Primary Role
Primary Role: Schedule all irrigation activities to mesh and fit with all planting, growing, harvesting, and field
preparations schedules that will deliver maximum yield in the most cost-effective means. All irrigation activities
will need to mesh with the activities of the VP of Crops and Soils, VP of Farming Operations, Planting Manager,
PCA/Agronomy, labor workforce, and 3rd party resources.
Secondary Role: Oversee the inventory and distribution of all irrigation system liquid fertilizers and chemicals
while working in collaboration with the VP of Crops & Soils and PCA/Agronomy to measure utilization against
plan and yields that meet or exceed expectations. Also to coordinate a schedule and execution plan for the
transportation and placement of equipment and supplies to ensure timely execution for all aspects of irrigation,
chemigation, and fertigation.
Tertiary Role: Oversee all aspects of irrigation systems selection, installation, maintenance, operation, and
utilization to ensure optimal performance in the delivery of water and nutrients to the fields and plants resulting
in optimal plant health, from planting to harvest, delivering yields that meet or exceed expectations.
Requirements
Liquid Fertilizer Management 1. Assists with the overall management of technical operations including, but not limited to pest management, soil and plant nutrition and irrigation. Scheduling of projects and site overview. 2. Responsible for purchasing and accounting functions related to all fertilizers. 3. Inspects and receives all dry & liquid fertilizer products, tracks and distributes to field operations/cost center. 4. Performs cost accounting functions related to fertilizer purchasing program. 5. Review and approves invoices then routes to A/P for payment. (approx. 20 hours per month) 6. Prepare, review and manager requisitions to set up jobs then tracks within 30 days. Takes appropriate next steps with field operation master scheduling. 7. Travel to ranch (sites) every week (Monday 5-6 hours) to confirm liquid fertilizer tank levels. 8. Tracks usages of fertilizer in excel and reports data to Owner. 9. Completes inventory sheet/order sheet. Maintains fertilizer, detailed by type. Review, analyze and assess “fertilizer load sheets”. 10. Helps direct and manage PCA activity where appropriate. Water Rights 1. Manage & track all federal/state/county water rights using excel. 2. Files annual report(s) w/ San Joaquin Delta Water Coalition 3. Completes all field evaluations (8 page reports) on an annual basis 4. Responsible for the filing & accuracy of all other water-related documentation required by the federal/state/county agencies
Responsibilites
- 1. Determines the daily/weekly irrigation schedules/run times for all crops grown through the implementation and use of current irrigation technology and personal knowledge/expertise in order to deliver maximum crop yield & product quality. 2. Clearly communicates the daily/weekly irrigation schedules/run times to all irrigation supervisors for all crops grown. 3. Continuously monitors the progress of both the sprinkler and drip irrigation supervisors & irrigation foremen to ensure the daily/weekly irrigation schedules/runtimes are being executed accurately & efficiently out in the field in order to deliver maximum crop yield & product quality. 4. Assists, directs, and supervises the daily, weekly, and monthly work schedules for all sprinkler and drip foremen plus their crews to ensure adequate and efficient human resources are available to complete all irrigation jobs to the highest quality of work. 5. Daily contact with the Planting Manager during seeding & transplanting to insure adequate and timely water delivery in order to provide best conditions for a high rate of seed germination & transplant survival resulting in the highest crop yields possible. 6. Monitor plant health on daily basis and works in collaboration with the PCA & Agronomy and VP Crops & Soils to ensure optimal crop yield and product quality. 7. Monitors and maintains pH levels in irrigation systems using sulfuric acid to balance pH where needed and keep the system clear of obstacles and functioning at optimal capacity for delivering water and nutrients. 8. Track and reconcile all fertilizer applications in the field to ensure proper utilization, inventory on hand, and efficacy of use against planned / assumed yield by field. 9. Coordinates with irrigation supervisors and team members on daily, weekly, monthly schedule according to field operation master schedule. 10. Oversee entire soil fumigation process; work with PCA for off-season soil samples, ensure drip systems are ready on time for application, and uses procedures which follow current county/state rules & regulations. 11. Work with Farming Operations management and PCA’s to develop and execute annual soils, plant, and harvest schedules to deliver maximum yield at profitable costs balancing labor efficiently. 12. Collaborate with VP of Farming Operations management prior to system design in order to setup drip system field sets in order to make irrigation & fertilization during the season as practical as possible with optimal price & efficiency of system in mind. 13. Conduct continuous research on setup and cost of new styles of irrigation management in row crops in order to replace older management styles (such as hand-pump irrometers) when technology has proven itself superior in the marketplace / field. 14. Monitor and maintains new styles of irrigation management equipment in order to validate improvements and ROI, or report on the lack of results and learn from the decisions made. 15. Where appropriate works closely with 3rd party irrigation management companies in order to ensure proper use and efficiency of the new delivery and monitoring systems. 16. Work with production crews and office staff while fostering a positive environment of respect and safety for staff, customers, vendors and environment. 17. Assists VP of Crops & Soils with the direction and implementation of season planting schedules for all crops grown by VGS. 18. Works independently and collaboratively, performing detail oriented, multiple level projects in conjunction with duties.