Assistant Grower

Company Overview

Who is Costa Farms? We’re one of the world’s largest horticultural growers—but without an ego to match our acreage. Our headquarters are in Miami, Florida, where we were founded in 1961. Costa Farms started on just 30 acres, and over the last 60 years, we’ve grown to more than 5,000 acres around the world. We have farms in North and South Carolina, Central and South Florida, and the Dominican Republic, plus an office in China. Costa Farms now employs nearly 6,000 engineers, marketers, accountants/analysts, human resources professionals, and of course, growers and plant scientists!

Here at Costa Farms, we live by the values of H3: being Humble, staying Hungry, and always Hustling. The team rallies to the mission of being a lean, green, growing machine dedicated to enriching the world by bringing plants into everyone’s life.

True to that mission, we grow more than 1,500 plant varieties. Driven by the spirit of innovation, the team is always testing new plants and developing new solutions to make it easier for retailers and plant parents to enjoy plants. We’re also continuously testing different ways of growing our plants to increase quality and improve their ecological footprint as one aspect of our many sustainability efforts.

We cultivate plants, as well as a winning culture. Join the team, and you’ll find opportunities to learn and grow. You’ll collaborate with other driven, determined people who together keep Costa Farms an industry leader. You’ll support and be supported by a team that cares about each other, our customers, our consumers, and our community.

You’ll also find right away that Costa Farms is committed to providing a diverse environment. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, disability, age, military status, marital status or veteran status, or any other group status protected by federal, state, or local law.

Job Description

Costa Farms is a place for accountable employees who want to win by growing their personal lives and careers safely through servant leadership, teamwork, and resilience. We are currently looking for people that share our values and are ready to turn their passion for plants into a career. As an Assistant Grower / Grower Apprentice in Costa Carolina (our operating unit in Leicester, NC), you will learn the art of growing alongside some of the best growers while developing your leadership and teamwork skills in our personal development program.

Assistant Grower Responsibilities

Growing

• Manage daily crop care (watering, drenching, spraying) efforts to maximize production and ensure proper techniques and sequence of tasks to benefit crop growth.
• In concert with the grower, manage all aspects of the Horticulture processes and procedures in your assigned area, including but not limited to; propagation, fertilization, irrigation, chemical application, plant maintenance and other crop needs on a daily basis.

Tasks

• Responsible for planning, scheduling and coordinating with plant maintenance supervisor/spread move supervisor all crop care tasks (pinch/trim, spread/move/hang) in assigned areas
• Manage inventory of daily use tools and supplies for crop care workers. Investigate and implement more effective tools while keeping costs controlled.
• Assist in crop maintenance tasks, as needed, by pinching, trimming, shearing, and cleaning in conjuncture with the grower and the planning department.

IPM

• Working with Integrated Pest Management team, share responsibility for scouting for pests, disease, beneficial mites / insects, and pest/disease control, Monitor pests and manage bio control.

Documentation / Record Keeping for CCS / Trials

• Recording and reporting all data required to the supervisor, make sure all data are recorded and kept according to the requirements.
• Record and report inputs like water, feed, PGR, on all crops for all stages from the beginning to the end of the crop cycle.
• Document, assist and consult with Grower with various trials being performed in the greenhouse, along with interpretation of weekly recordings of important plant measurements.

Regulatory / CPS / Protocols / Processes

• Ensure that the activities within your area adhere to all corporate, site, and regulatory protocols and processes.
• Adherence to all applicable CPS processes.
• Support all CPS activates and be a very active participant in all CPS activities and processes.
• Travel to other farm locations on occasion
• Lead morning meetings, update meeting board, ensure proper communication between teams
• Responsible to make sure that the area under your responsibility is in compliance with WPS practices at all times.
• Responsible to make sure that the standard chemical application signs are filled out consistently and correctly, and are in place during the required re-entry interval

Sanitation / Upkeep

• Ensure greenhouse cleanliness and sanitation within designated greenhouse areas
• Keeping and maintaining the sanitation standards in your area of responsibility according to the protocol.
• Responsible for housekeeping, sanitation and weed control for your area at all times.

Equipment Maintenance and Upkeep

• Assist Grower with general upkeep of assigned section.
• Perform CILs for tools used in the area of responsibility each day, making sure that all necessary structures and equipment are in order and functioning at all times.
• Be able to maintain or fix some minor technical problems in your area of responsibility.
• Ensure that all booms, solenoids, valves, rain birds, basket watering systems, and filters are maintained and working according to the protocol.
• Responsible for ensuring that employees use equipment appropriately and maintain equipment in good working order

Fertigation / pH / EC

• Responsible for fertilizer stock and preparation, pH/EC sampling and testing,
• Ensure all required samplings are done on time, this includes daily EC and pH measurement, weekly soil analysis for EC and pH, and media / foliar sampling for lab Analysis depending on the requirement,
• Perform consistent crop and irrigation system inspections in the field to make sure that the moisture requirement is up to the standard.
• Be able to set up the overhead irrigation and drip irrigation

Environmental Control Systems

• Monitor and adjust environmental control systems based on request from the grower and established criteria

Generic

• Average 45hrs / week
• Exhibit a proactive approach to growing and maintaining the highest crop quality possible
• Responsible for other areas depending on the request from your grower.
• Being able to work closely with all stakeholders at all times to foster team work

Consultants

• Attend all crop walks and meetings with consultants, ensuring detailed notes are captured and reviewed with the grower to develop action plans.

Requirements:

• Preview Horticulture experience or education

Physical Requirements Percentages of Time

• Sitting and computer work 5%
• Walking 75%
• Standing 10%
• Lifting, pushing pulling up to 50lbs. 10%

All applicants must be work-authorized.

Costa Farms will not sponsor any visa for this position.

After applying, follow us on LinkedIn to stay up to date on what’s happening around Costa Farms and to start becoming part of our family. Come Grow with Us™!

Costa Farms offers competitive wages and benefits, including:

• 401(k) Plan
• Company 401(k) Matching Contributions
• Health Savings Account
• Care on Demand Telemedicine
• Health Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Supplemental Insurance (Aflac)
• Virtual workplace for certain roles
• Growth Opportunities
• Challenging and exciting work environment
• Costa Farms Scholarship
• Employee discounts on plants

Costa Farms headquarters also has:

• On-site gym with showers
• On-site cafeteria, quiet room, and indoor games
• Love Where You Work activities throughout the year

This organization participates in E-Verify

• E-Verify Notice of Participation / E-Verify Aviso de Participación (English/Español)
• E-Verify Right to Work Poster / E-Verify Cartel Derecho a Trabajar (English/Español)

Behaviors

• Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest
• Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Motivations

• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help
• Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization