Farm Foreman

Overview

This is a full time, fiscal year (12-month) appointment with Utah Agricultural Experiment Station (UAES). This position is classified as a Farm Foreman by USU’s Human Resources department. The job is located primarily at the Caine Dairy Teaching and Research Center in Wellsville, Utah. The successful applicant will work closely with UAES Livestock Manager and dairy research and teaching faculty in the Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Science department to support research and teaching efforts at the facility. The dairy consists of 120 milking cows, 60 Holstein and 60 Jersey, which are milked by two Lely A4 robots and are housed in a fully enclosed barn. Calves and replacement dairy heifers are also maintained at the facility. The

Foreman is responsible for maintaining the physical facilities consisting of the fully enclosed robotic milking barn housing the 120 milk cows, one manure press, four hay/commodity barns, five three-sided cattle sheds, one older research/teaching cattle barn, one old milking parlor that is no longer in use and one classroom/office building. The Foreman will ensure that all cattle at the facility are properly cared for and is ultimately responsible for robotic trouble shooting calls to ensure that milking is occurring on a continual basis. The foreman also ensures facility maintenance including: landscaping, equipment maintenance and snow removal are properly executed by actively participating in these activities with trained support staff. Occasional weekend and holiday work is required.

Responsibilities

• Ensure that both robots are operational and that cows are continuously being milked. This may involve responding to afterhours robotic troubleshooting calls.
• Communicate with UAES veterinarians and ADVS faculty to provide adequate nutrition, health care, hoof care, and maintain associated records.
• Operate and maintain manure press, front end loaders, agricultural tractors, skid steers, and utility vehicles and conduct activities related to their use in a timely manner.
• Operate landscaping equipment and complete lawn care and weed control in a timely manner.
• Maintain all equipment and facilities at the farm and provide associated records.
• Hire, schedule and manage an appropriate number of hourly student workers to assist with calf feeding and other chores.
• Serve as the contact person for those wanting to tour the dairy facilities and witness the cows being milked robotically.
• Assist as needed with the UAES veterinarian to ensure cattle are being bred in a timely manner.
• Maintain an efficient approach to budgetary decisions.
• Provide an accurate annual feed request each fall to the UAES crop manager.
• Help facilitate research and teaching activities at the facility.
• Assist other UAES farms and employees as needed and available.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Associates degree or equivalent in an agriculturally-related discipline.
• Two years of dairy production experience.
• Ability to receive and ship materials – may require evening and weekend availability.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbal and written, with vendors, and university staff and faculty members.
• Requires walking/standing approximately 65% of time; sitting approximately 20% of time; lifting up to 80 lbs. approximately 5% of time; stooping, forward bending and crouching approximately 10% of time.
• Requires ability to operate and maintain agricultural equipment and trucks.
• Requires ability to read written instructions, regulations, and other documentation and use appropriate sources to locate valid information related to position responsibilities.
• Valid Utah Driver’s License and ability to obtain Class A CDL required within first 60 days of employment.

Required Documents

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Resume/CV to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV”
2. Cover letter to be typed/pasted at the end of your application

• Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary

Commensurate with experience, plus excellent benefits

ADA

Employees work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes. The employee is regularly required to sit and often uses repetitive hand motions.

University Highlights

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students locations throughout the state, including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community of inclusive excellence where all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU. 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or [email protected]. 

About the Region

U.S. News and World Report ranked Utah first for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, Logan, is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area claimed the top spot in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation. 

• updated 04/2024

Notice of Non-discrimination

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, [email protected], Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Cody Carmichael, [email protected], Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, [email protected]

• updated 09/2023

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