Job Details
Starting hourly at $22.40 (on-site)
We are looking for an individual to join our team as Research Technician I or II at our Beet Seed Office. The purpose of this position is to conduct agronomic work related to the variety and official testing programs at all American Crystal Sugar Company locations which includes all aspects of plot care including harvest. Research Technicians are also responsible for servicing, repairing, and modifying all equipment involved in the variety testing program and providing quality control support for commercial seed processing and beet pile storage support.
The principal accountabilities include, but are not limited to:
Lead and promote a positive work culture through Company Values of Safety, Integrity, Quality, Teamwork, and Accountability.
Spring: Perform maintenance and repair on equipment. Develop official trial maps to meet specifications for variety testing. Packet and sort seed for official variety trials according to planting plan design. Mark fields and plant sugarbeet variety trials. Assist in the operation of the computerized planters. Cut out alleys. Apply insecticide and herbicide. Count emergence and rate resistance of plants in official trials and selected special tests at specified locations.
Summer: Oversee the thinning and weeding of beets. Place demonstration signs at OVT yield and disease sites. Apply herbicides and fungicides. Monitor yield trials and disease nurseries for problems including drone technology when appropriate. Provide written and verbal observations noted in OVTs to supervisor/management. Till out end beets. Measure plots for length of each range before harvest. Perform maintenance work on tractors and harvesters. Assess disease severity and assign numeric scores to Fusarium, Cercospora, Rhizoctonia and Aphanomyces disease nurseries for infection levels.
Fall: Supervise and work alongside crews in the harvest of variety and official trials. Transport samples to TSC Quality Lab and bulk beets to piling sites. Perform maintenance work and prepare equipment for winter storage.
Winter: Conduct quality control checks on commercial seed. Transport seed between beet seed processing and Germains Seed Technology for commercial seed treatment. In beet storage research the incumbent may handle beet samples, monitor beet temperature, and maintain beet storage equipment. Operate seed treater and seed cleaning equipment which includes seed polishers, seed sizing equipment and gravity table to clean seed for planting. Remove snow from Tech Service Center parking lots and driveways.
To be successful in this position requires strong mechanical abilities, knowledge of specialized beet seed equipment and operation typically gained through the completion of a technical training school and three to five years of agricultural related work experience. Knowledge and adherence to Company trial plot procedures, agronomic practices and safe work procedures are essential. Identification of various weeds and insects is required. The incumbent must be able to communicate effectively, provide clear work direction and maintain records as required. Pesticide applicator licenses for ND and MN including general grounds, agricultural herbicide, fungicide/insecticide and seed treatment is required. The incumbent must possess a valid Class A commercial driver's license with hazardous materials endorsement, tanker endorsement, and air brake certification to be eligible for Research Technician I (including medical examiners certificate in accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations required for Class A license) with the ability to drive a semi-truck and trailer combination; must also be able to pass forklift evaluation and certification. A Research Technician II is for a candidate without CDL and hazardous materials endorsement.
An Equal Opportunity Employer