Agronomist; Farm Manager

This position is located within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS), U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center (USDFRC), in Prairie du Sac, WI.

The purpose of this position is to serve as the superintendent of the USDFRC research farm. The incumbent will provide effective and efficient management of the resources in support of the dairy forage research program. Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

Degree: agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management.

OR

Combination of education and experience: at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

Graduate

Education:

Agronomy, or one of the related disciplines or fields of science, such as plant physiology, soils, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern of training placed major emphasis on field crops or agronomy. Graduate study in related fields, such as botany, plant pathology, and biochemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on agronomy.

Evaluation of

Education:

Course work in such subjects as botany, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant breeding or genetics, plant ecology, plant pathology, microbiology, agronomy, or those dealing with basic soil-water-plant relationships of an agronomic or ecologic nature may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in the basic plant sciences. Agronomy courses include agronomy, field crops, field crop production or management, soil and crop management, plant breeding and development, weed control, and similar courses, including those in soils, biochemistry, plant physiology, etc.,

provided they dealt with principles, methods, or procedures that are applied directly in agronomic work and in the solving of agronomic problems.

In addition to meeting the basic requirements described above, applicants must also meet additional qualification requirements as stated below.

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

For this position, specialized experience assisting in coordinating or executing agronomic management for producing corn, soybeans, wheat or other row crops or corn silage and alfalfa haylage; assisting in coordinating or executing crop or dairy farm management tasks; keeping farm records, including field crop production and input records; and assisting in managing finances for a large-scale crop or dairy production facility.

OR

Education:

Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree related to the duties of the position. Related education may include agronomy, or one of the related disciplines or fields of science, such as plant physiology, soils, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern of training placed major emphasis on field crops or agronomy.

Graduate study in related fields, such as botany, plant pathology, and biochemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a significant amount of emphasis on agronomy.

OR

A combination of education and specialized experience as described above.

Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. Qualifying experience for GS-12 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-11 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

For this position, specialized experience coordinating or…