Agricultural Science Research Technician

Summary

This position is located in the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Crop Germplasm Research Unit located in Brownwood, TX. In this position, you will be performing a variety of technical duties to help facilitate the research and development of improved pecan cultivars for productive use by U.S. farmers. This includes operating farm and irrigation equipment to manage and maintain approximately 250 acres of pecan orchards.

Duties

• •Collects, prepares, evaluates and verifies pecan samples and supporting records.
• •Uses agricultural equipment to plant, maintain, and harvest pecan orchards.
• •Participates in one or more phases of the crop research process by performing a variety of complex technical duties.
• •Collects crop data, maintains crop records, and compiles crop data and other information from various sources.
• •Performs planting, spraying, irrigation, and harvesting of pecan orchards using specialized farm equipment.
• •Tabulates, statistically analyzes, and summarizes data using personal computers and software packages.
• •Safely disposes of waste material (both chemical and biological).
• •Manages and maintains 250 acres of pecan orchards in addition to data and sample collection duties.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. GS-06 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-06 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-05 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 collecting samples for a plant research project; organizing scientific data; and operating standard farm equipment (including but not limited to tractors, sprayers, shredders, plows, and rakes). OR Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Crop Science, Horticulture, Environmental Science, Agronomy, Biological Sciences, Plant Pathology, Forestry, Agricultural Science, Ecology, Entomology, or Genetics. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. GS-07 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 successfully perform the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience collecting samples for a plant research project; compiling scientific data; and operating irrigation and specialized farm equipment (specialized equipment including but not limited to skid steers, harvesters, bucket-lifts, backhoes, bulldozers, and crop sprayers). OR Education: One full year of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Crop Science, Horticulture, Environmental Science, Agronomy, Biological Sciences, Plant Pathology, Forestry, Agricultural Science, Ecology, Entomology, or Genetics. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. GS-08 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 processing samples for a plant research project; analyzing or summarizing scientific data; and utilizing or maintaining irrigation infrastructure and specialized plant-related farming equipment (specialized plant equipment including but not limited to tree shakers, harvesters, row sweepers, air-blast sprayers, tree hedgers, chippers, mulchers, and tree-spades). OR Education: Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's or equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Crop Science, Horticulture, Environmental Science, Agronomy, Biological Sciences, Plant Pathology, Forestry, Agricultural Science, Ecology, Entomology, or Genetics. OR A combination of 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.