• The Soil Health Crop Specialist will work closely with the Advanced Soil Health Training advisor cadres to enroll producers in our row crop focused project’s funded states. The Specialist will focus on the groundwork in PA, VA, MD, NC, SC, TX with broad flexibility beyond these via collaboration across AFT regions and Truterra ag retailer and other project partner networks. 
• Engage directly with producers and their advisors to provide and/or facilitate technical assistance on options, data collection, conservation planning, and troubleshooting to support successful transitions to soil health management systems.  
• Connect farmers with resources, networks, and funding opportunities to support their long-term success. 
• Support development, capacity building, and scale up of peer-to-peer/mentoring networks  
• Stay current and share highlights on innovative producer experience, latest technology, literature, and scientific findings, related to soil health and climate mitigation, adaptation and resilience.  
• Collaborate on practical scientific research that addresses identified needs. 
• Provide technical advice and review of technical materials for programs and policy staff 
• Serve as a trusted source of information for soil health management systems adoption and expansion in the region and beyond. 

• Develop, update, compile, and improve technical resources and decision support tools that facilitate adoption of practices. 
• Collaborate on publication of lessons learned, toolkits, and more across projects on our Farmland Information Center and beyond, for diverse audiences, including but not limited to farmers and ranchers, landowners, agricultural service providers, others in the ag and conservation communities, decision makers and influencers, and scientists. 
• Collaborate with AFT and partner scientists on peer-reviewed scientific publications.  

• Lead and represent AFT at compelling virtual and in-person events, similar to many extension roles but with broad regional influence. This will include giving science-based and inspirational presentations at, hosting, and facilitating events such as webinars, multi-session trainings, networking and outreach events, scientific and producer conferences, workshops, field days and farm and other stakeholder visits. 
• Develop and implement educational programming and outreach for diverse stakeholders across these multiple formats, including social media, and other online outreach.  
• Ensure programming is responsive to identified gaps and needs and strategically relevant to the growing national scope of AFT’s climate and soil health project portfolio.  
• Contribute to and/or lead curriculum and new training development. 
• Provide training, both for project specific networks, and beyond, to build relationships, impact, and capacity.  
• Integrate the newest soil health management understanding, successful producer experience, research, and new practices and technologies into training and technical materials.  

• Support producer eligibility and enrollment processes, project-required farmer management software use by producers and their service providers, and trouble shooting.  
• Pursue filling gaps in producer data required for USDA reporting and project success.  
• Document and contribute to reporting project outcomes.  
• Prepare and contribute to preparing reports to funders. 
• Collaborate to identify priorities, and develop and implement strategies for driving soil health management systems adoption in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Texas and Oklahoma, and national scale-up 
• Support Climate and Soil Health Initiative Director, cross-disciplinary collaborative teams, and Development staff in fundraising through contributing significant, compelling insights and opportunities that inform proposals and pitches, for scaling up impact in the southeastern U.S. and beyond to drive the transition to a new conventional agriculture.  

• Cultivate productive collaborative relationships for achieving high quality, timely current and future project outcomes.  
• Collaborate on/lead gathering data for reporting, technical deliverables, partnering, networking, and documenting key gaps and lessons learned.  
• Build effective collaborations with organizations serving underserved producers and leverage project resources for impact.  
• Support convening listening sessions to document barriers for underserved producers in accessing USDA-NRCS and other technical and financial assistance including via Farm Bill conservation programs, and in successfully adopting soil health practices.  
• Network regularly, virtually and in person, for facilitating adoption and to connect producers with profitable climate smart market opportunities, NRCS and other financial assistance access options.  
• Work closely with AFT project staff and partners who include and a diversity of professionals such as farmers and land owners, NRCS and other state and federal agencies, organizations serving historically underserved producers, conservation districts, land grant university and other researchers, producer groups, commodity and conservation organizations, non-profits, the private sector and beyond, to deliver on projects on time and within budget, and amplify messaging and outcomes.  
• Support and facilitate culture of shared learning, team creativity and problem solving, innovative thinking, high integrity science-based implementation for public benefits across a diverse, interdisciplinary, collaborative, mutually supportive national team. 
• Serve as AFT representative and leader in cross-organizational endeavors.  
• Leverage this unique opportunity for creativity and growth in the scope of work. 

• Degree in agronomy, soil science, agroecology, farm production, conservation, or similar related agriculturally relevant sciences and commensurate amount of experience in agriculture, including experience with soil health management in the position’s focus production systems. 
• Masters degree and a minimum of 5 years of experience; OR 
• PhD degree and a minimum of 3 years of experience; OR  
• Bachelor's degree can be considered in lieu of a graduate degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience  

• Degree in agronomy, soil science, agroecology, farm production, conservation, or similar related agriculturally relevant sciences and commensurate amount of experience in agriculture, including experience with soil health management, across multiple soils and climates, and the position’s focus production systems. 
• Masters degree and a minimum of 10 years of experience; OR
  
• PhD degree and a minimum of 7 years of experience; OR  
• Bachelor's degree can be considered in lieu of a graduate degree with a minimum of 15 years of experience  

Qualifications 

Soil Health Crop Position Specific Technical Experience: 

Required: 

• Substantial hands-on experience with corn, soy, wheat, and cotton production and soil health management options, particularly in southeastern climate and soils. 
• Experience assisting producers with, and/or working on own operation, to transition from conventional row crop management to soil health management system that maximizes soil cover, living root presence, and biodiversity, and minimizes disturbance, including assessing risk and risk management, making and using soil health management and/or nutrient and/or pest management plans and adapting systems. 
• Familiar with the principles and benefits of cover cropping, reducing tillage, innovative ways for diversifying row crop systems, maintaining soil cover for as much of the year as possible.  
• Somewhat familiar with, and ready to learn more about, soil health practice and GHG scientific literature.  

