Overview

Ag Alumni Seed is seeking a dedicated and motivated applicant to join our popcorn breeding research department in Romney, Indiana. Research technicians operate in a tight-knit team with plant breeders and support staff to advance all aspects of the popcorn breeding program in both the field and lab. As the breeding nursery lead, the Nursery Research Technician will assume a position of responsibility to ensure the proper assembly, operation, and harvest of Ag Alumni Seed’s summer and winter nurseries.

Primary Duties Include:

  • Working with breeders to prepare, organize, and plant all breeding nurseries and yield trials
  • Managing numerous aspects of the breeding program, including inbreeding generation advancement, inbred line increases, and isolation field detasselling
  • Shelling, treating, organizing, and inventorying seed and seed packets
  • Field scouting, collecting yield trial agronomic data, and aiding in note taking
  • Participating in manual plant pollination at breeding nurseries and seed production fields
  • Assisting in tissue and seed sample collection and delivery to maintain non-GMO compliance
  • Roguing, row banding, and maintaining field conditions in all plots
  • Mechanically and manually harvesting ears from breeding nurseries and yield trial locations
  • Conditioning, cleaning, and shelling yield trial research material
  • Maintaining an orderly seed inventory system, including organization, quantification, repackaging, transportation, and discarding inbred and hybrid seed
  • Operation, transportation, and preventative maintenance of field equipment
  • Performing pest management to reduce insect damage and ensure safe seed stocks
  • Training, supervising, and leading part-time and seasonal employees
  • Preparing and collecting qualitative and quantitative popping data in a test kitchen
  • Maintaining clean, safe, and fully-operational research facilities

Requirements:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in plant breeding or a related field
  • At least 1 year of previous experience in plant breeding/seed production, especially in short-row research plots, is highly desired
  • Strong work ethic, leadership abilities, and good attention to detail
  • Willingness to work in adverse weather conditions including high heat, sun, wind, and rain
  • Good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work in a diverse multicultural team
  • Ability to lift loads up to 50 pounds on occasion
  • Ability to obtain a CDL and pesticide applicator’s license within 12 months of hiring
  • Proficiency in MS office and ability to learn specialized software and hardware as needed
  • Basic level of Spanish is beneficial

Schedule and Benefits:
This is a full-time, year-round position. Primary work hours run from 7:30 to 4:00, Monday through Friday. Overtime workings hours will extend into weekends and evenings during peak field seasons.

Employees will have access to competitive wages, health insurance, and a 401K retirement plan.

How to Apply:

Applicant should send an email describing their interest in the position, along with an attached cover letter and a copy of their resume to fcardenas@agalumniseed.com

 

 

Tagged as: EARLY CAREER

To apply for this job email your details to fcardenas@agalumniseed.com