ABOUT GREAT RIVER GREENING

Great River Greening is a leading environmental restoration nonprofit with a mission to inspire, engage, and lead local communities in conserving and caring for the land and water that enrich our lives. Our services extend throughout Minnesota in partnership with local communities, governmental agencies, conservation and agricultural organizations, individuals, and businesses. Great River Greening has grown significantly in its geographic scope in the last few years, but the staff remains small and works collaboratively as a friendly and committed team.

Great River Greening values Science, Community, Partnership, Education, and Inclusion. Great River Greening is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates of all backgrounds, including women, candidates of color, LGBTQ, or candidates with non-traditional work or experience backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Position Description

The Conservation Agronomist joins a team of conservation staff, each of whom executes and manages individual projects, as well as collaborates on larger projects and events. Guided by our mission, this position will strengthen our regenerative agriculture expertise. Projects may include soil health management, soil sampling, cover crops, perennial cropping systems, water quality and storage improvement practices, native plant community management, survey data analysis, carbon storage/sequestration, climate-resilient practices, grazing and agroforestry, and other related conservation practices. The Conservation Agronomist will conduct independent field and site reviews and must have access to a car. While most of the activity for this position is currently in our Southern MN region, work will extend across Great River Greening’s other geographic regions: Twin City Metro, Central MN, and Northern MN. 

This is an exempt, full-time position with a salary range of $55,000-65,000, depending upon experience. We offer a generous benefits plan that includes health, dental, 401k, LTD, Dependent Care and Health Care FSA, life insurance, 14 paid holidays, and a PTO plan. This position is open to remote work. Great River Greening offers a flexible workplace, and staff are currently working hybrid. Staff are currently required to be in-office once a week on Tuesday to attend staff meetings and check-in with other staff members.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Implementation (80%)

• Provide education on conservation agronomy and sustainable agriculture, including conservation practice benefits and implementation information. Serve as a technical expert on cover crops and other soil health practices and how those can be implemented on farms with success.
• Gather field-based data, including soil health assessments, soil sampling, and vegetation sampling, as well as the organized management of field data.
• Analyze data to evaluate cropping system impact on soil carbon, soil health, and water quality.
• Manage the silvopasture (agroforestry) project by managing the budget, organizing vegetation surveys and soil samples, hosting monthly team meetings, planning events with partners, managing subcontracts, and assisting with video production.
• Assist other staff with livestock and cropping specifications across restoration projects.
• Assist in preparation of grant applications to obtain funding for program initiatives related to climate change, environmental management, and/or sustainability.
• Write and review management plans and assess those produced by Greening staff, contractors, and partners, where applicable.
• Develop outreach and training material including reports, webpages, flyers, videos, one-pagers, social media posts, and podcasts.
• Foster collaborations among peer NGOs, government agencies, academic institutions, watershed districts, and agricultural partners.
• Serve as a connecting point for local farmers and landowners to present regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, agroecology, soil health, and climate adaptation opportunities available.
• Provide technical assistance to farmers and assist in enrolling farmers in NRCS Farm Bill programs in coordination with NRCS offices across the state.
• Assist the organization in calculating its climate and carbon sequestration/storage objectives in its regenerative agriculture projects.
• Represent Great River Greening at volunteer events, public meetings, and in interaction with public and private landowners.
• Plan, coordinate, and host community events, farmer dinners, one-on-one consultations, and stakeholder meetings to promote and celebrate continuous living cover and silvopasture/agroforestry in coordination with local businesses and landowners.

Mission Specific Work (20%)

• Attend and participate in conservation and volunteer planning meetings.
• Participate in fundraising functions under the direction of Development and Operations.
• Perform other related tasks as required.

Required Skills and Abilities

• In-depth knowledge of Midwestern agronomic principles and conservation / regenerative practices – especially cover crops, soil health, ecosystem service markets, grazing, agroforestry, agroecology, and edge-of-field practices.
• Experience collaborating with the agricultural community, including communicating with, consulting, or providing technical assistance to farmers and agriculture industry professionals.
• Effective tabling in outreach settings
• Skilled at personal communications and fostering partnerships to advance sustainable systems.
• Ability to manage complex and collaborative projects, tracking, and developing budgets and bid proposals, independently and in collaboration with a team.
• Possess an understanding of current climate adaptation techniques and/or carbon storage/sequestration practices and approaches.
• Conscientious, collaborative, and dependable.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

• Experience planning and coordinating events and managing registration.
• Familiarity with native plant community types of the Upper Midwest and good plant identification skills.
• Comfortable speaking to groups ranging from 5 to 30 participants.
• Experience managing and conducting field surveys for plant, soil, and water sampling as well as management and analysis of collected data.
• Understanding of ecological management and agroecology systems.
• Some experience in ArcPRO (preferable), ArcMap, or Google Earth. Aerial photo interpretation a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in plant or soil sciences, agronomy, environmental science, or related field and at least one year of experience in direct professional outreach or applied research relating to: soil health, sustainable agriculture, conservation, agroecology, regenerative agriculture, climate change, ecology, water quality, or environmental analysis, including experience in field sampling, methods development, data collection and analysis, and/or writing for both scientific and lay audiences. Extensive field knowledge and experience can be substituted for formal education.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and access to transportation to conduct site visits and meetings with partners.