Desired: 

• Significant familiarity with some of the row crop production soil health practice and GHG footprint/impact literature 

Training, technical assistance, and outreach experience 

Required:  

• Proficient trainer, facilitator, and communicator adept at translating practical and science-based concepts for diverse audiences. 
• Skilled at delivering engaging, inspiring soil health implementation training to producers and their service providers. 
• Experienced in creating educational materials and curriculum, disseminating project results, and conducting public-facing presentations. 
• Experience providing technical assistance  

Desired:  

• Proficient in providing technical assistance that leads to soil health practice adoption 
• Familiar with NRCS, including for example: practice standards, conservation planning (soil health management planning, soil health testing, grazing management planning, nutrient management planning), eligibility and financial assistance, and with other technical service provider networks and services.  
• Experience with barriers to NRCS program access by historically underserved producers 
• Ability to help the team guide participating producers through NRCS and FSA eligibility process for successful project enrollment 

Stakeholder, partnership, and team management experience 

• Proficient in networking and professional communication across diverse teams, both written and verbal, proactively fostering relationships and completion of tasks and goals internally and externally. 
• Proven ability to engage and collaborate with a wide array of stakeholders, such as historically underserved producers, federal and state agencies, research institutions, non-profit entities, and private sector entities. 
• Dedication to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within AFT and the broader agricultural landscape, and experience empowering underserved farmers and contributing to a culture of shared learning and innovation. 
• Experience networking to connect producers with each other, and ready to learn more.  

Desired:  

• Experience building, facilitating, and leading peer-to-peer farmer networks/mentoring networks; able foster a group dynamic where farmers learn directly from each other. 

Programmatic management 

• Strong project management, organizational, communication, and interpersonal abilities. 
• Proven history overseeing project implementation, and delivery, leveraging specialized knowledge to achieve goals. 
• Collaborative and proactive team player skilled in independent and group settings. 
• Exceptional organization and clear communication regarding priorities and timelines. 
• Ability to prioritize tasks, deliver high-quality work within tight deadlines in a dynamic environment.  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel for data management and Word for collaborative document editing.  
• Capability to compile and analyze data  
• Capability to develop programs addressing identified needs. 
• Creative, flexible problem-solving skills, resourceful at finding solutions and leveraging connections. 
• Valuable contributions to a dynamic team, adaptable to growth and change. 
• Motivated and passionate about catalyzing a new conventional agriculture promoting soil health, equity, biodiversity, climate resilience, economic returns, carbon sequestration, and reducing GHG emissions. 

Direct reports 

• This position has no management responsibility at this time but may have potential to evolve into a management position. 

Working Conditions 

• This job operates in a teleworking or professional office environment when not traveling to engage with the agricultural, conservation, and science communities. Co-location at a university or other similar arrangement may be a possibility.  
• While remote, when not traveling, willingness is required to make a multi-year commitment to be located in close proximity to the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast/Southern region of the U.S. to enable easy travel (see below) particularly across the states the project funding the majority of the position initially covers. Soil Health Crop Specialist: on farm work for this position is focused on NC, SC, MD, PA, VA, TX, but the project funds national work.  
• This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers and phones.  
• This role routinely involves travel to meet with producers, agricultural services providers, university professionals, and other agricultural and conservation stakeholders in indoor and outdoor locations, including visiting a variety of agricultural operations.  
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required to meet deadlines or attend events.

Travel 

• Willingness, ability, and passion for regular travel and networking across the Southeastern region to visit farms and attend events, and nationally to represent AFT at events. Estimating that day trips and/or overnight travel will fluctuate depending on priorities and may occur ~1-4 days in a week for 1-3 weeks out of a month, ~25-30%.  
• Valid driver's license and access to a vehicle required. 

Physical requirements 

• Ability to perform the essential job functions consistently, safely, and successfully with the ADA, FMLA and other federal, state and local standards, including meeting qualitative and/or quantitative productivity standards. 
• Will need to perform light field-based tasks such as attending a farm field day, including the ability to traverse uneven terrain.  

Compensation 

The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $105,000, contingent upon experience, education, and qualifications (see thresholds in education and experience section). Candidates with more junior-level experience, education, and qualifications fall within the $75,000 to $90,000 range, while those at the senior-level range from $90,000 to $105,000. 

 American Farmland Trust offers a full benefits package:  

• Medical & Prescription Coverage 
• Dental Coverage 
• Vision Coverage 
• Company Paid Life Insurance & Long-Term Disability (LTD) 
• Voluntary Life Insurance 
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) – Healthcare & Dependent Care 
• Health Savings Account (HSA) 
• 401(k) 
• Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 3.5 hours per pay period (13 “sick days” per year). 
• Vacation Leave: Accrue 15 days during the first year increasing by one day per year to 20 days per year. 
• Holidays: The Company observes the fixed federal eleven holidays during the year, and closes between Dec 25 and Jan 1 every year (all offices closed). Additionally AFT offers choice of 3 other floating holidays annually, depending on hiring date. 

Why you should apply 

• Be a part of a purpose-driven, committed, knowledgeable, high-performing, interdisciplinary, collaborative, experienced and fun team. 
• A diverse and inclusive work environment. 
• A cause and mission you can be proud of. 
• Competitive compensation & benefits. 
• Remote, flexible work opportunities.

Timeline

Applications should include both a resume and cover letter expressing interest in working in climate and soil health at AFT and describing qualifications for the position. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.   

American Farmland Trust provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, American Farmland Trust complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the organization has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.