AGRICULTURAL MEDIA SPECIALIST JOB OPENING

Home » News » AGRICULTURAL MEDIA SPECIALIST JOB OPENING

Description: Dakota Lakes Research Farm (Pierre, SD) is seeking an Agricultural Media Specialist at a 10% effort level (approximately 4 hours per week) on a one-year contract with opportunity to renew for up to three years. The media specialist will lead the development of digital and print media, including social media platforms. The individual will lead efforts to publicize field days and speaking engagements by Dakota Lakes Research Farm (DLRF) personnel. This position will devote time to regularly (Bi-weekly) publishing material to social media platforms. The content will reflect current farming operations at Dakota Lakes. The position will also “mine” the wealth of content that Dakota Lakes has generated over the previous 3 decades by adapting it into a format that is compatible with current media avenues. The media specialist will generate agronomic and conservation-oriented fact sheets and technical notes based on knowledge gained from ongoing farming activities and experiments. Example topics include: how to select a cover crop, how to design a crop rotation, managing soil fertility in long term no-till farming, successes and challenges of grazing on cropland, nutrient cycling when grazing on cropland, swath grazing, and field finishing beef. Finally, the media specialist will assist with the production, formatting, and dissemination of annual reports summarizing research activities at DLRF. The reports will provide further science-based content for fact sheets, technical notes, and social media posts related to conservation and agronomy. The target audience will be NRCS personnel and SD producers.

Qualifications: Below is a list of the desired qualifications for the position. Candidates who check the listed qualifications will be given priority consideration. Candidates that do not meet all the qualifications but are willing to learn/train to meet the qualifications will also be considered and are encouraged to apply.

1.      Agricultural background knowledge

2.      College degree in Communications, Marketing, Agriculture Education, Agricultural Business, or related field of study

3.      Social Media Experience (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)

4.      Ability to work and communicate effectively (email, phone, video conferences)

5.      Experience with Microsoft software applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) or equivalent software platforms

6.      Capability of driving to DLRF (Pierre, SD) periodically

Wages: $30/hour-$48/hour (commensurate with experience)

Note: No benefits will be offered with this contract

To Apply: Submit an updated resume, cover letter, and two references to sam.ireland@dakotalakes.com

Deadline to submit an application is February 1, 2023.

Contact Information: For additional information on the position please contact Sam Ireland by phone at (605)-224-6114 or by email at sam.ireland@dakotalakes.com

Ample Wildlife

Just like people, wildlife needs food, shelter, and water not just to survive but to thrive. The farming practices we follow at Dakota Lakes nurture a robust ecosystem that provide for the needs not only of the deer and pheasants that are popular with local hunters and nature enthusiasts but also a diverse range of species that ideally keeps pests at bay naturally without the need for intensive pesticide intervention.

Healthy Food

Much of the nutrient acquisition in plants is mediated by microbes, so soils that are home to a rich diversity of microbial life are better equipped to provide plants with their required nutrition effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have shown foods, including meat, grown under regenerative farming practices contain higher levels of certain vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals than those grown under conventional farming practices. While the science behind these studies is complex and sample sizes are small and highly variable, preliminary results suggest that regenerative practices can enhance the nutritional profile of many of the foods we eat.

Clean Water

Carbon is one of the best water filters known to man, and regenerative farming practices like no-till, cover crops, and livestock integration help to maintain or even increase soil carbon levels. Plants serve as natural “carbon pumps,” bringing carbon in from the atmosphere by way of photosynthesis and feeding it to soil microbes in the form of exudates. In addition, plants take up and hold onto nutrients that are mineralized in the soil, so keeping living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible goes a long way to preventing nutrient runoff into local waterways.

Living Soils

By following diverse cropping rotations, keeping a living root in the ground as much as possible, integrating livestock, maintaining good soil armor, and keeping soil disturbance to a minimum, we are nurturing the soil microbiome and providing favorable conditions for the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, insects, earthworms, and other living creatures that call the soil their home. Just a teaspoon of healthy soil can contain billions of microbes and our goal is to promote a natural, balanced environment that allows them to thrive.