Soil/Crop Technical Planner - University of Idaho : Job Details

This position is available through the Innovative Agriculture and Marketing Partnership (IAMP) project at the University of Idaho. The IAMP project offers per acre incentive payments for producers to adopt climate-smart conservation practices within their cropping systems, see Implementing partners including Idaho soil & water conservation districts, The Nature Conservancy, Desert Mountain Grassfed Beef, Nez Perce Tribe, and Coeur d'Alene Tribe work directly with enrolling producers in the program. Potential funded conservation practices include various nutrient management strategies such as reduced synthetic fertilizers or the replacement of synthetic fertilizers with organic (e.g. compost) sources, 4R strategies, reduced and no-tillage practices, conservation crop rotation strategies which incorporate more legume crops into a crop rotation or through inter-cropping strategies, cover cropping, grazing, and biochar addition. Producers enter a multi-year contract to implement a cropping plan that includes one or more of these practices. The project requires soil and crop sampling to document impacts of the management practice on crop productivity, nutrient and water use-efficiency, soil carbon, and greenhouse gas emissions. Annual crop performance assessments are conducted with each producer to evaluate the success and compliance issues with the contract. Producers are encouraged to engage in novel marketing opportunities that recognize and promote climate-smart attributes associated with the commodities grown in the program.