DAKOTA LAKES JOB OPPORTUNITY: SENIOR SECRETARY AGRICULTURE EXPERIMENT STATION

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Deadline: open until filled with first consideration 1/30/2025
Salary Range CG FH: $18.56/hour – $20.88/hour depending upon qualifications, plus benefits
12 months, 100% time

Looking for a rewarding career with great benefits and paid time off? The South Dakota State University’s Dakota Lakes Research Farm is seeking a full-time Senior Secretary to join our team. This position is located 17 miles east of Pierre on Highway 34.

Job Responsibilities: This position is responsible for a wide variety of duties in support of the research, outreach, and public service activities of the Dakota Lakes Research Farm. Administrative support is provided to the manager of the research station, research station staff, and research and support personnel from the SDSU campus with activities at or near Dakota Lakes Research Farm.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
Knowledge of:
• Computer software applications (Quick Books, MS Excel, MS Word, MS Outlook, etc.)
• Customer service practices

Skill & Ability to:
• Create and maintain databases, spreadsheets, field sheets/maps and plot plans.
• Create press releases and other outreach material.
• Aid in organizing field days, tours, and visits (2,000 people/year)
• Proofread and edit for grammar, spelling, etc.
• Communicate in a concise and effective manner.

Requirements: Valid Driver’s License

Comments: Knowledge and interest in applied agriculture (animal and cropping) would be beneficial. Excellent people skills are essential. This position is located in Pierre, SD. South Dakota State University is a tobacco free environment. It is the policy of the university to maintain a drug-free environment and to thereby establish, promote, and maintain a safe and healthy working and learning environment for employees and students. This position is subject to the university’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy 4:14. Employment is contingent upon a successful background check. Posting #: CSA02259P

Benefits: South Dakota State University offers an excellent comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employee, spouse, and dependents; life insurance; long-term disability insurance; paid holidays; educational assistance; retirement plans; and a generous vacation accrual and sick day allowance.

Application Procedures: South Dakota State University accepts applications through an online employment site; to apply, visit https://YourFuture.sdbor.edu. [AE9039-20215]

South Dakota State University promotes access to and opportunities for all to receive the benefit of and participate in education, research, and service and is especially interested in candidates that can contribute to this land-grant access mission. SDSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to, and SDSU prohibits discrimination on, the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, gender, gender identification, transgender, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status that may become protected under law against discrimination in the offering of all educational programs and employment opportunities.  Arrangements for accommodations required by disabilities can be made by emailing HR@sdstate.edu. Individuals with concerns regarding discrimination should contact: Equal Opportunity Officer/Title IX Coordinator, Human Resources, Morrill Hall 100, SDSU, Brookings, SD 57007, 605-688-4128.

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.