Sustainable Farming Technician

Benton-Soil-and-Water-Conservation-Distric; Foley (MN); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

The Sustainable Farming Technician at Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District provides technical assistance and outreach to landowners, farmers, and agricultural producers to promote sustainable farming and soil health practices. You will assess land conditions, develop site-specific conservation plans, and assist with designing and installing BMPs.

You will also administer federal, state, and local conservation programs, ensure project compliance, manage grant documentation, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in agricultural science or natural resources with agriculture experience.
• Associate’s degree plus Certified Crop Advisor; option to substitute for a bachelor’s degree within five years.
• Equivalent education/experience as deemed by District Manager.
• Certified Conservation Planner certificate and any required trainings.
• Minnesota Class D driver’s license required due to mobile field work.
• Excellent oral and written communication; comfortable presenting publicly.
• Proficiency in Excel and Word; knowledge of ArcGIS; PowerPoint and Outlook required.

Responsibilities

• Serve as local team advisor for the Benton County sustainable farming initiative and develop partnerships.
• Identify barriers to soil health practices and integrate soil health strategies.
• Coordinate outreach activities, field days, and farm trials with diverse stakeholders.
• Assist with conservation planning, designs, and installation of BMPs to improve soil health.
• Support Minnesota Agriculture Water Quality Certification program and related grants.
• Contribute to education/outreach initiatives and the District Tree Program.

Skills

Communication skills

Public speaking

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences or natural resources

Associate’s degree plus Certified Crop Advisor certificate (within five years)

Certified Conservation Planner certificate

Minnesota Class D driver's license or higher

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

ArcGIS

Microsoft PowerPoint

Outlook

Job description

Position Summary:

The Sustainable Farming Technician is a key position responsible for providing technical assistance and outreach to landowners, farmers, and agricultural producers, to promote the adoption of sustainable farming and soil health practices. This role involves collaborating directly with clients to assess land conditions, develop site-specific conservation plans, and assist with the design and installation of best management practices (BMPs) that address soil health principles. The technician helps administer federal, state, and local conservation programs, ensure project compliance, manages grant documentation, and conducts community education initiatives to support the district’s mission.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in agricultural science field such as agribusiness, farm management, agronomy, or a bachelor’s degree in a natural resources field such as conservation, watershed, or hydrology with experience in agriculture.
• An associate’s degree of an equivalent field, plus the possession of a Certified Crop Advisor Certificate (or the ability to obtain one within five years) may be considered in lieu of a bachelor’s degree.
• Possess an equivalent combination of education and experience at the discretion of the District Manager.
• Obtain and maintain a Certified Conservation Planner certificate and any other specialized training and/or certifications that may be required to perform the job.
• Possessing a valid Minnesota Class D driver's license or higher is essential for the technician role due to the mobile nature of agricultural work.
• Strong oral and written communication skills are essential. Must be comfortable speaking and presenting in public, collaborating with diverse individuals, and various stakeholders.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Excel and Word, knowledge of ArcGIS
• Pro, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Outlook required.

Core Duties and Responsibilities

1. Perform the duties of the local team advisor for the Benton County sustainable farming initiative.
   1. Facilitate local partnerships such as continued development of the local sustainable farming team members comprised of farmers, and agribusiness leaders and develop professional relationships with these members.
   2. Develop strategies for integrating soil health practices such as identifying barriers to the diversity of soils and farming practices in Benton County.
   3. Facilitate agriculture community networking including regular soil health team meetings and other activities recommended by the team.
   4. Network and coordinate outreach activities such as field days and farm trials.
2. Conduct soil health and whole farm conservation assessments and develop recommendations.
   1. Evaluate farms for soil health and farm management levels for soils, water, air, plants, and animals as they relate to conservation and farmer goals. Develop treatment and management alternatives, when warranted, with the farmers’ resources, experience, and needs in mind.
   2. Manage local farm planning programs such as the Minnesota Agriculture Water Quality Certification program, perform program assessments for local farmers, and assist them with all aspects of the program.
3. Conservation planning: assist clients with the designs and installation of conservation projects.
   1. Provide technical assistance with the state and federal conservation programs. Maintain a working knowledge of each program at a level that is adequate to provide technical assistance to SWCD clients.
   2. Design and supervise the installation of conservation practices, with a focus on improving soil health across the operation.
   3. Perform inspections to ensure that regenerative and sustainable practices such ascover cropping,no-till systems, andprescribed grazing are meeting both ecological goals and contract requirements.
   4. Conduct annual spot checks of farms enrolled in soil health initiatives to document long-term compliance with soil-disturbance and residue-management protocols.
4. Monitoring and data collection:
   1. Manages the deployment and sampling of soil lysimeters to monitor groundwater quality; performs water samples and maintains accurate digital records to quantify the impact of nitrogen management practices.
   2. Prepares annual reports bridging local fieldwork with state and federal data requirements.
5. Other duties as assigned include:
   1. Grant management: coordinate financial tracking and reporting as needed. Prepare reports for the board and employees regarding new grants, and standings of current grants when funds are low or grant is near end date.
   2. Support education and outreach initiatives and collaborate with the Education & Outreach Coordinator to execute community engagement strategies aligned with the district’s mission.
   3. Assist with the coordination and execution of the District Tree Program.

Physical Demands

1. This position requires work indoors and outdoors in environmental conditions common in Minnesota. Common environmental conditions will include heat, cold, and wet conditions. Physical activities include sitting for extended periods of time, walking over rough, uneven terrain, twisting, bending, and lifting up to fifty pounds. Office equipment use includes but not limited to telephones, computers, and copy machines. Ability to occasionally work during the evening and on weekends.