County Administration
Agriculture & Extension Division
USDA/NRCS
6942 Professional Parkway | Sarasota, FL 34240
Monday – Friday, 8-5

Providing quality customer service to our citizens, business owners and visitors is Manatee County Government’s top priority, and that starts with our employees. We value Accountability, Civility, and Ethics in everything we do, and we look for friendly, innovative employees who share those values.

The Manatee County Extension Service is an educational program within county government which brings the resources of the University of Florida to Manatee County to solve local problems, provide educational opportunities, promote economic enhancement, and improve the quality of life for all.

Soil Conservation Planner- You will spend some time preparing for an educational event coordinated by the Soils Unit, performing such tasks as gathering/picking up supplies, writing a soils subject test, editing scoring and other Excel spreadsheets needed for the event, communicating with cooperating agencies, vendors, and participants. Next, a field visit (under a range of Florida weather conditions) has been scheduled to an agricultural operation. The agricultural producer has implemented best management/conservation practices to address a resource concern. They have installed a watering facility system for their cattle, you will visit the field with a co-worker and check out the practice taking data to determine if the practice has been installed according to USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service standards and specifications. When you return from the field you will download the collected data and use the NRCS Conservation Desktop program (ArcGIS based) to create maps and documents to show the extent and details of the practice installed. Lastly, NRCS Conservation Desktop will be used for a new NRCS Farm Bill program applicant, to transfer field recommendations to address resource concerns by creating a practice schedule, a series of environmental maps, and a conservation

What Manatee County Government Offers

• 
  Comprehensive benefits package – Your Choice Manatee Health Plan
• Generous vacation/sick leave, 11 paid holidays
• Florida Retirement System (FRS)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Autonomy to grow and find your career path with supportive leadership

What You Will Do

• 
  Prepares and writes conservation plans for landowners and agricultural managers
• Creates series of maps using USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) ArcGIS mapping product and explains completed plans to landowner/operator
• Conducts environmental evaluations to assess presence, type, existence of threatened and endangered species and/or their habitat, soil erosion, cultural and historic resources, and other environmental concerns
• Participates in outreach activities to increase agricultural enterprise participation in the planning process and implementation of related plans
• Prepares pertinent reports and maintains related records, including current listing of agricultural enterprises in the watersheds, report for Utility Operations and data for NRCS software applications

• High experience with ArcGIS
• Field Work experience
• Previous training in Agricultural, biology, natural resources, or other related fields
• Knowledge in local, regional. state, and federal laws pertaining to agriculture, water, land use, nutrient & pesticide application use and the protection of threatened and endangered species.
• Comfortable being able to present verbally and written reports to the public, government regulators, staff, and other stakeholders

Required Skills

• 
  Bachelor’s degree in agriculture, biology, ecology, natural resources, or a related field
• Valid Florida Driver’s license

• Prior work experience in agriculture or an agricultural enterprise/support industry desired
• Geographic Information System (GIS) and ArcGIS experience desired
• Basic Soil Science Course preferred