Farm Operations Technician CL

This soft-money funded position provides essential staffing needed for potato breeding and research at Aroostook Research Farm in Presque Isle, ME. The Farm Operations Technician will need to operate, calibrate, and maintain field and harvest equipment, trucks, and specialized research equipment to meet this need. They will also prepare seed potatoes for planting, assist in field, greenhouse, and laboratory research activities and data collection, grade potatoes and conduct potato quality evaluations.

A small portion of the time will be spent helping the research farm with general farm support such as mowing fields and clearing snow at our facilities. We are a multidisciplinary research team composed of faculty, students, and professionals that collaborate on research projects focused on potato breeding and genetics. This position is grant-funded for one year, with potential extension depending on satisfactory performance and funding availability.

Full-time, regular position, 40 hours per week, 5 days per week. Normal daily work hours are Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This position pays $20.39/hour, or applicable transfer rate in accordance with the ACSUM collective bargaining agreement.

• Operates, maintains, and repairs field and harvest equipment, trucks, and specialized research equipment.
• Applies agricultural chemicals to research plots.
• Inventories agricultural pesticides and organizes/maintains pesticide storage area.
• Prepares research fields for winter by picking rocks with a mechanical rock picker, etc.
• Prepares field and research equipment for growing season use and for winter storage.
• Helps prepare greenhouse spaces for growing season use and for winter.
• Prepares seed potatoes for planting.
• Assists in field, greenhouse, and laboratory research activities and data collection.
• Conducts yield and quality evaluations of research potato samples.
• Monitors and maintains controlled environment potato storage lockers.
• Collects samples and data from research plots.
• Provides direction to hourly and other research staff when the principal investigator or senior personnel is not available.
• Helps the research farm staff with general farm duties including mowing fields and clearing snow at the facility as long as these tasks do not disrupt timely completion of priority research tasks.
• Performs other reasonably related duties as assigned.

Required:

• Associate's degree in agronomy, animal sciences, or a related field or equivalent work experience and training and sufficient experience, including three years’ farm operations experience.
• A valid Maine driver’s license.
• Ability to operate field equipment, storage, specialized research equipment, and trucks used in potato research.
• Ability to calibrate, perform minor repairs, and conduct routine maintenance of field and research equipment.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to obtain a Maine Certified Pesticide Applicators License within 180 days of hire.
• Ability to work in the field, greenhouse, laboratory, and grading facilities under sometimes difficult conditions due weather, dust, etc.
• Patience at conducting detailed, but routine and repetitive research tasks (e.g. planting, weighing, measuring, grading, slicing, frying, cutting, packaging, counting, etc).
• Ability to listen carefully and properly follow instructions well so that research tasks are completed correctly.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work constructively as part of team.

Preferred:

• Prior field experiences working in potato breeding and genetics research.
• At least one year of experience working with potatoes in a research setting with specific experience in seed potato preparation, planting field and greenhouse plots, harvesting field and greenhouse plots, and quality evaluations.
• Experience operating field equipment and trucks used in potato productions and research.
• Possession of a valid Maine Certified Pesticide Applicators License.

The University of Maine System is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws.…