Agricultural Environmental Specialist 1-3

Job #: AES-51413-8.12.26-TW

This position is located in the Office of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, Pesticides Division, in East Carroll Parish.

This position performs duties for Office of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences within the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry and entails responsibility and professional agricultural inspection and enforcement work in a variety of technically specialized and professional regulatory programs, including but not limited to fertilizer, horticulture, liming, pesticides, quarantine, seed, industrial hemp and structural pest control. General supervision for this position is received from the Agricultural Environmental Specialist Manager or Agricultural Environmental Specialist Supervisor.

• Contribute to a mission-driven organization that serves communities across Louisiana
• Enjoy competitive pay and excellent benefits
• Be part of a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive team

LDAF cares about the well-being of its employees! We offer a fully employer-funded Employee Assistance Program (EAP), providing valuable support and resources to help you and your household members thrive at work and  EAP is also free for all members of your household.

• Communicating Effectively: The ability to convey information, ideas, and emotions using structured communication methods that promote understanding and engagement.
• Making Accurate Judgments: The ability to assess options, weigh risks, and make sound decisions using available information and logical reasoning.
• Thinking Critically: The ability to analyze information objectively, identify connections across sources, and form logical, well-supported conclusions.

• Accepting Direction: The ability to be open and willing to follow guidance or instructions.
• Demonstrating Initiative: The ability to assess situations independently and take proactive steps to address them without being prompted or instructed by others.
• Displaying Expertise: The ability to demonstrate specialized knowledge, skills, and experience to apply subject-matter expertise in diverse and evolving contexts.
• Driving Results: The ability to set and pursue goals, maintain focus amid competing demands, and deliver results.
• Managing Projects: The ability to plan, implement, and close out project initiatives by coordinating people, resources, and timelinesto achieve defined outcomes.

Three years of experience in agriculture, chemistry, natural resource management, structural pest control, or inspection or enforcement for compliance with agricultural, environmental, or public health laws, rules or regulations; OR a bachelor’s degree in forestry, an agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental science, or engineering field.

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

• Evaluates and compiles data and other facts related to inspections within the above described functional areas into comprehensive technical reports using established regulatory criteria, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure consumer products meet applicable quality standards through routine sampling in all of the functional areas such as disease/insect/weed free; quality seed germination; products meet amounts declared on labels; quality plant installation and maintenance; pesticide treatments that provide protection of human health, homes and crops; quality agricultural lime; assists in preventing introduction of noxious weeds, insects and diseases; etc.
• Issues stop orders on applicable goods, products or activities not registered or substandard.
• Conducts field inspections on various crops, bulk bin seed sampling, records inspection and seed processor facility inspections for seed certification, which requires knowledge of various crops and varieties thereof…