Hundley Whaley Director and Field Specialist in Agronomy

Hiring Department

University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement
Hundley-Whaley Extension and Education Center
Plant Health & Technology Program

Job Description

MU

TITLE:

Assistant/Associate/Full Extension Professional

LOCATION:

Albany, Missouri and primarily serves DeKalb, Gentry, Harrison and Worth Counties in the Northwest Region with additional service across the state as needed.

Overview of Responsibilities

This position has two clear and connected responsibilities. First, the person serves as Director of the Hundley-Whaley Extension and Education Center and is responsible for the daily operation, management, visibility, and long-term success of the Center. Second, the person serves as a Field Specialist in Agronomy for an assigned four-county region in northwest Missouri.

Together, these responsibilities make Hundley-Whaley both a well-managed Extension and Education Center and a regional hub for agronomy education, applied research, demonstrations, and producer engagement.

Agronomy Specialist Emphasis

The emphasis area for this position is agronomy. This includes the science and management of crops, forages, soils, weeds, insects, and plant diseases. The specialist plans, delivers, and evaluates educational programs that help farmers, landowners, agricultural businesses, and community partners make sound crop and forage management decisions.

The emphasis continues with examples of agronomy programs that may include soil testing, precision agriculture, crop and hay production, pest monitoring, grazing systems, pesticide application, weed management, disease management, variety testing, crop production economics, and best management practices for corn, soybean, forage, and other regional cropping systems.

The specialist works closely with the farming community, including producers, farm families, agronomic commodity groups, agricultural businesses, industry representatives, university colleagues, Extension specialists, local partners, and local and statewide elected officials. The goal is to provide timely, research-based information that improves farm profitability, supports sound management, and strengthens agriculture in northwest Missouri.

Director of Hundley-Whaley Extension and Education Center

The Director of Hundley-Whaley Extension and Education Center is responsible for the daily operation and management of the Center. Located near Albany, Missouri, on second-bottom river soils, the 375-acre Center provides an excellent location for agronomic research, demonstrations, and producer education. Current and future work may include corn and soybean best management practices, crop production economics, variety testing, Agri-product comparisons, forage and soil management, and precision agriculture.

The Center also includes a newly established precision agriculture testbed to support research, demonstrations, technology evaluation, and producer education. A key part of the director’s role is to help MU faculty, Extension specialists, field specialists, industry partners, and producers use Hundley-Whaley as a place to conduct applied work, host field days, demonstrate new practices, and connect research-based information with farm-level decisions.

The director supervises the daily work of farm support staff, including full-time, part-time, permanent, and seasonal employees. This includes hiring or recommending staff for hire, training employees, assigning work, evaluating performance, addressing personnel issues, setting work schedules, and ensuring that safety equipment and procedures are used properly.

The director also oversees equipment maintenance, recommends equipment replacement when needed, coordinates research projects and plot locations, supports tours and educational events, manages farm and Center data needs, and works with researchers, clientele, administrators, and partners. The director helps secure external resources to support Center operations, research, demonstrations, technology needs, and facility improvements, and prepares the Hundley-Whaley operations budget for approval.

Appointment

This position is a 12-month, ranked, non-tenure track appointment at the rank of assistant, associate, or full Extension Professional. Rank will be determined at the time of appointment based on qualifications and experience in accordance with MU Extension faculty standards. This position will hold the working title of Hundley Whaley Director and Field Specialist in Agronomy.

As a Field Specialist and EEC Directors, your workload distribution at appointment will be 25% Administration, 65% Extension Teaching and 10% Traditional Service.

This appointment is renewable annually at the discretion of the University and workload distribution may change at the discretion of Extension leadership. Circumstances affecting continued employment include, but are not limited to, work performance, fund availability, and educational priorities.

CORE DUTIES OF MU EXTENSION SPECIALISTS

MU Extension Specialists deliver the…