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 two (2) Agricultural Technician I (Seasonal) positions in Fresno 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.

These positions are located in Fresno, 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.

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