Agriculture Specialist

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Texas.

📋 Description

• Establish and nurture robust relationships with farmers, ranchers, and regional partners to encourage the adoption of regenerative grazing and cropping practices.

• Oversee the local execution of mentor network models, collaborating closely with the Texas Grazing Network Senior Manager (Sr Manager) to recruit, onboard, and support mentors throughout their mentorship journey.

• Facilitate the provision of tools, training, and ongoing coordination with mentors to ensure effective engagement with land stewards, including guidance on goal setting, practice implementation, troubleshooting barriers, documenting progress, and connecting participants to additional technical assistance as needed.

• Collaborate with the Texas Director, Sr Manager, and partner organizations to identify strategies that promote the advancement of soil health practices in cropping systems within the Texas Panhandle, such as peer-to-peer networks, technical assistance, and other outreach initiatives.

• Assist in recruiting land stewards for mentorship opportunities, training, and peer-learning activities, focusing on producers interested in enhancing grazing practices, soil health, drought resilience, water-use efficiency, and overall farm viability.

• Aid in soil sampling and related data collection activities to assist land stewards in establishing baseline conditions, monitoring changes over time, and understanding the impact of regenerative grazing and cropping practices on soil health.

• Organize mentor training events in conjunction with AFT staff and external partners, handling logistics, supporting facilitation, and collaborating with partners to create training materials that are practical, regionally pertinent, and aligned with program objectives.

• Support mentors in delivering direct technical assistance and resource navigation to producers transitioning to regenerative practices, including developing conservation plans for grazing management, regenerative cropping systems, and other soil health approaches.

• Plan and execute workshops, field days, and learning circles that address regional challenges, such as water scarcity, drought resilience, and farm viability in the Panhandle and beyond.

• Work alongside AFT staff and partners to tailor curriculum, outreach materials, and program strategies to the context of the Texas Panhandle.

• Connect producers with financial and technical resources, including state and federal conservation programs and funding opportunities.

• Contribute to storytelling and communication efforts by highlighting producer experiences, identifying case studies, and assisting in the creation of outreach materials in collaboration with communications staff.

• Monitor program activities, producer engagement, and outcomes to facilitate continuous improvement and identify future funding opportunities.

• Conduct site visits with mentor network participants to strengthen mentor-land steward relationships, assess progress, and collect data.

⛳️ Requirements

• Strong understanding of agricultural systems in the Southern Great Plains, encompassing grazing, cropping, and water resource challenges.

• Proven ability to build trust and foster relationships with farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.

• Experience in delivering technical assistance, outreach, or educational programs related to regenerative agriculture, grazing systems, and/or soil health.

• Exceptional communication and facilitation skills, capable of engaging diverse audiences and translating technical concepts into practical applications.

• Ability to work independently while coordinating with remote teams and partners.

• Willingness to travel frequently within the Panhandle and occasionally to other locations.

• Knowledge of regenerative grazing, soil health principles, dryland and water-limited cropping systems, and conservation practices that promote drought resilience, water-use efficiency, and long-term farm or ranch viability (Preferred).

• Familiarity with agricultural systems, producer networks, and conservation partners in the Texas Panhandle, Southern Great Plains, or similar agricultural regions (Preferred).

• Experience directly collaborating with ranchers and agricultural producers to adopt conservation practices, including organizing producer education events like workshops, field days, learning circles, or peer-to-peer training opportunities (Preferred).

• Experience in developing conservation plans, grazing plans, or related implementation plans in partnership with producers, technical assistance providers, universities, conservation districts, nonprofits, agencies, or other stakeholders (Preferred).

• Familiarity with state and federal government programs that offer financial or technical assistance to agricultural producers, including conservation, soil health, drought resilience, and water conservation initiatives (Preferred).

• Experience working with mentors or providing mentorship, peer learning, coaching, or producer-to-producer support in an agricultural, conservation, extension, or community-based context (Preferred).

• Familiarity with United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) conservation programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), along with regional agricultural networks (Preferred).

🏝️ Benefits

• Insurance coverage begins on the 1st of the month following the date of hire.

• 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).

• 401k Plan.

• Sick Leave: Regular full-time employees accrue 13 “sick days” per year.

• Vacation Leave: Accrue 15 days during the first year, increasing by one day each subsequent year to a maximum of 20 days per year.

• Holidays: AFT observes twelve fixed holidays and a week off between Christmas and New Year’s (all offices closed), plus a choice of up to three floating holidays (depending on the hiring month).