Oversees plants, tends and harvests vegetables and grain crops and may care for livestock and poultry. Maintains and operates farm machinery, and receives and maintains an inventory of agricultural supplies.

Essential Functions

• Plows, harrows and cultivates the soil; determines type of crops to be planted and timing of planting and harvest; plants various types of seed; cares for growing crops.
• Harvests crops at proper times; bales, freezes and prepares harvested crops.
• Prunes and cares for tees.
• Care, feeds and breeds livestock.
• Operates, maintains and makes repairs to tractors, cultivators, milking machines, barn-cleaning machines and all other farm equipment; performs maintenance tasks on farm buildings.
• Checks shipments of agricultural supplies for completeness and damage; arranges for return of defective or incorrect shipments to distributors, maintains records of agricultural supplies which are on hold.
• Keeps abreast of modern farming techniques and developments by attending agricultural meetings and conferences.
• Instructs students in the operation of farm equipment, machinery, and the techniques of caring for livestock, growing crops, and all other general farming methods.
• Fertilizes the soil; spray growing crops.
• Sprays trees.
• Care, feed, breed and performs milking operations of a dairy herd.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Demonstrated knowledge of:

• practical farm operations such as plowing, planting, cultivating, and harvesting, of various types of crops.
• the types and uses of equipment and tools.
• the feeding, care and breeding of livestock and poultry.
• modern farming methods, techniques, and mechanized farm equipment.
• procedures and techniques for the use and storage of pesticides and other chemicals used in farming operations.

Demonstrated ability to:

• operate farm machinery such ad tractors, cultivators, milking machines, and barn-cleaning equipment.
•  perform minor repairs on farm equipment and buildings.
•   follow oral and written directions and keep accurate records.
• instruct agricultural students in the operation of farm equipment and growing crops.
• work long hours outdoors at hard manual labor under varied climatic conditions.
• establish and maintain effective working relationship with school administrators, associates and others.
• instruct agricultural students in caring for livestock.

Minimum Requirements:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Four years of full-time, paid, experience in general farm and husbandry.

OR

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Agriculture.
  

For Saul High School

• Possession of a valid Category 18 pesticide license as issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prior to and during tenure of appointment.
• Possession of a valid Category 23 pesticide license by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prior to and during tenure of appointment.
• Possession of a Class A commercial driver’s license valid to operate a motor vehicle in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prior to appointment and during tenure of appointment.

Certificates/Licenses

• Possession of a valid Category 18 pesticide license as issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prior to and during tenure of appointment.
• Possession of a proper class license valid to operate a motor vehicle in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania prior to appointment and during tenure of appointment.

Selection Process
Selected candidates will participate in an interview process.  Please note that not all qualified candidates may be selected for an interview. The selected candidate must have no anecdotal record on file and have not been subject to any disciplinary action within the past eighteen (18) months, and have an excellent record of attendance and punctuality during the last three (3) years (defined as no more than eighteen (18) occasions of lateness or absence for personal illness in the last three years (3) years with the exception of one extended long-term absence).