Job Description

Position Title: Agronomist, Farm of the Future Position Type: Regular - Full-Time Position Location: Florenceville Main Requisition ID: 22209
Summary of Position The individual will work closely with the Farm Manager to ensure the agronomy plan is impeccably implemented and constantly check on the deployment of decision support systems (weather, irrigation scheduling, soil fertility, pests and disease forecast etc.) with their integration in the daily farm activities. They will be responsible for the execution of best-in-class regenerative practices which will improve soil carbon, build soil resilience, reduce input costs, maximize fertilizer and water use efficiency, break pest and disease cycles to optimize crop yields and quality. The individual will also work closely with Global Manager R&D on the development of clear innovation and commercialization priorities, and the validation of pioneering concepts and products including at-scale. Their overall goal is to support research and innovation outcomes that enhance McCain\xe2\x80\x99s agricultural sustainability agenda, competitiveness within the industry, and financial benefits.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:

• Provide agronomic support in all aspects of crop production and storage including soil preparation, seed management, planting, fertility management, pests and disease management harvest and storage.
• Design and manage on-farm research trials using state of the art digital tools for data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Support the deployment of novel science and technologies on the farm through extensive validation and cost benefit analysis.
• Work closely with the Technical and Digital Leads to deploy precision agriculture and digital solution tools for the management of inputs, farm data collection, reporting/ dashboarding
• Support the deployment of novel fertility, crop protection and novel agronomic to improve crop and soil health and monitor their impact on farm sustainability and economic indicators.
• Determine the impacts of regenerative practices on soil biodiversity health and provide deeper insights to make management decisions. Uncover how biodiversity, cropping systems and management practices can improve soil productivity and functionality.
• Quantify the impact of various regenerative agricultural practices including livestock integration on soil health and its impact soil carbon, water, nutrients cycles and on soil borne pests and diseases . Apply this knowledge to reduce the need for synthetic inputs and improve crop yields and farm economics.
• Share actionable insights regarding regenerative practices and innovative technology with McCain Owned-Farms, agronomists and McCain growers.
• Use farm management software to support the effective management of farm operations.

Summary of Qualifications

• Excellent knowledge of potato production, crop rotation and storage of crops.
• In-depth knowledge of agronomic principles and conservation/regenerative agriculture practices, innovative technology, and current precision ag methods.
• Knowledge of and willingness to learn and adopt new agronomic and digital techniques.
• Knowledge and experience of delivering deeper insights on obstacles to adoption of regenerative agriculture practices by growers and input into research development to address barriers and provide a strong value framework to the grower.
• Knowledge of Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ) and pest management with reduced risk pesticides.
• Experience in DNA extraction, PCR amplification of the target regions in bacteria, fungi & invertebrates, characterization of DNA amplicons on high throughput DNA sequencing platforms, and ecological assessment of soil biodiversity will be an asset.
• Outstanding research and analytical skills including knowledge of field layout, experimental design and statistical tests such as Student\xe2\x80\x99s t-test, Analysis of variance (ANOVA), Outlier analysis using software\xe2\x80\x99s such as JMP, SPSS or R/PCA.
• Ability to prioritize work under ad hoc requests/critical deadlines and timely completion of projects.
• Ability to use or to quickly learn farm management software
• Self-starter, team player good interpersonal and presentation skills (talking, writing, reasoning, articulating).
• Attention to detail, dependability, a positive attitude, and ability to work well both independently and within a team environment.
• Open minded and positive attitude, and willingness to learn.
• An individual who demonstrates leadership skills and has the desire/ability to contribute and grow within the McCain Foods would be considered a best fit.

Education and/or Experience Required qualifications include a Bachelor of Science degree or higher in Plant Science, Soil Science, Agriculture Engineering or Molecular Biology. Experience with crop production, molecular biology techniques, research and data analysis and data management will be an asset. Excellent verbal and written communication skills are necessary. Knowledge of emerging regenerative agriculture practices and prevision agriculture methods is necessary.
Additional Notes This job may require working overtime and on weekends/public holidays during planting and harvesting.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We see value in ensuring we have a diverse, antiracist, inclusive, merit-based, and equitable workplace. As a global family-owned company we are proud to reflect the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that diversity drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

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Job Family: Agriculture
Division: Global Agriculture
Department: Global Agriculture
Location(s): CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Florenceville-Bristol || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Bathurst || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Centreville || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Edmundston || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Fredericton || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Grand Falls || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Hartland || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Moncton || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Saint John || CA - Canada : New Brunswick : Somerville Company: McCain Foods (Canada)