Agricultural Technician - Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design - West Virginia University

Description

West Virginia University's Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design and is seeking applications for a full-time Agricultural Technician for their Research, Education and Outreach Centers (REOC’s) in Morgantown, WV.

About the Opportunity:

As the Agricultural Technician, you will be responsible for providing quality care and maintenance of animals, crops, equipment and physical facilities that are used in routine management of the REOC’s for food and fiber production, teaching, research and outreach activities that are part of the mission of the WVU DCANRD and the WV Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (WVAFES). You must be willing to work holidays, weekends, and after core business hours to provide care of animals.

We strongly believe in work-life balance and keeping time for things we love outside our work. WVU offers generous benefits, including:

• 37.5-hour work week 
• 13 paid holidays (staff holiday calendar)
• 15 annual leave (vacation) days per year or more based on years of service (employee leave)
• 18 sick days per year (for when you’re ill, for when you need time to care for sick family, for your own, or your family’s, regularly scheduled medical appointments. Who is family for the purpose of this leave? A lot of people in your life including immediate relatives and in-laws as well as others considered to be members of your household living under the same roof)
• WVU offers a range of health insurance and other benefits
• 401(a) retirement savings with 6% employee contribution match, eligibility to continue health insurance, and other retiree perks. Looking for more retirement benefits information? Check out retirement health insurance benefits, retirement income, and FAQ’s.
• Wellness programs

PAY GRADE:  11
Work Hours:  Variable

What you'll do:

Animal Care and Husbandry 

• Feeds food stuffs and commercial feed types to specific animals such as sheep, goats, beef cattle, llamas, and chickens daily and as needed. 
• Follows protocols, policies, Standard Operating Procedures, and requirements as directed, under light supervision. 
• Receives newly arrived animals and provides clean animal housing, handling facilities, food, and water. 
• Handles, restrains, and identifies specific animals as required and assists in treatment under supervision or independently as directed from veterinarian staff or researchers (i.e. Soundness exam, weighing, cleaning housing facilities, relocating pastures, etc.). 
• Tags, numbers, or otherwise marks animals for identification. 

Agronomic/Horticultural Duties 

• Provides daily management and care for production and maintenance of food and fiber and horticultural crops for support of teaching and research initiatives of the programs of Davis College. Activities to be performed include: 
• Soil preparation 
• Application of fertilizers and lime 
• Seeding 
• Transplanting 

Heavy Equipment Operation

• Conducts visual inspection of all equipment to insure safe and efficient operation.
  
• Assists management and/or trade specialists in performing routine equipment maintenance such as oil, filter and fuel filter changes, monitoring and maintaining fluid levels, and lubricating tractors and other equipment.
  
• Operates a wide range of large agricultural and construction equipment such as tractors, sprayers, front loaders, scrapers, silo fillers, balers, haybines, combines, brush cutters, etc. to complete varied tasks associated with the maintenance and operation of the REOC’s.

Facilities/Grounds Maintenance

• Performs a variety of labor activities involved in maintenance such as mopping floors, cleaning bathrooms, shoveling, snow, painting, lawn mowing, weed trimming and thawing frozen water lines.
  
• Assists management in performing general maintenance work. May be requested to work with or under the supervision of the REOC maintenance crew leader in the following areas: plumbing, carpentry, cement work and/or construction of facilities. Maintenance activities may include repairing faucets, running lines, replacing toilet and bathroom fixtures, freeing clogged drains, replacing tile, replacing windows, building forms, replacing siding on barns or houses, building pens, mixing cement, repairing cement steps, and laying block, brick and stone. May be required to operate equipment associated with plumbing (water heaters, pumps, drain snakes). Maintain fences, gates and lanes to ensure integrity of the plot areas and the REOC in general.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED with 1-year experience in an agricultural environment with horticulture, agronomy, organic and/or plant and animal sciences. Experience with farm work (animal handling, operation of equipment, etc.).
• Experience in an agricultural environment with horticulture, agronomy, organic farm and/or plant and animal sciences.
• Experience with farm work (animal handling, operation of equipment, etc.).
• Knowledge of basic agricultural practices (e.g. production practices of livestock and plants).
• Ability to operate and perform basic maintenance of equipment/machines, lawn mowers, and weed eaters.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing
• Ability to understand simple to complex instructions, both written and oral.
• Demonstrated ability to walk/run in rough field conditions and terrain when herding animals.
• Demonstrated ability to physically restrain and handle animals. Ability to provide hands-on treatment of livestock.
• Proven ability to administer medications and vaccinations to animals.
• Ability to apply pesticides - will require obtaining license and wearing protective clothing and apparatus

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.

• Valid Driver's license required.
• Completion of CiTi animal handler training (Animal Care and Use Committee Requirement), required.
• Enrollment in WVU Occupational Health’s Animal Handling Monitoring required.
• If applying pesticides, will be required to have or obtain a pesticide applicators license (may obtain post hire).
• Relevant Environmental Health and Safety requirements and training.
• Expected to become familiar with IACUC protocol and standard operating procedures for animal care, health, and comfort.
• Walk distances and over uneven terrain in fields
  
• Hand/eye coordination and manual dexterity necessary and required to operating various machinery and equipment and in administering
• vaccinations. 
  
• Lift, push, or pull 50 pounds or more
  
• Handle and restrain livestock, including beef cattle in excess of 1500 pounds
  
• Bend, stoop, walk, reach, sit and stand for extended periods of time
  
• Ability to work in barns, field plots, and sites with wide-ranging weather conditions, hay, manure, livestock, dust, mold, pollen, allergens, insects, etc.
• Ability to lift, bend, stoop, walk, reach, sit and stand for extended periods of time. 

At West Virginia University, we leverage our talents and resources to create a better future for our state and the world. As West Virginia's land-grant university, WVU has three campuses that touch each corner of the state. The WVU System includes 518 buildings on 15,880 acres, Extension Service offices in all 55 counties, ten experimental farms and four forests. 
 
From the groundbreaking R1 research of our flagship campus in Morgantown to the career-oriented programs of WVU Potomac State in Keyser to the technology-intensive programs at WVU Tech in Beckley — the contributions of WVU employees directly impact the 1.8 million people of West Virginia every day, no matter their role or position. 

Service, curiosity, respect, accountability, and appreciation are the core values that unite Mountaineers, inspiring one another to work tirelessly and support others as they seek to reach new heights. After all, when you're a Mountaineer, impossible is just another mountain to climb.
 
Creating an inclusive, engaged, and dynamic learning environment is core to WVU’s academic mission. We welcome candidates who can contribute a range of ideas, approaches and experiences.
West Virginia University is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer and is the recipient of an NSF ADVANCE award for gender equity. The University values diversity among its faculty, staff, and students, and invites applications from all qualified applicants regardless of race, ethnicity, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, nationality, genetics, disability, or Veteran status.
 

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