Jobs at Member Institutions & APLU

North Dakota State University (NDSU) Extension is looking for a highly motivated educator to serve as an Extension Specialist (1.0 FTE with a 90% Extension and 10% applied research appointment, non-tenure track) with an emphasis in soil health. NDSU Extension is an organization that values people who excel, adapt quickly to changing circumstances, exhibit passion for helping others, and are excellent communicators. The Extension Soil Health Specialist is a member of a statewide Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources team responsible for providing leadership to create and deliver innovative learning experiences that empower North Dakotans to improve their lives and communities.

The Soil Health Extension Specialist will be responsible for providing innovative Extension programing that will serve a diverse clientele of producers, as well as industry and advisory groups. Programing will focus primarily on soil health and associated agricultural issues, utilization, and management, by providing education to Extension agents, farmers and ranchers, landowners, agricultural lenders, agribusinesses, soil and water conservation boards, industry organizations, and agricultural processors. The Extension specialist will work closely with the other Soil Health Specialists, including campus-based Specialist and others within the NDSU Research and Extension Center system, and with North Dakota County Extension agents. It will be important to build collaborative relationships with stakeholders, including farmers, landowners, ag-industry and public agencies to achieve goals. This position will be based at the NDSU North Central Research Extension Center (NCREC) located near Minot, ND. The NCREC Director will provide supervision for this position.

Responsibilities:

• Develop an innovative Extension program that includes the identifying, assessing, and delivering of educational programs that will facilitate the development of soil health educational opportunities for Extension agents, producers, landowners, economic development leaders, industry, and entities of government.
• Provide expertise for Extension agents, famers, landowners and other stakeholders through continued education training to strengthen soil health knowledge base statewide.
• Stay up-to-date on soil health issues in North Dakota by attending professional development opportunities provided through meetings, seminars, symposiums, conferences and other events.
• Collaborate with and build strong working relationships with appropriate Extension specialists, research faculty, Extension agents, NCREC employees and associated agricultural clientele to deliver statewide forage crops related programs.
• Develop individual and team-based Extension programs utilizing a variety of delivery methods and publications that disseminate information to producers, industry personnel, Extension agents, and Research Extension Centers.
• Communicate with other Extension personnel, appropriate Research Extension Center personnel, and farmers and ranchers about issues that need new or additional research. When appropriate, provide leadership for developing and demonstrating of novel management strategies that ensure program relevancy and the ability to guide producer efforts to adapt to changing production systems.
• Develop relationships and cooperate with research and Extension faculty within the NDSU School of Natural Resources and other agricultural departments.
• Secure external funding for soil health–related Extension and programming efforts.
• Assist the development and/or enhancement of existing soil health related youth programs.
• Perform other duties as assigned.