PURPOSE OF POSITION

Colorado State University Extension and Pueblo County are seeking an agricultural professional with the experience and skills to lead a diverse and inclusive agricultural program in an urban/rural environment. This person will have a proven record of accomplishment of engaging community, delivering programs, building program capacity, supporting and developing staff and volunteers, and using a variety of program delivery methods to engage clientele. We are looking for someone who will create innovative programming opportunities and foster collaboration and teamwork with both internal and external partners. The agent will be an effective communicator with competencies and skills that engage adults, youth, and groups from diverse backgrounds.

The position will provide leadership, in the development, implementation, and evaluation of educational programs in a broad range of agriculture and natural resources for Pueblo County, with a primary focus on agronomic crops, commercial horticulture, soil, and weed sciences. This will include, but is not limited to, work with vegetable crops, conventional crops, specialty crops, and pastures. Programs must include attention to vegetable and grain production, forage/hay production, agricultural pest management, and irrigation with an overall objective of agricultural profitability and sustainability. On-farm field research/trials/demonstrations and a willingness to partner with the CSU Arkansas Valley Research Center (AVRC) will be strongly encouraged. Teamwork with Extension agents, Extension specialists, university faculty and researchers, Extension administrators, County employees, farmers, ranchers, government agencies, agricultural suppliers, and other partners, is expected.

In addition to the agricultural role, the successful candidate will work with office colleagues, volunteers, and emergency officials to operate the Community Animal Response Team (CART; Large Animal Division) during and following emergencies when the Emergency Operations Center has deemed it necessary to activate CART.

The position will primarily serve an adult audience but may be asked to occasionally support the 4-H youth program when appropriate. The individual in this position works as a member of the local Extension team and as a local representative of Colorado State University and Pueblo County. This individual works under the supervision of the Pueblo County Extension Director.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES

Program Planning, Development, Delivery, Evaluation and Reporting: 65%

• Develop, implement, & evaluate non-credit educational programming & information delivery in response to identified needs in crop, commercial horticulture, soil, & weed sciences. This includes both traditional agronomic practices & organic practices.
• Assist agriculture producers to implement best management practices in conventional & specialty crops. This may include research & demonstration studies on cooperating farms or the CSU AVRC in cooperation with the manager & researchers.
• Work with producers, water user associations, Conservation Districts, agencies & others to help assure best practices are used in irrigation.
• Assist county noxious weed coordinator to provide education to the public.
• Assist and/or direct producers to assistance for help with agricultural needs other than agronomy.
• Cooperate with other Extension Agents & Specialists who have expertise in horticulture, livestock and range, small acreage, plant pathology, entomology, food systems, food safety, & ag business/economics, to assure a total systems approach in educational programs.
• Cooperate with CSU AVRC manager, & researchers as needs dictate.
• Work with agricultural suppliers, lenders, food processors, & governmental agencies (NRCS, Colorado Department of Ag, etc.), to support total agricultural system integrity.
• Use technology & media to deliver information to a range of audiences.
• Secure supplemental funding through grants, fund raising, contracting, or cost recovery to enhance educational programming.
• Travel to & participate in professional development, evening and weekend events, & periodic activities requiring overnight stays.
• Provide leadership & assistance with Pueblo County CART & maintain certification in the FEMA-EMI classes that are required of CART members.
• Report activities through the CSU Digital Measures reporting system and through Pueblo County reporting protocols.

Note: % of job assigned to this duty may be changed as the program develops.

Initiate and Develop Relationships and Partnerships: 35%

• Support & build relationships with groups or committees such as commodity groups, government agencies, CSU AVRC, the Pueblo Food Project, economic & business development related organizations, etc.
• Work with advisory committees, community leaders, area agencies & non-profits to continually assess conditions & develop effective plans of work providing measurable program outcomes.
• Effectively communicate & participate in research & programming with personnel of Colorado State University, other colleges, agencies & institutions to enhance overall programming.
• Develop relationships with the local plant and soil science industry including Pueblo County Extension Ag Advisory Group, producers, agencies & organizations to continually assess cropping systems & agronomic crop pest management opportunities & needs.
• Develop & maintain a close working relationship with the Board of County Commissioners, & County employees.
• Maintain effective communication with Colorado State University personnel, community leaders, and other agencies/organizations to enhance strong program development, delivery and evaluation.
• Recruit, train & manage volunteers for activities such as Ag Advisory Group or on-farm field research/trials/demonstrations.
• Assure compliance with civil rights and affirmative action policies including reaching out to underserved and underrepresented audiences.

Note: % of job assigned to this duty may be changed as the program develops.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND DEADLINE: For full consideration, all materials must be RECEIVED no later than 11:59 PM Mountain Time on Monday, March 8, 2021. Please submit the following to https://jobs.colostate.edu to apply:

• Resume
• Cover letter
• Transcript of college(s) course work showing degrees conferred. Please remove all references to birth date or social security number.
• Special Required Documentation - Statement (no more than 5 pages) of how you meet all applicable “Required” and “Preferred” Job Qualifications. Please respond to each bullet point separately.

All applicants will be contacted approximately 15 working days after the deadline regarding their status. Next steps and interview dates will be shared to those moving forward. Four professional references will be requested of applicants that advance in the interview process.

For questions regarding the application process, contact the Office of Equal Opportunity at (970) 491-5836 or email oeo@colostate.edu. For questions regarding the job vacancy, responsibilities, and salary, please contact Jonathan Vrabec at (719) 520-7682 or Jonathan.Vrabec@colostate.edu