This position is located in the Agricultural Research Service, Field Organization, Southeast Area, Sugarcane Research Unit, in Houma, Louisiana. In this position you will participate in one or more phases of the research process by performing a variety of complex technical duties, in a laboratory, field, or greenhouse environment.

Duties

Perform all field tasks involved in agronomic crop production through land preparation, planting, management, harvest, and post-harvest operations. Maintain an inventory of chemicals. Safely disposes of waste material (both chemical and biological). Search for literature or attend training or lectures pertinent to area of research for new procedures or techniques to use in the laboratory or field. Adapt, modify or develop new techniques and/or procedures to satisfy the needs of the research project. Participate in one or more phases of the research process by performing a variety of complex technical duties in a laboratory or field. Operate and maintain a variety of specialized equipment (i.e. tractors, sprayers, corn and soybean combine, cotton picker, cotton module builder, ATVs). Operate GPS, RTK, yield monitoring, and computer controlled farm equipment.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time-in-grade restrictions apply for all candidates considered under merit promotion procedures and must be met by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the closing date of this vacancy announcement. GS-7: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-07 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-06 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience participating in one or more phases of the research process relating to crops or sugarcane; assisting with collecting crop samples; assisting with raising crops in a field; and operating basic farm or pesticide equipment. OR Education: Completion of one full year of graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Plant Science, Crop Science, Horticulture, Agronomy, Biology, or Agriculture. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. GS-8: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-08 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience assisting with collecting field measurement and data for further process or analysis; recording scientific data; and operating and maintaining farm equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Plant Science, Crop Science, Horticulture, Agronomy, Biology, or Agriculture. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. GS-09: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-08 which is directly related to the work of this position and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience planting, raising, or harvesting crops as they grow in the field; collecting or evaluating samples related to crops or sugarcane; using maps and other navigation equipment; recording, collecting, and summarizing scientific data; and operating, maintaining, and modifying farming or field research equipment. OR Education: Successful completion of two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related to the position. Related degrees may include Plant Science, Crop Science, Horticulture, Agronomy, Biology, or Agriculture. OR A combination of graduate education and specialized experience as described above. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This position does not have an education qualification requirement.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 141 Experimental Station Road Stoneville, MS 38776 US
• Name: Sydney Teague
• Phone: 918-718-5046
• Email: [email protected]