agrimanagement offers accrued paid vacation, holiday leave, sick leave, participation in the company profit sharing incentive plan, participation in the employee health insurance plan, and after twelve months of employment, participation in a SIMPLE IRA with matching funds.

To apply:
Send a current resume or curriculum vitae, including GPAs from all educational institutions attended. Include the names and contact phone numbers of four references, two of which were former employers. Attach a letter of application outlining philosophy for client development and sales marketing. Explain pertinent skills or experiences relevant to consideration for work in crop consulting and provide a discussion of how qualifications are met.

Review of applications will begin after January 30, 2017. The top tier applicants will be contacted for further steps of application screening or eventual interviews.

Applications may be submitted to: