Potato Agronomist

Company Background

Plant Grow Harvest (PGH) is a vertically integrated, multi-geography seed, fresh, and specialty potato business with operations in five locations across the country and planned expansion in additional regions. PGH also offers in-house supply chain solutions, brokerage, and consulting solutions for major potato businesses across North America. We are positioned for industry-leading growth and seeking additional talent to oversee operational execution and make a substantial early impact on the trajectory of the company.

Regional Agronomist

We are looking for a detail-obsessed agronomist who enjoys the endless pursuit of a great potato crop. As our Regional Agronomist, you will oversee soil and plant health across multiple farming locations to maximize farm returns and ultimately enhance our culinary offering to consumers, establishing repeatable agronomic guidelines as the company rapidly scales.  You will be joining an early-stage farming operations team at PGH and thus will have a unique opportunity to make your imprint on the company, take on additional responsibilities early in your employment, and advance in the organization as you demonstrate aptitude. You will report directly to the agronomy lead and COO.

Responsibilities:

• Formulate comprehensive agronomic plans to inform crop decisions across all PGH farming
  locations (owned or partnered); provide agronomic advice to select additional
  partners/customers
• Generate weekly reports monitoring soils and crops, highlighting critical/actionable decisions for further discussion with operational team leaders
• Build rotation crop strategies to enhance return for real estate assets and improve soils over time
• Develop SOPs on soil sampling, petiole sampling, test digs, and other agronomic data collection and oversee execution of the SOPs
• Ownership of chemical and fertilizer purchasing strategy
• Generate tillage plans and oversee implementation
• Develop integrated pest management strategies
• Oversee irrigation systems and soil moisture management
• Maintain meticulously organized crop records and other reports

You may be a great fit for this role if:

• You love the crop planning process but are prepared to pivot and react to the dynamic needs of the crop
• You obsess over details of execution like soil moisture, tillage, varietal differences, and more
• You love being a part of a tight knit, collaborative team that cares deeply about their work
• You document your work, stay organized, and enjoy presenting cross departmentally

This is not the right fit if:

• You prefer working on a fixed schedule while crops are in the ground
• You cannot appreciate the higher demands of a potato crop relative to grain crops
• You are uncomfortable working with a remote team

Candidate Requirements:

• 3+ years of experience in fresh potatoes with track record of exceptional performance across multiple locations: you have numerous industry contacts who will vouch for your ability and work ethic
• Bachelor’s degree in Agronomy or Strong farming background, preferred potato.
• Ability to document and maintain SOPs to capture best practices for your position
• Ability to drive multiple projects forward simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-impact environment
• Fluency with modern workplace technology, including Microsoft Office; openness to learn and master a range of additional software products that enhance the business including supply chain software, various collaboration tools, data visualization tools, etc.
• Ability to track, communicate, and troubleshoot problems
• Exceptionally diligent data entry, email monitoring, and reporting
• Self-driven, proactive communication in both office and remote working environments
• Excellent listening, clear and concise oral and written communication
• Energized by building relationships with teammates, operators, and counterparties with diverse personalities and backgrounds.
• Ability to travel to different farms consistently throughout the year
• Experience assisting and maintaining budgets in collaboration with finance teams
• Be willing and able to travel 25-75% of the time depending on the time of year

Preferred Skills:

• Multi-climate potato farming experience
• Ability to teach and build knowledge throughout the organization

Compensation and Benefits:

• Compensation
  • $70-90k base salary
  • Up to 10% bonus at management discretion
• Benefits
  • Competitive healthcare, dental care, vision insurance, FSA/HSA plans
  • Paid time off