What are the responsibilities and job description for the Agriculture Assistant position at Cornell Cooperative Extension?
The Agriculture Assistant will support a variety of garden, county fair, and office projects that contribute to ongoing agricultural programming. The position is designed to introduce the individual to a professional work environment while providing meaningful, hands‑on experience with tasks relevant to the agricultural field. It also aims to help build essential soft skills—such as communication, time management, and teamwork—and to encourage thoughtful reflection on career interests and future goals.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Grade Level
- Recent high school graduate or entering Grade 11 or 12 in the upcoming academic year.
Academic Standing
- Must be in good academic standing with a GPA of 2.5 or higher (or equivalent).
Interest in Agriculture
- Demonstrated interest in agriculture, environmental science, biology, or related fields.
Community Engagement
- Ability and willingness to interact with local farmers, agricultural professionals, and the public in a respectful, professional manner.
Skills and Abilities
- Basic math proficiency.
- Ability and willingness to learn data collection and presentation techniques.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills.
- Basic knowledge and ability to use Windows based software, including the internet and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Ability to clearly communicate (speak, read, and write proficiently) in English.
- Ability to meet acceptable background check standards.
Availability
- Ability to work flexible hours, which may include evenings, weekends, and/or additional hours during busy season, as appropriate.
Transportation
- Must have reliable transportation to and from program sites across Wyoming County.
Work Environment
- Ability to work in a typical office and outdoor environments which may include working in outdoor weather conditions with extreme heat or cold, precipitation on uneven ground; lift, move, or transport materials, positioning self (for example, pulling, bending, reaching, touching, kneeling, using hands to feel/reach) with or without accommodation. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable individuals to perform the essential functions.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Preference given to students involved in FFA, 4 H, science clubs, or similar programs.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Follow established process and protocol for collecting and handling soil samples by reviewing the soil‑sampling procedure.
- Shadow staff during at least one site visit and one community project to gain exposure to program activities.
- Perform general garden and field tasks—including weeding, watering, planting, labeling, harvesting, weighing produce, and routine maintenance following standard fieldwork practices..
- Assist with community events.
- Create a small interactive activity or demonstration for use at an event booth using a simple demonstration plan.
- Participate in public engagement and basic speaking activities while staffing the booth to support visitor interaction.
- Assist in preparing workshop or educational materials for program events.
- Make copies of handouts.
- Assist with moving supplies to workshop site.
- Print promotional flyers and distribution.
- Participate in customer service training and put training to practical use.
- Assist in organizing program storage areas to maintain an efficient and orderly storage system.
- Maintain a weekly journal documenting tasks, observations, and progress using a consistent activity log format.
- Provide feedback to a supervisor, including two to three ideas for improving public engagement, using a structured event‑review process.
- Collaborate with supervisor to develop an independent project. Prepare a final presentation or written report based on project developed.
- Prepare and submit accurate expense reports, mileage reports, receipts/supporting documentation, and/or vouchers in a timely manner per established policy and procedures.
- Maintain confidentiality of all information and data collected, accessed, and/or maintained.
- Provide data and information to assist with preparation of reports, impact statements, and success stories for funders, advisory committees, Board, and others as requested.
- Transport self and/or program materials/resources necessary for performing position responsibilities.
- In cooperation with the Supervisor, jointly develop and pursue a professional development plan as a means to increase competencies relative to position accountabilities and to address changes in programming and association priorities.
- Participate in all required orientation, training, and/or in-service meetings and events as scheduled/required.
- Support the association to maintain a safe working environment.
- Be familiar and strive to follow any applicable federal, state, local regulations, association health and safety policy/procedure/requirement and standard.
- Act proactively to prevent accidents/injuries and communicate hazards to supervisors when identified.
- Collaborate in activities that are in general support of Cornell Cooperative Extension including but not limited to attendance at staff meetings, timely reporting of expenses, working with other staff, general marketing of Cooperative Extension programs and other duties as assigned.
- Conduct all programming and activities in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.
- Aware of, and adheres to, established Cornell Cooperative Extension Association policies, procedures, and processes.
- Represent Cornell Cooperative Extension to the public, community leaders, colleagues, volunteers, members of Cornell University faculty and staff, government officials and the general public in a professional manner at all times.
- Perform all assigned duties in a professional, timely, and accurate manner.
- Maintain regular and predictable attendance and punctuality.
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POSITION DETAILS
Expected Weekly Hours: 8 hours per week (Part-Time)
Hourly Wage: $16.00 per hour
Location: Based from the Warsaw, NY office
Remote Status: Remote work is not available.
Benefits: No Benefits
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Apply online by 11:59pm EST on June 1, 2026
Review of applications will begin immediately. Position will remain open for applications until satisfactory pool has been identified. Contact Kimberly at wsbn-recruiter@cornell.edu with questions.
Please be sure to read the Notice to Applicants found on the Jobs with CCE page.
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HOW TO APPLY
To be considered all applicants are requested to:
(1) Complete all sections of the Online Application
(2) Upload/attach a Cover Letter and Resume
(3) Upload/attach 3 Professional References
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Upload *ALL* documents (PDF or MS Word format) at the beginning of the application process. This allows our system to pre-fill parts of the application and saves you time.
External Applicants (including current employees of other CCE offices): Submit application materials via the "APPLY" button located within this job posting. Please refer to Applying for a Job (External Candidate) for additional guidance.
Internal Applicants (current employees working at this CCE office): Apply via Workday under the "Career, Talent and Performance" section.
The Association may make reasonable accommodations to enable applicants to participate in the hiring process and employees to perform the essential functions of their job. If you require an accommodation so you may participate in the selection process you are encouraged to contact the recruiter listed above.
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No relocation or VISA Sponsorship available.
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Job Title:
Association Tmp ProgramLevel:
No Grade - HourlyPay Rate Type:
HourlyCompany:
Contact Name:
Kimberly AmeyCornell Cooperative Extension is a collaboration among Cornell University, the United States Department of Agriculture, the State of New York, and the residents of New York State. Per NYS Law, county and regional extension service associations are subordinate government agencies. This employment opportunity is with the entities listed and not with Cornell University.
Notice to Applicants: Please read the required Notice to Applicants statement. This notice contains important information about applying for a position at Cornell Cooperative Extension as well as some of your rights and responsibilities as an applicant.
Salary : $16