Farm Research & Agronomy Coordinator

On-Farm Research & Agronomy Coordinator (Fixed Term - to March 31, 2028)

The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA) is a unique not-for-profit farm organization whose diverse membership has a significant presence across Ontario agriculture and all major commodity sectors. OSCIA's mission is to facilitate responsible economic management of soil, water, air, and crops through the development and communication of innovative farming practices. The Department of Research and Knowledge Transfer supports this mission through the delivery of applied, on-farm research initiatives that evaluate practical beneficial management practices (BMPs) under real Ontario farming conditions and support the adoption of sustainable, profitable farming systems.

The On-Farm Research & Agronomy Coordinator is situated within the Department of Research and Knowledge Transfer and works primarily on the Living Lab – Ontario program delivered by OSCIA. This role serves as a critical bridge between farmers, researchers, agronomists, and project partners, supporting the successful implementation of on-farm research trials across Ontario. The successful candidate will combine practical agricultural knowledge with strong applied research skills to coordinate field-scaling trials, support data quality and sampling activities, and build trusted working relationships with farmer cooperators and research partners.

This is a full-time position  hours per week, with an end date of March 31, 2028. It is a hybrid role requiring two days per week based out of OSCIA's Guelph office. This position may require occasional work outside normal working hours and frequent travel to support events or sampling activities and to occasionally connect with farmer cooperators in the evening based on their scheduling needs.

We are seeking a candidate with both practical farming credibility and applied research experience. The ideal candidate understands Ontario field crop production systems and farm management practices well enough to confidently engage in conversations with farmers while also understanding the scientific rigor required to support high-quality on-farm research.

• Work comfortably and professionally with both farmers and researchers.
• Understand how real-world farming practices, equipment, timing, weather, and operational constraints influence trial design and implementation.
• Coordinate and monitor on-farm research trials with attention to scientific protocols and data quality.
• Determine appropriate timing for field activities such as soil sampling, cover crop biomass sampling, agronomic monitoring, and other seasonal measurements.
• Communicate technical information in practical, farmer-focused language.
• Manage multiple moving pieces, including sampling schedules, project deliverables, service providers, farm data collection, and administrative requirements such as invoice tracking and reporting.

• Support OSCIA's applied on-farm agronomy field crop research programs by serving as the primary point of contact between the Organization, its farmer cooperators and its researcher partners, with a primary focus on the Living Lab – Ontario project, and for other projects as may be required.
• Coordinate field-scale agronomic trial activities including monitoring, drone seeding, satellite and NDVI imaging, soil sampling, profit mapping, and other potential research trial needs.
• Coordinate and conduct field sampling activities aligned with agronomic management practices and seasonal crop time.
• Manage the quality control of farm operation data and soil health data from farmer cooperators, project service providers, and publicly available sources.
• Provide oversight and assistance to farmer cooperators in field crop research trial design, set‑up, execution and data collection.
• Contribute to the setup of farm‑specific models for carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation in HOLOS, Agrisuite, and commercial software for cooperator sites.

• Support data management, tracking, and reporting performance measures and program…