Agricultural Specialist II - Northeast Research Farm

What You’ll Do

• Operate, maintain, troubleshoot, repair, and modify agricultural and research equipment, including tractors, tillage, planting, spraying, fertilization, and harvest equipment.
• Diagnose and address mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, electronic, GPS, and other equipment and farm system issues; coordinate repairs with vendors and service providers as needed.
• Support agronomic research projects by operating equipment and performing field activities including planting, spraying, soil sampling, crop scouting, harvesting, and data collection.
• Cookout maintenance of farm facilities and infrastructure, including drainage systems, wetlands, bioreactors, buildings, water systems, and grounds.
• Maintain accurate equipment, farm operation, and research records and support research data collection and quality assurance.
• Provide technical guidance to staff, students, faculty, and equipment users involved in research and farm operations.
• Cookout scheduling, setup, and routine upkeep of the Borlaug Learning Center.
• Transport harvested grain to local elevators and perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Why Join Us

Iowa State University’s Northeast Research Farm in Nashua, Iowa, offers an opportunity to apply agricultural and equipment expertise to research that directly benefits Iowa farmers and producers. The Northeast Research Farm conducts applied research that helps inform decisions about products, practices, application timing, and crop management. This position combines equipment operation and maintenance with field research and problem-solving, providing an opportunity to contribute to projects with practical applications across Iowa.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Agriculture or related field.
• Experience with farm research work or agronomic research plots.
• Experience operating, repairing, and maintaining farm machinery used to conduct research on field plots.
• Experience collecting, recording, and summarizing research data.
• Experience observing, diagnosing, and providing remedies to crops.
• Pesticide Applicator’s Certification.