AGRICULTURAL TECHNICIAN I (SEASONAL)

Job Description and Duties

Per CCR 249.3, this job control may be used to fill subsequent vacancies.

The Integrated Pest Control Branch (IPCB) is recruiting to fill one (1) Agricultural Technician I (Seasonal) position in Riverside County.

Under the supervision of the Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisory), the Agricultural Technician I performs duties of average difficulty in regard to the pest monitoring and trapping activities for the Integrated Pest Control Branch.

This position is located in Blythe, California.

Duties include but are not limited to the following :

• Establish specified pink bollworm (PBW) trapping zones according to Program protocols.
• Inspect all serviceable PBW traps (30-60 traps) daily for suspected specimens.
• Record all PBW trap service data and maintain cotton maps.
• Assemble delta-shaped insect sticky traps for use in pink bollworm detection.
• Drive to specific cotton sites and collect cotton plants for silver leaf whitefly (SLWF).
• Examine collected cotton leaves for the SLWF.
• Record the presence or absence of armyworm, mites, aphids, honeydew, and sooty mold.
• Participate in limited boll collection and inspection activities for the cotton seed bug survey.
• Package up collected cotton bolls and suspect specimens.
• Complete daily trapping and survey reports to the Agricultural Pest Control Supervisor and / or the Environmental Scientist.
• Record the number of trap or survey sites visited each day.

Please refer to duty statement for more detail.

Candidates may perform these essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

The duties of this position primarily occur outdoors, approximately 85% of the time. The incumbent typically works outside alone in an agricultural field setting inspecting traps and / or surveying sites weekly.

Some work areas are remote and uninhabited and have limited public services. Usually, agricultural technicians report to work at a district office / warehouse, where they pick up trapping / survey supplies and their assigned vehicle.

Agricultural technicians are exposed to the environmental extremes in temperature, humidity, and moisture characteristic to the months of May through October.

The employee routinely services 30 to 60 insect traps per day or surveys 30-60 sites per day and typically get in and out of the truck 100 to 125 times per day.

Trapping and survey sites are located at the edges of cotton fields within large, assigned cotton-growing regions. Work requires agricultural technicians to navigate from the vehicle to trap sites, at the edge of the cotton field (6 to 300 feet), to inspect traps or conduct surveys.

Agricultural technicians frequently navigate over plowed, disked, or loose ground. Road and ground surfaces can be wet, or very dry and dusty.

Agricultural technicians report back to their district office at the close of the workday to complete necessary paperwork and return their assigned vehicle.

Agricultural technicians are encouraged to wear clothing appropriate for the weather conditions. Sunscreen lotion, hats, long sleeve cotton shirts, and long pants are recommended for sun and heat protection.

Water bottles are provided. Protective gloves are provided for installing bamboo rods. Sturdy footwear, suitable for walking over uneven (wet or dry / dusty) ground, is recommended.

No open toe sandals are allowed. Cotton fields are sometimes in isolated areas, and ice chests, or similar containers, are recommended for carrying lunches and cold drinks.

Restroom facilities are limited in some areas.

While in the office setting performing any administrative duties (work accomplishment reports, timesheets, etc.), the incumbent will be in a normal office setting (desk / chair) with the typical office equipment (i.

e., computer, fax machine, printer, telephone). Typical computer programs used : MS Office Suit (Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, Outlook) MapInfoâ, and Internet Explorer.

Brooms, brushes, hand scrapers, high pressure / hot water cleaners, soap, and disinfectants are used in cleaning operations.

Nearby equipment includes pumps, tanks, metal sinks, forklifts, tractors, carts, paper cutters, small laminators, electric staplers, etc.

Office and warehouse flooring is concrete, and parking lots are asphalt. Cotton leaf and boll collection personnel are provided with necessary protective clothing including shoe coverings, and chemical resistant gloves.

Pesticide applications are common in most agricultural areas. While agricultural technicians are not directly involved with pesticide application, personnel receive basic personal pesticide safety training relative to : how to avoid contamination;

personal hygiene; pesticide poisoning symptoms; emergency medical care; and reporting suspected pesticide poisoning.

Special Requirements

Incumbent is required to maintain a valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

One semester college related work or one season (approx. 3 months) of Ag related experience.

