Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is seeking an outgoing and driven professional to join our staff as next generation coordinator. For 34 years, PFI has equipped farmers to build resilient farms and communities through farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing, on-farm research, outreach and strategic partnerships.
This new, full-time position will work with PFI staff, farmers, landowners and external partners to help beginning farmers succeed in establishing farm businesses; increase opportunities for youth and Latinos in agriculture; and strengthen PFI’s farm transfer program. This person will bolster our network of farmers, landowners and external partners to serve the next generation of farmers coming to Practical Farmers for support.
The next generation coordinator will join a dynamic, hard-working and enthusiastic team, and will help amplify Practical Farmers’ impact as our organization and the demand for resilient farming systems grows.
The next generation coordinator will report to the next generation director, Greg Padget.
● Administer the Labor4Learning application and on-boarding process. This program provides aspiring farmers with on-the-job experience, and experienced farmers with quality employees
● Administer FindAFarmer, PFI’s land-matching site, including making sure it operates smoothly and providing outreach to increase enrollment and land access matches
● Organize beginning and Latino farmer events, field days and an overnight retreat to improve beginning farmers’ businesses and increase their farming knowledge
● Continue to build and recruit Latino event and outreach leaders
● Communicate opportunities with Latino media outlets
● Organize youth education programming with outreach partners
● Develop a network of teachers, partners and PFI members to reach out to and work with on implementing youth agriculture education
● Feature beginning and transitioning farmers’ experiences in newsletters, blogs and other media to elevate their voices and issues
● Organize and staff PFI’s regional farm transfer learning circles, field days and workshops
● Build a network of farmers and stakeholders to help each other create and implement farm transfer plans
● Coordinate and meet with external partner organizations in Iowa and beyond to further beginning farmer and farm transfer work
● Communicate about PFI to a wide audience
● Seek grant opportunities and write proposals to fund farm transfer and beginning farmer programming
● Other duties as assigned
● Bachelor’s degree in agriculture or business is preferred – or equivalent experience in the fields of agriculture, business, event planning or related field. Individuals with different professional backgrounds and degrees who have knowledge and passion for the work are also encouraged to apply, and will be considered for the position.
● Comfortable working with a wide audience of farmers and stakeholders
● Excellent communication skills and a positive work attitude
● Self-motivated and outgoing; willing to initiate contact with farmers, landowners and agriculture professionals
● Experience or knowledge of working with beginning and Latino farmers
● Experience and knowledge of agricultural land ownership and transfer issues
● Bilingual in Spanish and English is preferred
● Experience organizing events
● Experience writing outreach pieces
● Experience writing grant proposals and grant reports
● An understanding of Iowa agriculture and ag issues in Iowa
● Ability to work well with others and build partnerships
● Ability to meet deadlines and manage several tasks at once
Please apply by sending a cover letter, resume, a writing sample and professional references to Greg Padget at greg@practicalfarmers.org by December 22, 2019.