Lead Grower

Walters Gardens•Zeeland, MI

18h•Onsite

About The Position

PRIMARY PURPOSE AND FUNCTION: The primary purpose of the Senior Lead Grower is to demonstrate professional behavior with a team-based mentality to ensure that all products produced by Walters Gardens are produced to the highest quality standard in an efficient, safe, and economical way. We are committed to achieving and maintaining operational excellence to provide better value for our customers. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Moisture Management Primarily responsible for validating and supervising irrigation programs at Cedar Break greenhouse to ensure that varieties receive optimum water requirements.? After new propagation material is planted and set down in Zone 1, make sure mist programs and booms are aligned to deliver proper mist to items. Assist section grower in the review of mist programs on daily basis, removing mist on items as roots develop. Oversee the irrigation schedules through Priva to optimize growth on plants and minimize losses associated to moisture management. Develop moisture classifications and rooting times for cuttings and tissue culture plants. Work with Lead Growers on developing Friday, weekend, and holiday watering schedules. Communicate with other growers for specific application needs when covering their areas. Be able to train people and operate all watering systems at Cedar Break. Participate in weekend watering rotation Fertility Management Train growers at Cedar Break to decide which items to conduct in-house EC/pH fertility tests on. Work with growers to adjust fertilization program based on results of testing to meet crop needs.? Supervise the fertilizer drench applications, monitor equipment being utilized, and make sure correct amounts are being applied. Give recommendations for extra treatments needed for problem plants. On a quarterly basis, send a list of items to Berger for comprehensive soil testing. Learn and understand the different fertilizer blends. Trial fertility programs for optimizing crop development. Manage controls, equipment, and fertilizer tanks in the injector room to achieve proper pH and EC targets.? PGR/IPM Responsibilities Update and continue to develop hormone application SOP for cutting material being stuck. Set-up, record, and validate items to get plant growth regulator applications at Cedar Break. Advise employees on PGR rates and monitor results after applications are made. Conduct plant growth regulator trials and implement rates that have worked to minimize budding and prevent stem elongation on material coming out at Cedar Break. Review crops on a weekly basis and make sure they are free of weeds, moss, and liverwort.? Communicate disease and insect issues to IPM team and collaborate on the appropriate measures needed to control insects, diseases, or pathogens on crops.? Environmental Management Monitor greenhouse environments daily to make sure plants are receiving optimum conditions for growing. Be available to help if issues arise at Cedar Break with the Priva and Cherry Creek boom system, responding to alarms after hours when needed. Implement changes to environment based on desired temperatures, light levels, humidity, and shade set points for plant material at Cedar Break. On a weekly basis, review incoming plant material for the following week and notify if any changes need to be made, help plan space needed for those items. Work with Section Grower to develop move lists and distribute to necessary staff to make space available for incoming plant material set downs. Assist in researching and developing protocols relating to lighting and intensity, soil media, cutting depths, and IBA sprays to improve yields and quality. Update information in Plant Path for future reference for crops in your area. Inventory Responsibilities Send out propagation notes on a weekly basis to inform inventory and other growing staff about the status of newly planted tissue culture, cutting material, at Cedar Break. Report items with 10% loss or greater, giving reasons/solutions and attaching photos that can be shared with suppliers. Provide information on Hostas and other items with mutations and quality spec issues. Report any relevant observations and/or challenges at Cedar Break. Update ideal stick/plant weeks, percent stand estimates, and growing locations for field plugs in the WGI-plugs for field document on a yearly basis. Help develop TC and cutting standards for suppliers. Assist in assembling credit reports and work with Inventory Managers on notifying suppliers. Review forecast report for items at Cedar Break on a weekly basis to ensure upcoming orders will be fulfilled. Review Greenhouse Processing Requests (GPRs) on a weekly basis for items at Cedar Break to determine best methods for working on batches. Monitor quality of sorts and enter GPR’s for resorting, cleaning, and moving for items when needed. Train Section Grower on completing PQR report. Monitor yields for each variety and determine ways to make improvements. Update planning profiles in LiveProduct for grasses to make sure items have necessary grow time and expected yield percentages. Review items that are flagged by Section Growers to be mowed to make sure they are getting trimmed to proper height at the correct time. Make proactive adjustments to finish plants on schedule. Team responsibilities Participate in grower meetings and educational events when directed by supervisor. Utilize Paylocity to update staff hours, add comments on employee reviews, and to assist with hiring of new employees. Train, manage, and motivate growing team. Quarterly performance check -ins and set goals with employees that report directly to you. Work with other managers to develop lean strategies for increasing efficiency in everyday operations.? Help answer plant production questions from customers, customer care, and sales support?? Work with processing team on questions that arise when sorting plants or sticking plants at Cedar Break greenhouse. Help create a safe work environment for employees.