Strawberry Center Farm Supervisor

Cal Poly Partners•Lexington, MA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

As an integral part of a research and education team at the Strawberry Center, the Farm Supervisor will manage the farming activities necessary to conduct field research on strawberries. This includes land preparation, irrigation, fertilization, pest management, experimental plot design and other tasks necessary to farm strawberries and conduct research projects in a field setting. The Farm Supervisor will report to the Field Research Manager and work closely with contract labor and part-time student employees. The Farm Supervisor will take a leading role in ensuring the alignment of research efforts with the annual priorities established by the California Strawberry Commission, focusing on improving the sustainability of strawberry production in California and training students for careers in the strawberry industry.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited four-year university with an agricultural degree (horticulture, agronomy, entomology, plant pathology, soil science, etc.) or completion of a four-year college degree plus two years of agricultural field experience.
Must be able to occasionally lift heavy objects and wear a backpack sprayer weighing up to 50 pounds.
Obtain a Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC) from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation within the first year of employment.
Ability to occasionally work long hours in order to meet deadlines and complete projects.
Work effectively as a member of a diverse team of scientists, administrative staff, graduate and undergraduate students to accomplish the goals of the Center.
Must possess a valid Class C California Driver’s license with a driving record acceptable to our insurance company underwriters and comply with state/federal requirements.
Ability to travel to strawberry production regions (e.g., Oxnard, Santa Maria, Salinas, Watsonville, Turlock, Macdoel) within California.
Ability to use standard office software applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, databases, publishing, electronic mail, and calendaring systems.
Ability to prioritize, plan, organize, and meet deadlines with minimal supervision.
Ability to lead others in managing tasks, train and evaluate the performance of assigned personnel.
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with a diverse population.
Ability to professionally interface with members of the campus, community, and public.
Excellent interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to maintain a variety of complex and confidential files and records.
Ability to maintain regular and reliable attendance.
A background check is required for all regular benefited positions
The person holding this position is considered a ‘mandated reporter’ under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment

Responsibilities

Manage farming activities including land preparation, disking, landplaning, listing, ripping, plowing, laying drip tape, banding fertilizer, laying plastic mulch, installing irrigation and irrigating, fertilizing, planting, applying pesticides, trimming, harvesting, packing, cooling and all activities associated with farming strawberries for research purposes.
Plan and execute field-based research and occasionally laboratory-based research.
Manage Strawberry Academy program.
Train, assist and/or provide supervision and mentoring of students and other staff working on Strawberry Center projects and related activities.
Work collaboratively with the Plant Sciences Operations Manager, Horticulture and Crop Science faculty and staff to share equipment and calendar farming activities such that the goals of each party are maximized.
Work closely with and the Field Research Manager regarding plot layout and experimental design and collecting, organizing and summarizing experimental data.
Work with, apply and safely handle agricultural chemicals such as fungicides, insecticides, herbicides, soil fumigants, biological control agents, fertilizers and other products currently in use or for experimental purposes.
Follow proper agricultural practices to ensure compliance with laws and regulations and common-sense regarding safety.
Order and maintain needed inventory of research and farming equipment.
Build and maintain partnerships with research teams including growers, part-time labor, researchers, and scientists to successfully execute projects.
Respond to emergency situations that may arise in the evenings, weekends or holidays to assist in accomplishing farming and experimental objectives.
Operate and maintain equipment, including but not limited to, backpack and tractor-mounted spray equipment, drip and sprinkler irrigation, pumping and injection systems, tractors and implements, cameras, soil probes.