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Agricultural Technician and Farm Laborer
UCI Series Concepts
Class Specifications - G.65
Principal Agricultural Technician - 8540
Senior Agricultural Technician - 8541
Agricultural Technician - 8542
Farm Laborer - 8543
September, 1974
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SERIES CONCEPT
Agricultural Technicians perform and/or supervise a wide variety of
cultural operations for establishing and maintaining research plots in
fields, orchards, vineyards, nurseries, and greenhouses; and perform
other related duties such as minor construction, maintenance and repair
of agricultural facilities and equipment pertinent to the research
projects.
Incumbents are typically operating personnel spending most of their time
in production and/or maintenance activities and may have limited
supervisory responsibility.
Incumbents plow, disc, level, and otherwise prepare land for cultivated
crops, orchards and vineyards; apply various kinds of agricultural
chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, soil fumigants and
fertilizers; perform tillage operations for weed control and mechanical
thinning of crops; operate tractors with attached or towed equipment and
specialized agricultural equipment such as planters, bed shapers,
chemical incorporators, harvesters, combines and spray equipment: drive
light and medium to heavy sized trucks; propagate and maintain highly
delicate and valuable nursery plants; determine and control proper
ventilation, humidity and temperature for plants where guidelines are
sketchy or nonexistent; perform nonroutine hybridization; devise
cultural methods for new or unfamiliar plant species; maintain various
operational records such as records regarding equipment, cultural
operations and materials applied to test plots.
The concept for the Agricultural Technician series reflects levels of
difficulty such as general and specialized agricultural knowledge
required and utilized; the size and complexity of farm machinery and
equipment used; the degree of responsibility assumed for risk and
consequence of error; and supervisory responsibilities.
CLASS CONCEPTS
Principal Agricultural Technician
Under direction, incumbents (1) perform the duties of a highly skilled
specialist; or (2) act in a lead position over a crew of Senior
Agricultural Technicians, Agricultural Technicians and/or Farm Laborers
on a limited number of tracts or plots and involved in general or
specialized cultural operations; or (3) have the sole responsibility for
the performance of all cultural operations, on a year-round basis,
involving one or more tracts or plots and where there is no direct
supervision over the incumbents' cultural techniques.
Incumbents typically perform the most demanding nursery or greenhouse
tasks such as propagating and devising cultural methods and
environmental controls for new or unfamiliar plant species; act as pest
or weed control specialist with responsibility for supervising pest or
weed control operations including locating and
identifying pests or weeds, selecting pesticides or herbicides and
application methods, scheduling application and training operators; and
handle complex multi-operational farm equipment including orchard and
crop sprayers, planting sleds with agricultural chemical incorporators,
power driven tillage complements, bulldozers, earth moving equipment
and trenching machines.
Incumbents maintain records as outlined in the Series Concept and may
compile data for research purposes.
Senior Agricultural Technician
Under general supervision, incumbents perform skilled or specialized
operational level cultural duties.
Incumbents typically operate large and/or more complex farm equipment as
outlined in the Series Concept; perform general nursery duties such as
propagating standard varieties of plant materials, collecting, caring
for and germinating seeds, maintaining cuttings of plants, and
controlling environmental conditions; perform specialized cultural work
such as irrigating, applying insecticides, herbicide and fertilizers;
and may keep routine operational records. Incumbents may supervise and
train Agricultural Technicians and Farm Laborers.
Senior Agricultural Technician is distinguished from Principal
Agricultural Technician on the basis of the nature and complexity of
tasks performed or by the lack of working supervisory responsibility;
and it is distinguished from Agricultural Technician by operating more
complex and larger equipment or by having greater responsibilities over
diversified or specialized operations without close supervision.
Agricultural Technician
Under supervision, incumbents perform semi-skilled tasks involved in
general agricultural operations.
Incumbents typically hoe; prune; harvest fruit or vegetable crops;
transplant trees, vegetable and/or horticultural plants; operate light
or non-complex farm equipment with or without simple attachments or
integrally mounted farm implements such as plows, harrows, rakes, discs,
mowers and spreaders; perform minor equipment maintenance; assist in
spraying, dusting and weed control; use small hand and power tools in
maintaining and repairing fences and simple farm structures.
Agricultural Technician is distinguished from Farm Laborer by the
absence of close supervision and by the assignment of more responsible
tasks an a continuing basis.
Farm Laborer
Under close supervision, incumbents perform unskilled or semi-skilled
tasks involved in general agricultural operations and may operate simple
equipment such as light trucks and light or medium-size tractors on a
seasonal or occasional basis. This is the entry level in the
Agricultural Technician series. This class may also be used for
unskilled seasonal workers.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Principal Agricultural Technician
Ability to read, write and perform basic arithmetic calculations; five
years of agricultural experience in all phases of cultural operations
including heavy and/or complex equipment operation and/or supervisory
responsibility; or a demonstrated ability to perform in a highly skilled
specialization; and knowledges and abilities essential to the successful
performance of the duties assigned to the position.
Senior Agricultural Technician
Ability to read, write and perform basic arithmetic calculations; three
years of agricultural experience with a demonstrated ability to operate
heavy and/or complex agricultural equipment or a demonstrated ability to
perform at a skilled level within an area of specialization; and
knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the
duties assigned to the position.
Agricultural Technician
Ability to read, write and perform basic arithmetic calculations; one
year of agricultural experience, or a demonstrated ability to operate
light and/or non-complex agricultural equipment; and knowledges and
abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned
to the position.
Farm Laborer
Ability to read, write, follow oral and written instructions and
demonstrated ability to perform general agricultural work; and
knowledges and abilities essential to the successful performance of the
duties assigned to the position.
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