Nursery Seed Program Crew Leader

The mission of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) is to ensure that Montana's land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations.

The DNRC believes employees are their most important asset. The DNRC empowers employees to exercise professional judgment in carrying out their duties. Employees are provided with the training and tools necessary to achieve the mission. Both team effort and individual employee expertise are supported and sustained. To learn more about DNRC please visit Montana DNRC. 

Nursery Program Overview:  

The Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery provides seedlings for conservation projects throughout Montana and to a limited extent, the Rocky Mountain West.  Customers include but are not limited to Tribal Agencies, ranchers, watershed non-profits, Conservation Districts, Extension Offices, DNRC Trust Lands Division, and private individuals.  The Nursery grows both container seedlings and bareroot seedlings.  The Nursery grows approximately 1 million seedlings annually for these conservation projects, with an increasing emphasis on post-wildfire reforestation.  The Nursery is a proprietary fund in the DNRC that is supported completely on the revenue received from seedling sales. In 2022, the Nursery expanded its operations to include native seed production.  The Nursery's fields serve as the production hub for the Montana Native Seed Network, cultivating seed increase beds from wild collected regional plant populations.  The Mission of the Montana Conservation Seedling Nursery is to provide locally adapted seedlings and native seed at a low price to be used in conservation projects throughout the State of Montana.

Job Overview:  

The Seed Program Crew Leader is responsible for completing all Seed Program tasks and for training and supervising short-term, seasonal workers and interns hired to assist at peak times.Essential Functions (Major Duties or Responsibilities):  These job functions are the essential duties of the position and are not all-inclusive of all the duties that may be assigned to the incumbent.

Foundation Field (Seed Increase) Cultivation (45% of time)

• Preparing fields and seed beds for cultivation: weed-whacking, mowing, tilling, laying weed fabric.
• Maintaining seed increase beds: weeding, watering and moving irrigation pipe, spraying herbicide.
• Propagation: stratifying seed lots for production, sowing in the greenhouse, and planting plugs into seed increase beds.
• Harvesting: Monitoring crops and harvesting individual species throughout the entirety of their maturation window using hand tools and mechanized equipment.  Properly drying harvested material to prepare for seed extraction. 
• Operating agricultural equipment: including tractors, fork lifts, seeders, sprayers, etc.  The Seed Program manager must have a knowledge of correct operation of all implements:  This includes power and speed requirements, correct implement use, and standard agricultural practice and safety for each implement.

Seed Collection and Extraction (25% of time)

• Seed Collecting: Wildland population assessment and collection within a 50 mile radius of the DNRC Nursery in remote areas and rough terrain.
• Seed Banking: Collection management, bagging, labeling, testing, herbarium management.
• Seed Cleaning: Extraction of harvested and/or collected material to remove chaff to Pure Live Seed. This includes use of both hand and mechanized equipment. 

Containerized Seedling Production (20% of time)

• Sowing: includes cleaning and filling styro-blocks, sowing seed, transporting blocks to greenhouses.
• Thinning: includes manually removing excess stems from blocks and weeding blocks and containers.
• Irrigation: watering and fertilizing all containerized seedlings
• Pesticide application, under direction of on-site licensed pesticide applicator.
• Pull and Wrap: removing mature seedlings from containers, performing QA/QC to ensure product quality.
• Packing: boxing and moving product into cold storage, conducting product inventory and sorting for orders.  Moving product out of cold storage and sorting for delivery, loading product onto delivery trucks.
  

Data Entry & Analysis (10% of time)

Report to and work with the Seed Program Manager to:

• Input data and create reports 
• Attend native seed and plant conferences and workshops
• Work with MTNSN partners on special projects 

Applications will be reviewed February 11-22 with a target start date of March 11th or 25th. 

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):

The minimum qualifications are a high school diploma or GED and nursery/seedling experience. Preferred education and experience: Completion of a four-year undergraduate degree in a related field (botanical science, ecology, conservation, agricultural or environmental science) and two years' experience, preferably in agricultural or nursery operations and practices. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be acceptable.    

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities: 
Knowledge of safety precautions in the use of hand tools and other nursery and agricultural equipment, and ability to perform physically demanding tasks. An interest in growing native plants, working outdoors or conservation of Montana's natural resources is beneficial. Directly related nursery and/or agricultural experience and native plant identification is highly desirable. The ability to follow verbal and written instruction is critical. Must work well independently AND in group situations and maintain positive working relationships with coworkers. A high level of fitness is required with the ability to repeatedly lift 50 pounds, work and hike in rugged terrain, and perform strenuous and repetitive tasks. The ability to work in the standing position and on one's knees for extended periods of time is required.  Candidate must have a valid driver's license.