Agronomist/Soil Health Specialist

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Agricultural Conservation Experienced Services (ACES) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Agricultural support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Department of Agriculture?s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through a grant administered program awarded to National Experienced Workforce Solutions (NEW Solutions). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise, and experience will truly be valued. The ACES program provides an opportunity to work side-by-side with NRCS staff that are doing important work every day. Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium for positions budgeted at 60+ hours per pay period, Accrued Vacation and Sick Leave, Paid Federal Holidays, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available for positions budgeted at 35+ hours per pay period. Positions listed here do not guarantee employment for any definite period. Enrollment in the Experienced Worker Programs administered by NEW Solutions is temporary. The enrollment relationship between NEW Solutions and the Enrollee is an "at-will" relationship. This means that an Enrollee is free to terminate enrollment at any time during the enrollment period, and NEW Solutions and the Agency have the right to terminate the relationship with the Enrollee. PLEASE NOTE: An ?ACES Enrollee? is not a federal employee, nor an employee of NEW Solutions. An ?ACES Enrollee? is a participant in a grant program established through a Cooperative Agreement funded by the USDA-NRCS and administered by NEW Solutions. This opportunity applies to applicants legally eligible to work in the United States.

Qualifications:

Minimum of 15 year(s) of experience in agronomy and soils, soil health, conservation, agriculture, soil fertility, vegetable production, project coordination, and environmental/agricultural education. OR BA/BS Degree in Agronomy & Soils

• Agronomic experience, Farm experience, Valid State Driver?s license
• Experience required with Windows, MS Word, MS Excel

Duties:

Assist State and Field Office Staff to promote soil health activities, develop technical materials related to soil health, make site visits to assist Field Office Employees, and coordinate and conduct training on various natural resource topics.

• Promote use of soil health systems by working with external groups and organizations, producers, and conservation partners across the state by carrying out a variety of natural resource training and demonstrations.   25%
• Assists the Ecological Science Staff and State Soil Scientist with programmatic and technical training for conservation tillage, cover crops, crop rotations, crop diversity, soil microbiology, etc. Assists with evaluation of interim conservation practices.   25%
• Assists NRCS field offices and conservation partners in the implementation of conservation practices related to improvement of soil health.   20%
• Assist with developing Field Office Technical Guide and other supporting materials, such as Guide Sheets, Job Sheets and Ecological Site Descriptions.   15%
• Assists with staffing promotional events as needed.   15%

• Annual information system security, anti-harassment, and civil rights training.
• Travel Requirements: A government vehicle will be provided for official travel or mileage will be paid if POV is used.
• Overnight travel: occassional travel/monthly
• Remote work arrangements are available for this position.