California State Civil Service Employee Benefits Summary Benefit Description Additional Information New Employee Benefits Orientation Page

Summary review of benefits available to you as a new State Civil Service employee. State Civil Service Act

Review the benefits and protections provided to State Civil Service employees through the State Civil Service Act.

Salaries and Civil Service Pay Scales

Information regarding salary ranges for State Civil Service employees, as well as the Civil Service Pay Scales, the official salaries for all state jobs.

Represented Employee Bargaining Contracts

Review the specifics of represented state employee collective bargaining contracts.

Retirement

Learn more about the defined benefit plan that is offered to state employees through the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) based on years of service, age and final compensation.

CalPERS also offers disability retirement, partial service retirement, and death benefits for eligible employees.

401(k) and 457(b) Plans (Savings Plus)

Offers a voluntary benefit that allows you to contribute to both a 401(k) and a 457(b) plan to enhance your retirement benefit.

This allows you to contribute, through payroll deduction, up to twice the amount available to the private sector and most public sector employees.

You can contribute on both a pre-tax and an after-tax designated Roth basis that offers you the opportunity to take advantage of tax savings now and in the future.

California State Civil Service Employee Benefits Summary - Specific Benefits Specific Benefits Additional Information

Cash In Lieu of Health and / or Dental Benefits (Cash Option)

Allows you to receive cash in lieu of state-sponsored health and / or dental benefits insurance if you have other qualifying medical and / or dental coverage through a spouse, domestic partner, parent or other source.

Common Carrier Travel and Accident Insurance for Excluded Employees Only

Offers employer-paid accidental death and dismemberment insurance to managers, supervisors and other specified employees who travel on state business.

Commute Program

Voluntary benefits that subsidize commuting expenses for eligible employees who commute to and from work using public transportation, vanpools, or bicycles.

Consolidated Benefits (CoBen)

Provides a benefit allowance, rather than specific contribution amounts for health, dental and vision benefits. You may receive additional taxable income each month, depending on the total cost of the benefit plans you choose.

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)

Continuation of health, dental, and vision insurance coverage as well as medical reimbursement account for employees and eligible dependents who involuntarily lose coverage.

Death Benefits

Benefits available to legal survivors and / or designees of state employees; see "Planning Ahead" handbook.

Planning Ahead Handbook Dental Benefits

Offers you and your dependents preventive, basic and major dental care coverage through one of several dental plans.

Employee Assistance Program

Employer-paid program offers free professional and confidential short-term counseling and referral services to employees and their eligible dependents, as well as valuable information on a variety of topics including financial, legal, and wellness.

866) EAP-4SOC

California State Civil Service Employee Benefits Summary Benefit Description Additional Information

Group Legal Services Insurance

Voluntary, employee-paid plan that provides comprehensive legal coverage designed to meet most common personal legal needs.

Available to eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Group Long-Term Disability Insurance For Excluded Employees Only

Voluntary, employee-paid plan that replaces a portion of the employee's income in the event the employee is unable to work for six months or longer due to a covered illness or injury.

Health Benefits

Offers you and your dependents a broad range of health insurance plans with the state paying a portion of the premium. CalPERS administers this coverage.

CalPERS Health and Wellness

Promotes a work environment that encourages healthy lifestyle choices, decreases the risk of illness and disease and enhances employee effectiveness and well-being.

Long-Term Care Program

Offers coverage through CalPERS for a chronic illness, frailty of old age, or a serious accident. Available to all California public employees, retirees, and their eligible family members.

Part-time, Seasonal, and Temporary Retirement Program

Offers a retirement savings program for part-time, seasonal and temporary employees who are not covered by CalPERS or Social Security.

Reimbursement Accounts

Allows you to set pre-taxed money aside in a reimbursement account to pay for certain kinds of medical and dependent care expenses.

You can increase your take home pay and decrease your taxable income.

Third-Party Pre-Tax Parking Reimbursement Account Program

Allows you to deduct a specific pre-tax amount for work-related parking fees from your pay. Available to employees who drive a personal vehicle to work or to a location from which the employee commutes to work and pays for parking.

Vision Benefits

Employer-paid benefit that offers you and your dependents an annual eye examination and an allowance for frames and lenses.

An enhanced vision plan is also available which provides higher allowances for certain materials and other benefits.