AGRICULTURAL ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST 1

TS308 $38,168 - $68,682
Creation Date: 06/29/1987
Change Date: 01/01/2025

FUNCTION OF WORK:
To perform inspections and investigations relative to laws governing entomology, horticulture, agronomy, pesticide, structural pest control, seed, fertilizer, and quarantine programs.

OR

To assess the environmental impact of agricultural operations on soil, water, air, and other related natural resources and develop and direct management plans designed to protect these resources.

LEVEL OF WORK:
Entry

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
General from an Agricultural Environmental Specialist of a higher grade.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:
None.

JOB DISTINCTIONS:
Differs from Agricultural Environmental Specialist 2 by lack of responsibility for journeyman level work.

CORE COMPETENCIES:
IDENTIFIED BY STATE CIVIL SERVICE, CORE COMPETENCIES ARE THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND BEHAVIORS BASED ON THE WORK TASKS OUTLINED IN THE EXAMPLES OF WORK. MORE INFORMATION ON THE SCS COMPETENCY MODEL CAN BE FOUND HERE.

Communicating Effectively	Developing Plans	Displaying Expertise
Driving Results	Following Policies and Procedures	Making Accurate Judgments
Managing Projects	Thinking Critically

EXAMPLES OF WORK:
EXAMPLES BELOW ARE A BRIEF SAMPLE OF COMMON DUTIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS JOB TITLE. NOT ALL POSSIBLE TASKS ARE INCLUDED.

AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE DUTIES
Informs dealers, manufacturers, farmers, growers, or bookkeepers of laws, rules, and regulations concerning feed, seed, fertilizer, pesticides, beans, sweet potatoes, nurseries, etc.

Conducts field inspections for the purpose of certification of soy beans, wheat, rice, seed, etc. to ensure that the fields do not contain other varieties than specified and do not contain noxious weeds.

Collects certified seed samples from bags and bins of dealers, farmers, and growers for testing by the state seed analyst to ensure that they germinate according to specified percentages and do not contain noxious weed seeds.

Informs growers of field inspection results.

Assists in the inspection of nurseries (wholesale) in order to detect the presence of fire ants as well as apply approved insecticides to nursery property to eradicate fire ants by operating a jeep, tractor, or seeder.

Assists in inspecting wholesale and retail nurseries and greenhouses in order to identify seeds or pest-infected plants.

Performs grade inspections and inspects sweet potatoes by load, cannery, or shipping plant to ensure that they are weevil free.

Inspects Irish potatoes shipped to Louisiana to ensure that they are disease free.

Inspects sweet potato fields and seed bins to ensure that they are weevil free and properly cleaned.

Spot-checks supermarkets to verify that sweet potatoes have inspection tags.

Makes corrective recommendations to growers who deal with plants that are diseased or weevils that are found in potatoes.

Collects representative samples of pesticides and transmits to lab to ensure product content as per label.

Spot-checks pesticides with farmers and dealers to ensure that they are labeled and registered.

Checks wholesale and retail florists, nursery stock, flower dealers, arborists, horticulturists, landscape architects, and contractors for proper licenses.

SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DUTIES
Assists in conducting assessments and investigations of agricultural producers to determine existing conditions and impact on soil, water, air, and other natural resources.

Develops conservation plans for wetlands, farmland, grazing land, forest land, and urban areas to assist land users with voluntary natural resource conservation efforts.

Plans and assists private landowners in implementing and applying Best Management Practices (BMPs) to comply with state and federal rules and regulations.

Works with producers to establish BMPs required under the Agricultural Solid Waste Management Program to achieve environmental compliance.

Provides assistance to statewide Soil and Water Conservation District Boards of Supervisors in planning, developing, and managing various natural resource conservation plans for improved soil, water, and air quality and improved wildlife habitat in both agricultural and urban environments.

Assists Soil and Water Conservation Districts in assessing natural resource conditions and in planning and implementing programs to resolve identified resource management problems.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Three years of experience in agriculture, chemistry, natural resource management, structural pest control, or inspection or enforcement for compliance with agricultural, environmental, or public health laws, rules or regulations; OR

A bachelor's degree in forestry, an agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental science, or engineering field.