Description
Conduct applied research and field trials to optimize crop production, soil health, and resource use. Evaluate varieties and management practices; diagnose crop and soil problems; and deliver data-driven recommendations on nutrients, irrigation, tillage, and integrated pest management using precision-ag tools to improve yield, quality, and sustainability.
- • Communicate research findings and recommendations to growers, agribusiness, and stakeholders through reports, meetings, and training.
- • Provide site-specific crop and soil management recommendations to farmers to improve yield, quality, and profitability while reducing risk.
- • Investigate soil and crop responses to tillage, rotation, cover crops, and fertility practices to guide management decisions.
- • Develop and implement nutrient management plans, including lime, fertilizer, manure, and micronutrient programs based on soil and tissue tests.
- • Design and manage field trials comparing hybrids or varieties, seeding rates, row spacing, seed treatments, and input strategies.
- • Diagnose soil and water issues such as salinity, pH imbalance, compaction, drainage, or contamination and recommend remediation.
- • Map field variability using soil surveys, yield data, remote sensing, and on-farm sampling to define management zones.
- • Develop and validate precision-ag prescriptions for variable-rate seeding, fertilization, and lime application.
- • Evaluate conservation practices to reduce erosion and nutrient losses, such as cover crops, buffers, reduced tillage, and residue management.
- • Identify degraded soils and develop soil health improvement plans, including organic amendments and biostimulants.
- • Conduct on-farm surveys and environmental assessments to support conservation planning and compliance.
- • Analyze soil, plant tissue, and water samples to guide fertility, salinity, and irrigation decisions.
- • Advise on regulatory compliance and stewardship standards for nutrient management, pesticides, and water quality.
- • Develop integrated pest management programs for weeds, diseases, and insects, including resistance management.
- • Research and recommend best practices for planting, spraying, cultivation, irrigation, harvest, and storage.
- • Collaborate with engineers and equipment specialists to address soil compaction, traffic patterns, and machinery settings.
- • Recommend soil amendments and practices to adapt soils for target crops and production goals.
- • Monitor pest populations and crop injury; select and time control measures and rotate modes of action.
- • Evaluate biologicals, seed treatments, and new chemistries for efficacy, crop safety, and return on investment.
- • Assess and improve water-use efficiency and irrigation scheduling using sensors and weather data.
- • Advance sustainable practices, including nutrient recycling, composting, manure management, and carbon-smart farming.
- • Plan or oversee land improvement and reclamation activities affecting crop productivity and drainage.
- • Utilize drones, sensors, and decision-support software to collect data and model yield responses.
- • Conduct experiments to understand crop growth, stress responses, and interactions with soils and environment.
- • Prepare budgets, partial-profitability analyses, and input ROI to support grower decisions.
- • Teach extension courses, workshops, or field days and document outcomes and best practices.
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O*NET occupational data (work activities, skills, knowledge).
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
