Salary: $60,882.00 - $81,432.00 Annually
Job Type: Classified - Full-time
Job Number: 6265-c-08/23
Closing: 9/6/2023 11:59 PM Pacific
Location: Tulare, CA
Department: Agriculture
Division:
General Description
Under the supervision of the Provost, COS Tulare Campus, or designee, and with direction of ag faculty unit managers, the Agriculture Lab Technician will perform responsible work to plan lab set-ups and support instructional activities of all faculty in the agriculture division. The Technician will oversee complex laboratories, possess specialized technical training and have experience in the assigned field (Ornamental Horticulture/Plant Science).
The work in this position will have specific emphasis on ornamental/nursery plants, crop production and/or greenhouse management. The Lab Technician will work cooperatively with faculty and staff to maintain agriculture instructional units, lab spaces, greenhouses, the Student Agriculture Experimental Farm (SAgE farm), outdoor teaching areas and equipment that supports and maintains the instructional areas. The Agriculture Lab Technician (OH/Plant Science emphasis) will also work cooperatively with the Agriculture Lab Technician (Livestock/Equine emphasis) to accomplish goals and ensure all units are served including livestock, equine, and ag technology.
This position is assigned to the Tulare campus. The working hours are 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Initial placement is at $60,882.
College of the Sequoias Community College District serves a diverse community of learners and is a designated Hispanic Serving Institution. COS provides a wide range of opportunities in transfer, general education, career and technical programs for our students. We are dedicated to recruiting employees who are committed to helping a diverse population of students achieve their educational goals. We seek candidates who exhibit an understanding and commitment to the community college mission, and who have a passion for student success.
Job Duties
Job duties of the Agriculture Lab Technician (OH/Plant Science) include:

• Plans lab set-ups, in cooperation with faculty members, and according to established guidelines.
• Maintains various agriculture instructional units, in cooperation with faculty unit managers, with specific emphasis on horticulture, crops and related irrigation.
• Provides training, work direction and oversight to student employees and work experience volunteers.
• Assists in the coordination of lab facilities, assuring availability of supplies, equipment and human resources.
• Demonstrates proper techniques and use of tools and equipment for students during laboratory classes.
• Prepares instruments, equipment, tools, plant material, and facilities for laboratory classes in a variety of environments.
• Monitors students in lab and farm/shop situations as directed by instructors.
• Manages and maintains greenhouses, nursery, orchard, irrigation, fields and related buildings and structures associated with the agriculture instructional units, with specific emphasis in ornamental horticulture and plant science.
• Conducts end of year inventory of plants on annual basis and prepares appropriate reports for submission to fiscal services.
• Maintains equipment and vehicle inventory and assists in licensing, registration, smog checks and related activities.
• Transports students and equipment to various sites for lab demonstrations.
• Ensures and enforces security and safety of the lab according to established procedures, policies, laws and regulations.
• Orders parts, supplies and instructional materials, maintains inventory and equipment, and processes orders upon delivery.
• Operates and performs preventive and routine maintenance on farm and instructional equipment, machinery, and vehicles and documents maintenance as required using OSHA safety procedures.
• Uses proper tools to repair and maintain irrigation systems to ensure efficient operations to irrigate instructional units.
• Irrigates pasture and crops located within the instructional units.
• Work cooperatively with farmers to schedule irrigations, and maintain irrigation lines.
• Collects debris, refuse and plant and/or animal waste from farm and remove using brooms, shovels, rakes or other tools in order to clear site using proper safety techniques.
• Prepares and applies various types of seed, herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.
• Assists agriculture instructors in demonstrating approved methods of planting, pruning and harvesting.
• Prepares soil for planting, discing, plowing, fertilizing, cultivating and irrigating in accordance with planned use.
• Identifies and conducts treatment of plant diseases and pests in planted areas using proper application techniques.
• Stays current with rules, regulations, and industry best practices.
• Develops and assists with group tours of units, engaging with community groups and educating prospective students about the opportunities associated with the units.
• Provides customer service, answer questions and conducts sales during plant/product sale events.
• Performs instructional support duties; development and implements new ideas for outreach, sets up for demonstration.
• Works cooperative with faculty to ensure students and staff are properly trained on use of equipment, particularly tractors and the ATV's.
• Receives shipments of feed, seed, equipment and works with vendors for appropriate delivery utilizing forklifts or other appropriate equipment.
• Sets-up for events; maintains inventory of agriculture tables used for activities and events.
• Maintains inventory of plants and equipment as well as greenhouse management.
• Assists with instructional equine and livestock units as directed and needed.
• Assists with maintenance of barns, corrals, yard areas, buildings and structures as directed and as needed.
• Maintains livestock equipment and the care of livestock to include feeding, watering, observing for illness and unusual behavior.
• Fabricates projects for use by the units or to support instructional activities.
• Attends appropriate trainings required for work in assigned areas.
• Performs other related campus duties as assigned.

Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications (Education & Experience):
Any combination equivalent to:

• Completion of two years of college-level course work in agriculture, nursery crops, plant science, agronomy, ornamental horticulture, greenhouse management or related area

AND

• Two years increasingly responsible experience in managing ornamental/nursery plants and/or crops and operating farm equipment.

Licenses and Certificates:

• Valid driver's license is required.

Desirable Licenses:

• Valid commercial Class "A" or "B" Driver's license is desirable.
• Private Applicator's License.
• Forklift Certification.
• Qualified Applicator License (QAL) or Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC).

Knowledge and Abilities
The hiring committee is seeking evidence of the following:
Knowledge of:

• Safe work practices.
• Health and safety regulations.
• Shop safety procedures.
• Techniques and methods of modern farm operations.
• Materials, tools and methods of building and equipment maintenance and repair.
• Operation and preventive maintenance of common farm machinery and equipment.
• Planting, rotating and harvesting of crops.
• Irrigation techniques and equipment.
• Engines and various engine parts to inspect and monitor repairs.
• Common varieties of seed.
• Methods of weed and pest control.
• Pesticides, herbicides and insecticides and applicable regulations.
• Basic veterinary and livestock equipment.
• Livestock handling.
• Feeding and care of livestock.
• Common illnesses and behavior of livestock.
• Customer service principles in order to appropriately interact with students, staff, faculty, and the public.
• Current computer operating systems, software applications and office productivity software such as word processing, spreadsheets, calendaring, presentation and database programs.

Ability to:

• Work independently with little direction.
• Provide assistance to instructors.
• Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Understand and follow oral and written directions.
• Perform heavy physical labor.
• Meet schedules and time lines.
• Assign, monitor and review work of student workers and work experience students.
• Read and interpret technical material, such as labels on chemicals and farm implement manuals and manufacturer's maintenance manuals.
• Perform mathematical calculations to measure chemicals properly.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with District administrators, management, staff, diverse community, business and industry contacts, collaborative partners contacts, independent programs consultants/trainers and the public.
• Provide soil prep for planning, planting and harvesting crops within instructional units.
• Provide crop care including cultivating, irrigating and fertilizing.
• Operate farm equipment including tractor, disc, plow, weed chopper, cultivator, scraper.
• Provide for the care and feeding of livestock (horses, cows, sheep, hogs and others)
• Use basic veterinary and livestock equipment.
• Recognize illness and unusual behavior of livestock.
• Identify a variety of livestock and their needs.
• Plan and organize work to meet established timelines, class, and department schedules.
• Interpret and apply district policies and procedures.
• Keep accurate records.
• Use current common software applications in order to accurately enter and retrieve data.

Working Conditions:
Environment

• In greenhouse.
• Outside in orchards or on crop land.
• Farm and livestock environment.
• Subject to working with ill or injured livestock.
• Driving a vehicle to conduct work.
• Weekend and evening duties may be required.

Physical Abilities

• Ability to operate a variety of farm equipment and hand tools.
• Ability to observe crops and soil.
• Ability to reach overhead, above shoulders and horizontally.
• Ability to stand and sit for extended periods of time.
• Ability to walk over rough or uneven surfaces.
• Ability to bend at waist, kneel or crouch, carry, push or pull equipment.
• Ability to climb, lift and carry objects weighting up to up 60 pounds.

Application Procedure
To be considered applicants must submit ALL of the following required materials before or by the filing deadline:

• An online job application.
• Letter of interest, which addresses how the applicant's experience and/or education enables him/her to be able to perform the job duties.
• Resume
• Unofficial copies of transcripts of college/university work. Official transcripts are required upon employment. Note: Applicants who have completed college or university course work at an institution outside of the United States that is not a post-secondary institution accredited by an accreditation agency recognized by either the US Department of Education or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) must obtain a complete evaluation of foreign transcripts, degrees, and other relevant documents by either NACES or AICE.

Recruitment Analyst: Keila Reynoso keilar@cos.eduor 559-730-3920.
College of the Sequoias does not sponsor H-1B Visa
To apply, visit https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/cos/jobs/4175147/agriculture-lab-technician-oh-plant-science