Job Description

Field Agronomist– St. Louis, MO

EMPLOYEE STATUS -Regular

SCHEDULE - Full-Time

SUPERVISOR - SVP Agronomy & Operations

COVERCRESS INC. OVERVIEW

Founded in 2013, CoverCress, Inc. (“CCI”) is an innovative startup company delivering a new, climate-smart winter oilseed cash crop. Using plant breeding to improve yield and maturity combined with advanced gene-editing tools to improve the quality and composition of fiber and oil, CCI has converted field pennycress into CoverCress®. Farmers can grow a third cash crop in two seasons by incorporating CoverCress® into their system as a winter crop between the standard corn/soybean rotation. Through a closed-loop commercial system, harvested CoverCress® grain generates farm revenue from two markets. First, when used in its whole grain form, as a low-inclusion, high-quality protein feed ingredient for broiler chickens and, second, when crushed as an ultra-low-carbon intensity oil for renewable fuel feedstock and a high-quality protein meal for animal feed. In addition to the new revenue as a third cash crop in two seasons, CoverCress® provides the ecosystem benefits of a cover crop, including improved soil health and carbon sequestration.

CCI’s headquarters are in the 39 North AgTech Innovation District in St. Louis, Missouri. 39 North is a 600-acre innovation district anchored by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, BRDG Park, the Helix Incubator, Bayer Crop Science, and the Yield Lab. CCI utilizes first-class lab space at the BRDG building and runs greenhouse operations at the prestigious Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. Learn more at CoverCress.com.

CCI is seeking a Field Agronomist to join our fast-paced commercial team, to assist in the development of our agent and farmer network, while providing technical leadership to the commercial and operational functions of the company. The Field Agronomist will serve as a liaison and connection point between CCI’s Product Development teams (i.e., Breeding, R&D, Greenhouse, and Field Research) and the commercial and operational functions of the company to ensure proper training to agents and farmers for the success and deployment of CoverCress® products in the Midwest.

Responsibilities

A successful candidate will work cross functionally to:

1. Provide expertise in agronomic systems and methods that are necessary for Agents, ProCo’s and farmers to successfully grow CoverCress® to maximize production of CoverCress® products.

a. Direct product and program education with famers and channel partners.

2. As a member of CCI’s commercial agronomic services team to help educate Agents and farmers on variety expectations and general instruction on the successful cultivation of CoverCress® grain. Participating in customer-facing interactions while helping the commercial organization in collecting valuable customer feedback.

a. Resolve and problem solve by assisting, coaching, and/or training channel partners to assist customers in successful crop management decision making for CoverCress® 

3. Collaborate with CCI’s Regulatory & External/Governmental Affairs team to provide monitoring of stewardship requirements for farmer customers to meet for successful farmer adoption and grain production.

4. Work with Business Lead, Customer Engagement Lead, and marketing team to develop messaging and agronomic materials to support both the Farm Adoption Program, Grain Production Contracting, and other materials needed throughout the growing season.

a. Be responsive to customer needs, making frequent, often short notice visits to customers and channel partners to drive customer adoption, satisfaction, and retention.

5. Collaborate with Customer Engagement for continuous improvement of our agronomic and customer data systems.

6. Collaborate with product development and commercial teams to achieve the continuous improvement of CoverCress® variety and closed loop cropping system performance. This may involve data collection, sample collection and processing, implementing experiments, data management and coordinating activities across functional teams.

a. Maintain and update all agronomic materials and information throughout each cropping cycle based on new learnings and information.

Education and Background

· BS in Agronomy or related field with 7 years of experience OR, MS degree in Agronomy or related field with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in either academia or industry.

Qualifications

· Understanding of corn and soybean production systems, along with the use of cover crops and how CoverCress® can fit into these traditional production systems.

· Customer oriented, with a demonstrated ability to respect, and earn the respect of channel partners and farmers.

· Understanding of pennycress domestication and product development history and CoverCress® production systems is highly desirable.

· Excellent verbal, written, time management, communications, and organizational skills.

· Must have strong leadership skills, be well organized.

· Self-motivated, ability to work independently and in multi-disciplinary teams is a must.

· Commercial Driver License – preferred

· Ability to obtain drone certifications and commercial applicator license.

This position will require travel to various locations across the Midwest from Ohio to Kansas over the course of a year. 

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