Agricultural Resources Program Specialist

Orleans County Conservation District Position Description

Position Title: Agricultural Resources Programs Specialist

Who we are The Orleans County NRCD was established in 1947, after Vermont passed the Soil Conservation Act, with an original purpose to drive locally-led voluntary conservation through contacts with farmers. In 1968, the Vermont State Legislature amended the Soil Conservation Act broadening our scope to conserve all natural resources. The mission of the Orleans County Conservation District is to protect and enhance the waters of Orleans County by providing leadership, education and services promote the conservation of natural resources through education, conservation programs and technical services for the implementation of sound land stewardship practices in order to improve the quality of all of the county’s soils and waters.

With funding from the VT Agency of Agriculture, we are seeking to fill a full time Agricultural Resources Programs Manager Position to serve the Orleans County community. Orleans County is home to about 550 farms including 74 dairy farms (third highest dairy county in the state) with 121,559 acres in agriculture production at 27% of the counties land base. Since 2015 Orleans County NRCD has supported 40 farms in creating their Nutrient Management Plan (NMP). We work with approximately 3 farms per year to create NMPs and10 farms per year to update their NMP including soil sampling approximately 800 acres per year. We serve a critical local coordination role to support approximately 20 landowners with program navigation services with an average 20 state and federal program referrals per year. The goal of this work is to support producers desired farmstead waste management improvements and crop production goals and needs while protecting surface waters and improving soil health.

We are non-regulatory subdivision of Vermont state government, with a 5-member board of supervisors, that functions much like a non-profit, which means that landowner engagement with the district is voluntary and incentive-based. The foundation of our work is guided by local priority resource concerns, providing direct one on one assistance and coordination to make accessible all available resources to meet landowner needs.

Job summary:  Orleans County NRCD is looking for a person passionate about the agrarian way of life who has both field and administrative skills, who can build community in this dynamic position that will be driven by relationship building, conservation science, high quality service and aim to support the enhancement of local natural resources. The ideal candidate will possess technical knowledge and/or work experience in agronomic and natural resources management to provide support to landowners in addressing and meeting their conservation goals.  Primary duties are:

• Assist agricultural producer clients with the development and maintenance of nutrient management plans and soil health practices including providing technical assistance for the VAAFM Pay for Performance program.
• Overseeing our conservation equipment rentals.
• Responding to requests for technical assistance.
• Providing program navigation services including working with farms in our Farm Teams program.

Much of this position is grant funded with the VT Agriculture Clean Water Initiative grant, Farm Bill Support grant, Pay for Performance TA grant and is under the general supervision of the OCNRCD Manager. Incumbent will also be working to increase conservation district operational functions, financial sustainability, community engagement and is coordination with NRCS and other partners. Work will be approximately 60% office based including10% of time on general OCNRCD activities OCNRCD duties and 40% field based.

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree proffered but not required, in agronomy, agricultural sciences, environmental sciences or a related degree is deal but not required with at least 2 years of work experience. Ideal candidate will have knowledge of current water quality issues in Vermont, have hands on work experience, map making skills, familiarity with agricultural systems and ability to work with a variety of stakeholders.

Qualified applicants will be highly motivated, organized, detail oriented, flexible, able set work priorities and to work independently, collaborate with partners, work in indoor and outdoor environments, have excellent communication, organization, and administrative skills. Experience with grants administration and record keeping is preferred. It is essential for the person occupying this position to pass a federal background check to be able to use the NRCS computer network and maintain confidentially.

Wage and Benefits: This is a non-salaried position salary at $52,000 -$54,000 per year based on experience with room to increase. Paid holidays, HSA medical benefits, 2% retirement match, annual and sick leave. This position is funded through grant sources and is an at-will position.

Work schedule: 35 – 40 hours a week

Office Location: USDA office at 59 Waterfront Plaza in Newport VT with some remote work possible Duties and

Performance Requirements

Serve as the primary point of contact for nutrient management planning in the Newport USDA field office. (70%)

• Provide administrative and technical assistance to farms with existing UVM GoCropTM nutrient management plans including map making, erosion calculations, and manure application calibrations.
• Oversee all aspects of soil and manure sampling services.
• Stay current with state regulations and federal practice standards related to NMPs in Vermont.
• Obtain appropriate certifications such as conservation planner certification, nutrient management specialist certification and job approval authorities from NRCS and attend appropriate continuing education trainings.
• Complete the NRCS nine step planning process for 590 NMP practice including NRCS ranking, obligation and contract maintenance for financial assistance.
• Respond to request for assistance related to NMPs.
• Disseminate information to clients on Best Management Practices, Required Agricultural Practices, and NRCD, state and federal cost share programs.
• Provide opportunities for increased knowledge about nutrient management practices that will improve water quality, soil health, and producers field management and yield goals – e. soil health conditions, practices and monitoring, harvest and nutrient applications record-keeping, feed management, and manure management practices.
• Serve as the OCNRCD Technical Service Provider on the VAAFM Pay for Performance program. Work with producer clients using NMPs plans on data entry to create and maintain plans in the FarmPrep phosphorus reduction modeling software.

Involvement with General District Functions (10%)

• Attend staff meetings, trainings and other activities.
• Involvement in organization developmental and partner relations activities.
• Support the delivery of the annual plant sale.

