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Current Openings
Plant PATHOLOGY FIELD BIOLOGIST
Job Description:
Michigan Ag Research, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ag Metrics Group, is seeking an enthusiastic team member as a Field Biologist to work with Midwestern crops out of the Albion, Michigan facility.
A successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary program focused on scientific investigations in crop protection, sustainable farming methods, and the development of new agricultural products for a diverse clientele. The position is an agricultural field biologist position, not a lab position. Candidates with field research experience will be given preference.
Responsibilities:
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
Equipment Skills:
Desired:
Compensation:
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
Schedule:
Covid-19 Considerations:
All customers and employees must wear mask indoors. Common surfaces are sanitized regularly.
Experience:
Work Location: One location
Michigan Ag Research, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ag Metrics Group, is seeking an enthusiastic team member as a Field Biologist to work with Midwestern crops out of the Albion, Michigan facility.
A successful candidate will join an interdisciplinary program focused on scientific investigations in crop protection, sustainable farming methods, and the development of new agricultural products for a diverse clientele. The position is an agricultural field biologist position, not a lab position. Candidates with field research experience will be given preference.
Responsibilities:
- Conduct field/greenhouse trials as well as laboratory assays to characterize crop protection products for the control of crop pests, focusing especially foliar, soil, and seed-applied treatments. Crops to include field, fruit, greenhouse, and vegetable crops of the Mid-Western United States and Southeast Canada.
- Assist in applying experimental and commercial compounds to target crops.
- Isolate and develop an inventory of common plant pathogens.
- Characterize efficacy, product characteristics, and crop safety of test materials following treatment.
- Lead data collection, review of trial research, and interpretation of results in technical reports.
- Manage scheduling and conduct of daily trial assessments working in coordination with other staff biologists.
- Timely and organized data management from collection through reporting. Maintenance of site records for trial conditions.
- Manage local field and equipment records as needed for any regulated research (with appropriate training provided).
- Attend continuing education training for professional development and licensing requirements.
QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
- Degree in the field of horticulture, plant pathology, crop protection, agriculture, or related disciplinary sciences.
- Basic working knowledge of experiment design and field trial management.
- Willing to routinely handle and apply chemicals and other crop protectants safely and in complete accordance with regulatory guidelines.
- Ability to work independently as a contributing member of a multidisciplinary research team.
- Solid verbal and written communication skills.
- Able to work in field, greenhouse, and lab environments.
- Able to do physical work common to the establishment, harvest of plots that includes lifting, open fieldwork under warm daytime temperatures, and expect overtime schedules during peak season.
Equipment Skills:
- Scales, boom sprayers, tillage, common hand tools, microscope, pipettes.
- Computer skills: MS-Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
- Valid driver’s license and MI Pesticide Applicators License (within 6 months of hire).
Desired:
- MS with at least 1-year relevant experience.
- Experience in fungal and bacterial isolation and storage.
- Educational focus on field pest management, research management tools, course work in entomology, IPM, plant pathology, nematology, crop production, and statistics, experimental design, and analysis of results.
- Previous experience in crop pest management and chemical pesticide efficacy research in the field, greenhouse, and lab; and preparation of formal written research reports/presentations.
- Knowledge and/or experience in soil pest biology and research.
- Knowledge and/or experience in vegetable and/or fruit diseases.
Compensation:
- Company offers Medical and Dental Insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, 401K and Profit-Sharing, paid travel for professional training and meetings, and other benefits.
- Pay commensurate with experience and skills.
Job Type: Full-time
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
- Monday to Friday
Covid-19 Considerations:
All customers and employees must wear mask indoors. Common surfaces are sanitized regularly.
Experience:
- Farming: 1 year (Preferred)
Work Location: One location
