Ag Standards Biologist

Overview

Ag Standards Biologist Jobs in Yuba City, USA at Sutter County

Position: Ag Standards Biologist I

Overview

Under general supervision, the Ag Standards Biologist interprets and enforces State Food & Agricultural Code, California Code of Regulations, Business and Professions Code, and Health and Safety Code regulating agriculture, and/or weights and measures programs.

Employees in this position who are required to maintain Class A or Class B commercial license receive an additional $100/month.

Responsibilities

Interprets and enforces State Food & Agriculture Code, California Code of Regulations, Business and Professions Code, and Health and Safety Code; prepares and sends notices of violation, non-compliance and civil penalties as needed; and prepares related reports.

Investigates complaints and performs weights and measures, agricultural, pesticide use, phytosanitary, egg, apiary, pest exclusion, nursery stock, and other inspections; performs follow-up inspections and investigations of complaints and compliance.

Conducts surveys/audits and prepares a variety of forms, fee invoices, reports, certificates, records and related materials in the performance of enforcement duties.

As assigned, supervises application of pesticides applied in County; evaluates and processes pesticide permits; and certifies private applicators.

As assigned, registers pest control operators and farm labor contractors.

As assigned, performs various weights and measures inspections including all commercially used weighing and measuring devices and quantity control audits of packaged commodities.

As assigned, plans and carries out local biological control projects; serves as County contact for State Biological Control program; plans locations for release of beneficial insects.

May investigate pesticide illness, property loss and environmental effects; may direct and coordinate produce residue sampling.

Provides information to the public about department programs; responds to complaints.

As assigned, operates phytosanitary export program; reviews applications, conducts field inspections, considers requests, samples commodities and requests, and processes pertinent documentation.

As assigned, operates fruit, vegetable, and egg inspection programs; performs inspections, enforces regulations, and provides certification of minimum standards in compliance of State agricultural code.

As assigned, operates seed inspection/certification program; performs official sampling of seed lots, inspects for labeling compliance and enforcement of seed law and reviews/approves required paperwork.

As assigned, operates apiary inspection program; inspects beehives to certify as to relative strengths for pollination and freedom from disease and parasites in preparation of interstate transport.

As assigned, prepares and coordinates vertebrate control, noxious weed treatment, and state trapping programs. Advises public on issues pertaining to pest control.

Other (Marginal) Duties

• Assists in routine post office plant quarantine inspections.
• May provide maintenance of office computer hardware/software; enters data into database pertaining to reports and inspection data.
• Maintains office plant and insect collection.

Knowledge Of

• Local, State, and Federal laws and regulations pertaining to the activities of the County Agriculture and Sealer of Weights and Measures Department; the principles and techniques of agricultural inspection, including pest and disease detection and eradication; the principles and techniques of weights and measures, quantity control, and fraudulent packaging and labeling inspections; entomology, plant pathology and economic poisons; basic math as well as trigonometry and statistics.

Ability

To

• Enforce corrections, non-compliance, seizure, or quarantine violations of agricultural and weights and measures laws with tact and firmness; interpret and apply laws and regulations related to agriculture and weights and measures; establish and maintain working relationships with staff members, other agencies and the general public; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; and gather, analyze and compile information.

Education and Experience

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in one or more appropriate disciplines in agricultural, biological or physical science or chemistry as required by the Food and Agricultural Code for California Agricultural Inspector/Biologist licensing; or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Physical Requirements

Requires the ability to maintain mental capacity of exercising sound judgment and rational thinking under varied circumstances; the ability to exert a small amount of physical effort in sedentary to light work involving moving from one area of the office to another; the ability to see; ability to hear and communicate orally; requires the ability to perform on-site field inspections including exertion of a moderate amount of physical effort to stoop, crouch, climb and lift in performance of assigned…

Title: Ag Standards Biologist

Company: Sutter County

Location: Yuba City, USA

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