Research Farm Assistant 2

Louisiana State University Agricultural Center; United States; On-site; USD 18,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement plan

Medical insurance options

Paid vacation and sick leave

Tuition exemption opportunities

Employee assistance program

Job summary

Louisiana State University seeks a Research Farm Assistant 2 to perform routine care of animals, crops, and facilities in a research environment. The role involves operating complex farm equipment, conducting health checks on livestock, and maintaining fences and drainage systems.

You will contribute to plot layouts, assist with maintenance tasks, and keep basic records of feed and health observations. A background in agricultural work with basic machinery skills is expected.

Qualifications

• Minimum requires: One year of experience in the care of animals; the general care of crops, shrubs, or plants; or farm‑related equipment and machinery operation.
• Substitutions: College credit in agricultural courses will substitute for the required experience on the basis of one semester hour for two months of experience. NOTE: Any college hours or degree must be from an accredited college or university.

Responsibilities

• Operates farm machinery/equipment such as tractors, lawnmowers, batwing rotary cutters, disk and cultipacker, hay cutters, hay rake, seed broadcaster, and equipment for chemical applications.
• Care of livestock including daily health checks, pen maintenance, assist in deworming protocols, rotational grazing, feeding and recording daily health and observation log.
• Maintains property and fences, sprays fence line weeds, upkeeps fences, builds enclosures, maintains drainage and pastures.
• Makes adjustments and repairs to farm equipment, lawn mowers, ATVs, and tractors
• Assists with maintenance of shop area, shade structures and main building.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Animal care

Farm equipment operation

Record keeping

Livestock management

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Research Farm Assistant 2

Position Type: Classified

Department: LSUAG PL1 - CRS - Reproductive Biology Center (Cobey Ross Hendry (00002076))

Work Location: RBC-Embryo Biotech Lab

Pay Grade: Classified Technician and Skilled Trades

Pay Range: $20,363 - $36,483

Job Description: 114340 RESEARCH FARM ASSISTANT 2 WS206 $20,363 - $36,483

Creation Date: 06/29/1987 Change Date: 10/01/2022

Function of Work

To provide specialized routine repetitive care and maintenance of animals, crops, equipment, and facilities in a research/experimental environment.

Level of Work

Experienced.

Supervision Received

General from higher-level personnel.

Supervision Exercised

None, although employees may assist and train lower level personnel.

Location of Work

State Universities; Agricultural Research Facilities.

Job Distinctions

Differs from a Research Farm assistant 1 by the presence of responsibilities which require knowledge of complex farming practices and by requirements for skilled equipment operation to perform complex tasks.

Examples of Work

• Operates complex farm machinery/equipment to perform exacting field production techniques, i.e. chemical application, close cultivation, setting up beds, plot harvesting, etc.
• Cares for livestock including: mixing and administering feed, transporting, administering medication, checking health, breeding, and milking cows.
• Makes adjustments and repairs to farm equipment.
• Keeps simple records on feed mix ingredients, consumption, produce mortality, seed, and other farming operations.
• Learns to lay out research plots.
• Performs comparable farming tasks in other agricultural research areas such as forestry, aquaculture, agricultural engineering, etc.
• Performs related tasks as assigned.

Qualification Requirements

• Minimum requires: One year of experience in the care of animals; the general care of crops, shrubs, or plants; or farm‑related equipment and machinery operation.
• Substitutions: College credit in agricultural courses will substitute for the required experience on the basis of one semester hour for two months of experience. NOTE: Any college hours or degree must be from an accredited college or university.

Job Duties

• Operates farm machinery equipment such as tractors, lawnmowers, batwing rotary cutters, disk and cultipacker, hay cutters, hay rake, seed broadcaster, and equipment for chemical applications. (40%)
• Care of livestock including: daily health checks, pen maintenance, assist in deworming protocols, rotational grazing, putting out hay, feeding and recording daily health and observation log. (20%)
• Maintains property and fences. Spraying of fence line weeds, upkeep of hard fence and hotwire fence, repairs to damaged gates and fences, building of new enclosures on property, maintenance to drainage ditches on property, mowing of pastures and lawns around shop and buildings. (20%)
• Makes adjustments and repairs to farm equipment, lawn mowers, ATVs, and tractors (10%)
• Assists with maintenance of shop area, shade structures and main building. (5%)
• Other duties as assigned. (5%)

Compensation

• Minimum – $13.11/hour
• 1st Quartile – $15.73/hour
• Midpoint – $18.35/hour
• 3rd Quartile – $20.97/hour
• Maximum – $23.59/hour

Salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.

Background Check

An offer of employment is contingent on a satisfactory pre-employment background check.

Benefits

• Retirement, multiple medical insurance options, supplemental insurances (dental, life, long-term disability, accident, vision, long-term care, etc.)
• Tax Saver Flexible Benefits Plan (saves tax dollars on some childcare and medical expenses)
• University holidays (14 per year)
• Generous annual (vacation) and sick leave benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Possible educational leave and tuition exemption for coursework at campuses of the LSU System
• Specific benefits depend on job category, percent effort and length of employment.
• Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University’s partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services including but not limited to employment, benefits, payroll, and tax compliance.
• Positions employed through Employer of Record Services will be offered benefits and retirement as applicable through their provider and will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement.

Application Deadline

11/15/2026 or until suitable candidate is identified.

Equal Opportunity

The LSU Agricultural Center is a statewide campus of the LSU System and provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

The LSU Agricultural Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the LSU Agricultural Center

LSU includes institutions, facilities and programs in each of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, and its campuses stretch the length of the state from New Orleans to Shreveport. Each institution plays a vital role in preparing students to incorporate new knowledge and technologies into their daily lives. LSU researchers across Louisiana are working on developing a wide-range of innovations to improve quality of life by studying issues such as disease management, advance medical treatments, obesity, coastal protection, hurricane preparedness, energy, natural resource management and agriculture, among others. Louisiana’s Flagship University is a land-, sea- and space‑grant institution with academic programs in all areas of science, engineering, humanities, arts and social sciences. The University comprises of nine institutions: Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College ("LSU"), the premier flagship university for the state, which include the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and the School of Veterinary Medicine Louisiana State University at Alexandria Louisiana State University at Eunice Louisiana State University at Shreveport LSU Health Sciences Center – New Orleans LSU Health Science Center – Shreveport The Health Care Services Division Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Pennington Biomedical Research Center Any other college, university, school, institution, or program now or hereafter under the supervision and management of the Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College. In implementing its mission, LSU is committed to: Offering a broad array of undergraduate degree programs and extensive graduate research opportunities designed to attract and educate highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students; Employing faculty who are excellent teacher-scholars, nationally competitive in research and creative activities, and who contribute to a world‑class knowledge base that is transferable to educational, professional, cultural and economic enterprises; and Using its extensive resources to solve economic, environmental, and social challenges.