Plant Science Internship Jobs in Michigan (NOW HIRING)

Spring Meadow Nursery produces potted shrub liners which are shipped throughout the United States and Canada. The liners are propagated by cuttings, they are rooted in Westbrook® greenhouses which are outfitted with traveling irrigators, high pressure fog system and computer controlled environment. After the cuttings are rooted, they are moved to Westbrook® open roof greenhouses to finish off the plants for sale.

We continue to expand our operations every year and currently have over 40 acres of production area. Much of our growth can be attributed toward our focus on introducing new and exciting varieties thorough our Proven Winners® Color Choice® brand. We travel extensively throughout the world in search of new varieties, in addition to our own breeding efforts on site.

We are continually looking for qualified candidates to strengthen our staff. Our success as a company is directly related to the success of our team members. Without them we would not be where we are today. We offer internships to those looking to increase their experience level while still attending school. Each of our interns will rotate through the three main production departments in order to gain a well rounded perspective of the full production cycle.

Interns will be responsible for assisting department and assistant managers across all three phases of the production cycle. This role involves helping with day-to-day tasks, data collection, inventory tracking, IPM planning, etc. that are needed during the growing season. Interns will rotate time mainly between three departments, propagation, growing, and Stock/R&D, with exposure potential in Shipping, Marketing, and Breeding

Title: Intern

Reporting to: Manager, as assigned. Department alignment dependent.

Summary:

Responsible for assisting department and assistant managers across all three phases of the production cycle. This role involves helping with day-to-day tasks, data collection, inventory tracking, IPM planning, etc. that are needed during the growing season. Interns will rotate time mainly between three departments, propagation, growing, and Stock/R&D, with exposure potential in Shipping, Marketing, and Breeding

Primary Responsibilities:

• Involvement in the Spring Meadow IPM program across all three main production departments
  1. Perform weekly scouting of crops to monitor for unwanted pests or diseases
  2. Evaluate pest-tracking tools such as yellow sticky cards and pheromone traps
  3. Organize and mix biological organisms that arrive on a weekly basis
  4. Apply biological organisms to pre-determined target sites
  5. Use of dissecting microscopes to scout for pests such as foliar nematodes, thrips, two-spotted spider mite and other seasonal pests
• Maintain and update physical inventory of plant liners/trays/pots across departments
• Monitor liner and container soil water levels during extended periods of high temperatures
• Perform analytical tests such as soil sampling for pH and EC levels, Chlorine concentration in irrigation water and saturation tests
• Collect plant tissue samples for further analysis at off-site laboratories
• Track movement and survival rate of plants that move between the three production departments
• Assist in daily record keeping of greenhouse crew labor hours and determine activity rates of crews by working with assistant managers

Additional Responsibilities:

• Performs other related duties as required.
• Follow Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. Employee Handbook
• Follow Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. Safety Handbook.

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Pursuing an Associate or Bachelor’s degree in a plant science-related field or have 1-2 years or related work experience. Must be dependable and hardworking when it comes to performing daily tasks. Computer skills are required for data and inventory tasks in NAV (inventory tracking database) as well as proficiency in Excel and Word. Bilingual English-Spanish skills are highly desirable as well.
• Must possess the ability to lift, carry, or otherwise move 30 pounds.

Performance Requirements:

• Must maintain a level of performance equivalent to company standards, that being a “Meets Expectations” in all areas of your performance evaluations (including but not limited to, Self and Management reviews).

*The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.