Deliver program navigation support serves to landowners including responding to assigned Newport USDA office request for technical assistance (15%)

• Conduct site visits to identify problems and opportunities, determine objectives and conduct initial inventory of natural resource base, issues and needs.
• Work within OCNRCD extensive partner network to provide landowners with program triage and referrals to the appropriate grant resources.
• Actively support access to Vermont natural resource programs by providing coordination of technical and financial services with local, state and federal partners on behalf of landowners expressed natural resource goals and needs.

Oversee OCNRCDs conservation equipment services – manage all aspects of equipment rentals. (5%)

• Oversee equipment uses and rentals including rental agreements, payments, tracking, maintenance and identification program expansion needs.

Other:

• Work in concert with all OCNRCD staff and collaborate with a variety of partners like UVM extension, VAAFM, NRCS and VTDEC
• Grant Mangement – tracking of deliverables, prepare reports and support proposal development.
• Work with the District manager and board to led related program and services development to address identified needs and gaps in services.
• Work with the District Manager and Community Engagement Staff on development of outreach methods and materials e. workshops, field days, publications, newsletters, flyers to inform producers of BMPs and nutrient management and provide a forum for information exchange between producers.
• Perform additional related responsibilities as need arises including working with the District Manager to expand and diversify relevant agricultural services to reach more farmers.

Skills Needed for Success

Professional technical skills and qualities including:

• Working knowledge of agricultural cultural practices.
• Competencies with administrative tasks including grant management, execution, and reporting both planning individually and with others via share documents.
• Can identify opportunities, program needs, community engagement, funding and develop avenues and revenues to meet needs and opportunities.
• Experience with working on complex, highly detailed projects.
• Can think big picture and can think about all the needed details of the work while successfully multi-tasking to manage workload needs.
• Can think creatively- come up with good ideas, and follow through with them.
• Have an interest and ability to anticipate and identify obstacles and create solutions.
• Applies critical thinking in problem solving and decision making and is willing and able to do what’s needed to competently execute a task exceptionally well.
• Flexibility and willingness to figure it out – does the work to answer technical and administrative questions before and in preparation to reaching out to partners and or District Manager.
• Possesses leadership skills and can work in a shared leadership model.
• System thinking mindset and a mind for program development.
• Self-motivated and takes initiative. Able to take and manage on individual responsibilities and program responsibilities.
• Can work coordinate and collaborative with partners and individuals from many different organizations across the state and region.
• Can relate to the needs of landowners and of agency staff & state programs.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and comfortable with experiential learning.
• Demonstrated success with working on grant funded programs and delivering grant results.
• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software and management programs including Global Positioning Systems (GPS);
• Working knowledge of watershed issues, non-point source pollution and remediation strategies;
• Familiar with relevant state, and federal programs, laws, standards and specifications;
• Strong computer literacy including experience with Windows, MS Office, Google Drive, and social media platforms;

Professional communication and public relations skills and qualities including:

• Strong and consistent written communication and public relations skills including program related communication champaigns.
• Can deliver online communications and printed materials to communicate project accomplishments, district mission etc
• Ability to create and maintain positive relationships is critical.
• Can effectively and professional converse and communicate program goals with variety of audiences, stakeholders and reluctant landowners.
• Can communicate information on BMPs, ecological science concepts and natural resource issues.
• Understands the significant importance of ensuring solid, thoughtful communication, especially about implementation of project standards and requirements, so that certification and payment can be smooth. Thinks though written and verbal communications before communicating.
• Comfortable and successful at public speaking
• Is willing to conduct cold calling outreach campaigns.
• Excellent customer service skills and is personable and friendly.
• Comfortable giving presenting public presentations to citizen groups, organizations or committees.
• Strong interpersonal skills and self-awareness
• Open and actively working on continuous improvement process especially in terms of communication skills, types and approaches.

Professional organizational and workload management skills and qualities including:

• Ability to plan and carry out a range of tasks independently and managing time effectively for administering and installing multiple projects.
• Skilled at methodically approaching all work tasks, capturing and documenting the range of program delivery steps and developing and implementing program delivery systems.
• Can follow and conduct internal best practices for program services, workload and informational management on behalf of the organization.
• Recognizes that success involves teamwork- checks with others before making significant moves.
• Understands the need for projecting and sequencing of tasks.
• Conducts sufficient tasks and in office preparations for efficient and effective field work.
• Conducts sufficient tasks and in office processing for efficient and effective documentation of post field work information processing, assessment, planning and communications.
• Uses techniques to manage tasks – outlook calendar, setting hours for buckets of work and scheduling out projected tasks to meet project deliverables.

Helpful Skills but Not Required

• Experience working on grant funded programs;
• Knowledge of precision agriculture and farm technology is a plus (e.g. variable rate technology, grid soil sampling, GIS mapping systems, tillage, planting, fertilizer application and spraying equipment);
• Knowledge of Conservation Districts and of local, state and federal conservation programs
• Comfortable with operation of equipment and machinery is a plus;
• Ability to understand and interpret scientific concepts and data, and communicate these effectively with the public;
• Experience with data tracking, monitoring and analysis;

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The employee frequently is required to work at a stationary workstation with a standing desk that includes long periods sitting, typing and reading from a computer screen and walk many hours conducting field assessments.