Grape IPM Specialist-Senior Extension Associate

Anticipated Division of Time

Program Development: 20%

• Identify Grape IPM program needs and opportunities in NY in ways to best reduce environmental, health and economic risks with IPM. Consult with NYS IPM Program educators, off-campus extension staff, Cornell faculty, program advisory committees, growers, private consultants, and ag business personnel.
• Provide leadership for the development of regional and statewide plans for IPM educational outreach programs in grapes. With recommendations and advice from the Cornell NYS IPM Program, extension staff, grape faculty, and program advisory committees, identify program needs and opportunities, and conduct educational outreach programs.
• Provide direct linkage with the NYS IPM Program, the Fruit IPM Working Group, appropriate CCE Program Work Teams and appropriate Cornell faculty and staff.
• Ensure that program direction and related activities are coordinated within the overall plans of area extension programs and extension associations.
• Develop and enhance relationships with appropriate agencies, organizations, and community leaders as a pest management resource through newsletters and other social media; applied research and demonstration projects; innovative teaching and learning opportunities; and one-to-one communications as needed for trouble shooting and problem solving.

Program Implementation: 30%

• Provide statewide leadership for efforts that develop, demonstrate, and evaluate educational programs with emphasis on IPM. The program will emphasize using methods and materials that result in a minimized use of pesticides while still maintaining crop quality and farm profitability.
• Provide regional support to the Lake Erie region including efforts that develop, demonstrate, and evaluate educational programs with emphasis on IPM. The program will emphasize using methods and materials that result in a minimized use of pesticides while still maintaining crop quality and farm profitability.
• Provide leadership in the development of IPM training manuals, fact sheets, scouting forms, charts, audio-visual aids, etc. Provide leadership in the development and maintenance of IPM content on the regional team and NYS IPM web site, and other internet resources, as appropriate.
• Provide statewide and regional updates to the NY and PA Pest Management Guidelines for Grapes, and the NY Integrated Hops Production Guideline.
• Work with Regional Grape Program Teams to provide educational outreach and implementation, including providing support to those joint effort programs by the wine and juice grape industry, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the New York State Department of Agriculture and Market's Soil and Water Conservation Committee to define and promote the use of sustainable growing practices on the of vineyards in New York. The program's major goals are to promote and document grape and hop production practices that:

• Protect the environment (specifically water quality and soil health).
• Protect the health of workers, neighbors, and consumers.
• Increase or maintain the profitability of grape production.
• Implement a grower self-assessment to document sustainable practices already in use and promote further adoption of new practices. Work with the grape industry, using VineBalance as an educational tool, a method for determining baseline practices, fostering adoption of advanced IPM practices, and a vehicle to evaluate the impact of VineBalance for enhancing the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of New York State's viticulture industry.

• Provide research-based knowledge through educational activities for members of the grape extension teams and other extension staff, private consultants, industry representatives, growers, and others through a variety of means including but not exclusive to direct teaching through group experiences (meetings, workshops, etc.) and mass media (webinars, podcasts, print, etc.)
• Ensure a major program emphasis on the demonstration and adoption of IPM principles and practices. Analyze and evaluate major program efforts in cooperation with extension staff and if needed make recommendations for altering and improving them.

Applied Research: 25%

• Conduct applied, integrated research designed to fill IPM knowledge gaps, in cooperation with appropriate faculty and extension field staff, and/or independently.
• Lead and cooperate on grant and funding proposals with agencies, organizations, faculty, and extension personnel that will address IPM applied research needs and generate program support.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret data as needed.
• Prepare reports for granting agencies, NYSIPM publications and social media, and other extension publications.
• Actively pursue outside grant funds to support the on-going applied research efforts.

Program Evaluation: 15%

• Evaluate, document, and report the efficacy, environmental impact, and cost of Grape IPM projects, programs, and practices, as well as the level of adoption.
• Develop and communicate IPM program evaluation options on an area basis to ensure the documentation of impacts. Work with area extension staff to evaluate the environmental, health and economic impact of their program efforts.
• Regularly communicate area program activities and impacts to IPM Program Coordinators, faculty, off-campus extension staff, program advisory committee members, growers, and private consultants.
• Share results in quarterly and annual reports with the IPM Program; and local, state, and federal partners and agencies.
• Identify and report IPM knowledge gaps and information transfer problems.
• Present results of IPM implementation and research projects at appropriate local, regional, state, and national meetings.

Professional Development: 5%

• Participate in professional development opportunities, conferences, and workshops appropriate to program and personal skill enhancement.
• File professional improvement plan and constructively evaluate self-performance for improvement and subject matter excellence.
• Stay informed of advances in Grape IPM.
• Participate in related regional, statewide, and national professional organizations as appropriate.

Supervision: 5%

• Provide supervision and guidance for technical support staff, as needed.
• Provide guidance to IPM extension educators on Grape IPM implementation and the development of educational materials.
• May provide direct supervision for project personnel.

Required Qualifications:

M.Sc. degree required in entomology, plant pathology, weed science, horticulture, agronomy, or a closely related field and eight or more years of related work experience. Must have a strong background in integrated pest management. Be able to design, execute and analyze complex field experiments. Fundamental competence utilizing current technology to communicate to diverse audiences using a variety of format. Minimum of 3 years of experience in Extension education and/or research in IPM (which could include time spent pursuing a graduate degree). Must possess or have the ability to acquire a New York Driver's License.

Preferred Qualifications:

Ph.D. degree in entomology, plant pathology, weed science, horticulture, agronomy, or a closely related field. Work experience in conducting, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating the results of applied research. Extensive professional work experience in crop production, pest management, Cooperative Extension, or in developing informal educational programs.

Bilingual in English and Spanish is desirable.

Must possess or have the ability to acquire a New York State Certified Pesticide Applicators License.
Must be authorized to work in the United States.

To apply:

Please apply via Academic Jobs Online http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/27633

Qualified candidates should submit a short cover letter, curriculum vitae, contact information for three references, and a statement supporting diverse communities (this can be a stand-alone document (preferred) or the information can be embedded in other parts of the application materials) outlining how, through research, teaching, service, mentoring, extension, and/or outreach, the candidate has and will contribute to support Cornell's historical mission of "any person ... any study," via the website.

Applications will be reviewed as received, continuing until a suitable applicant is identified.

CALS hiring range for this title is $93,000 to $95,000.

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