REQUEST FOR PROPOPSALS

For the hiring of a Carbon Farm Planner Coordinator

Employer: New York Textile Lab

Work Location: This position is based out of New York

Background:

New York Textile Lab is a design and consulting company. We design yarns and textiles that connect designers to fiber producers and mills to help grow an economically diverse textile supply ecosystem. New York textile Lab is currently focused on growing a Carbon Farm Network, a purchasing cooperative for designers to work collaboratively to source fibers and make yarns for the commercial production of textile products. Our Carbon Farm Network supports Carbon Farm Planning on the farms we are partnered with. New York Textile Lab is the NY Fibershed Affliate.

Position:

New York Textile Lab is seeking a Carbon Farm Plan Coordinator in NYS dedicated to the successful planning, design, and implementation of conservation projects on the small to mid-scale NYS farms that we partner with for our yarn development. The Carbon Farm Planner will play a vital role in advancing efforts to meet greenhouse gas emissions reductions and carbon sequestration targets by accelerating agricultural producer adoption of conservation practices. This will be achieved through developing Carbon Farm Plans (CFPs) that identify all opportunities for carbon capture and storage on the farm, providing technical assistance for implementation of practices identified in the plan, assisting with project monitoring, coordinating planning teams of local partner organizations and agencies. This position is for a three-year contract with New York Textile Lab.

Qualifications:

• S., B.A., and/or M.S. degree in Environmental Planning or Natural or Applied Sciences preferably wildlife biology, range, soil science, hydrology, animal science, agronomy, or forest ecology OR equivalent education and experience (please elaborate in your cover letter).
  • A bachelor's degree in agricultural and/or environmental science required; masters or advanced degree in agricultural/natural resource management preferred.
• At least Five years' experience working in the field of natural resources, in the execution of grants, contracts and permitting.
• At least 3 years of on-farm conservation planning; NRCS conservation planner certification preferred.
• GIS mapping and data management, Microsoft Office, Google Suite and other technical proficiencies
• Knowledge of New York State ecology, native woody and grassland plants and wildlife, Carbon Farm planning, and/or NRCS Conservation Planning a plus.
• Demonstrated experience working with land managers and agricultural producers in conservation planning/carbon farming planning and implementation.
• Strong analytical, writing, research, and public speaking skills
• Self-directed and organized individual with ability to work independently to meet multiple deadlines
• Proven track record of developing successful partnerships and productive working relationships with partners.
• Ability to articulate complex and technical information in an accessible manner to a wide diversity of audiences, especially agricultural constituents
• Willingness and ability to travel around State and work flexible hours, including evenings, weekends, and overnight travel.
• Experience in the construction of projects including adherence to bidding procedures, prevailing wage requirements and budgets. Construction skills a plus.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills—ability to communicate technical information to technical and non-technical clients and partners.
• Familiarity with grant proposal and contract creation and interpretation. Knowledge in accessing funding sources.
• Exceptional ability to work productively both independently and in a collaborative team setting.
• Ability to communicate and work with a diverse range of people including private landowners and land managers, private contractors, government agencies, Tribal staff and citizens, general public, news media, and partner resource professionals.
• Exceptional attention to detail and problem-solving skills. Motivation to gain and develop new technical skills.
• Valid New York State driver's license, clean driving record, automobile insurance. 

Essential Duties

• General/Administrative
• Oversee the activities of 1-2 Part Time Co-planners including farm visits, Carbon Farm Planning, implementation of Carbon Smart Agricultural (CSA) practices, benchmarking, Measuring Monitoring and Verifying greenhouse Gas benefits (GHG), quarterly reporting.
• Participate in a virtual, 3 week Carbon Farm Planning Training and Curriculum in Summer 2023 with Carbon Cycle Institute to receive Carbon Farm Planning Certification. 
• Please note: this certification training is free, but unpaid.
• Funding
• Search for additional grants available to the Carbon Farm Network for funding more farmers’ Carbon Farm Plans
• Assist farms in identifying and accessing other funding streams and incentive payments where possible to support CSA practice adoption.
• Technical Assistance for Producers
• Arrange farm visits, work closely with participating farms, carry out necessary studies and data-gathering, and write at least 4 new Carbon Farm Plans (CFP) for participating farms.
• Assist participating farms in planning to implement Carbon Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices identified in their Carbon Farm Plans.
• Recommend producer incentive payments for CSA practice implementation.
• Provide information needed to evaluate these recommendations to the project’s incentive review and decision-making panel.
• Provide implementation technical assistance resulting in the adoption of CSA practices on at least 1,000 total acres regionally.
• Measurement, Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MMRV)
• Measure and monitor estimated greenhouse gas (GHG) benefit of implemented CSA practices using the COMET-Planner tool, COMET-Farm, USDA Entity Scale Methods, and/or soil tests.
• Verify CSA practice adoption.
• Achieve a total of at least 7,500 Mg CO2e greenhouse gas benefit over 20 years regionally.
• Reporting
• Collect data and prepare quarterly project reports towards outcomes and goals, such as implementation acres, practices implemented, quantifiable GHG benefits, farm productivity
• Provide regional team with all information needed for quarterly project reporting via the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Project Reporting Workbook, per the guidelines detailed in the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities Data Dictionary for Recipients. This information will include, but is not limited to: 
• Cumulative greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits including carbon stocks; CO2 CH4, N2O, other environmental benefits; and offsets and insets produced and sold.
• Greenhouse gas monitoring, reporting methods, and verification (MMRV) methods along with the cost of these methods.
• Detailed information about each participating farm, including producer name, farm ID, address, start date, underserved status, total area, total crop and livestock areas, livestock numbers and types, organic certification status, producer motivation, how they heard about the project, and funding sources and incentives they have received. 
• Detailed information about each field enrolled in the project, including field ID, location, contract start date, commodity, baseline yield, irrigation and tillage methods, and details about practices implemented on those fields. 
• Detailed descriptions of the technical assistance, MMRV assistance, marketing assistance, incentives, and all payments received, including cost of practice implementation and GHG monitoring, verification, and reporting.
• Marketing Support
• Participate in educational activities, such as our annual Carbon Farm Tour, Sheep & Wool Festival, Flock Event with GrowNYC.