Head Grower
Native Green Grow (NG2) is a Tribally owned Hydroponic Greenhouse located in Parshall, North Dakota. This facility is an ecologically sensitive project that grows vegetables utilizing
state of the art hydroponic methods.
Supervision
This position will be supervised by the General Manager of the facility. This position will
supervise and direct assistant grower positions and the general greenhouse labor pool.
Position Description
The head grower is responsible for all aspects of plant production and maintenance of the
greenhouse environment. This position requires an understanding of crop production cycles and industry-standard techniques. The head grower must have horticultural knowledge of the crops in production, experience with crop fertilization scheduling, and experience optimizing a
greenhouse environmental control system. The head grower must be an efficient communicator, and is responsible for training greenhouse workers.
Responsibilities
- Selecting the crops and varieties to be grown, and plant position assignments.
- Determining the crop cycles, including the seed dates, projected first harvest dates, and
crop removal dates. - Creating a schedule for greenhouse employees, and managing the horticultural labor
demands. - Overseeing the execution of seeding, seedling management, then transplanting.
- Preparing the greenhouse space for transplants, including adding growbags, irrigation,
and fertilizer preparation. - Managing the irrigation system, including scheduling of fertilization.
- Creating an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) plan pre-production.
- Setup and maintenance of computerized crop monitoring systems and data storage.
- Performing crop walks to spot pest and disease issues. Understand the most common
pest and disease cycles for each crop to anticipate problems and aid with early
treatment. - Daily review of the development and growing of the plants in the greenhouses and
identify plant needs and indications of disease. - Daily review and adjustments of the strategies for climate (Ventilation, Temperature,
CO2, HR, VPD and Curtains) and irrigation management according to the specific crops
needs using the automated systems available at the facility. - Weekly review of water analysis results for Feed, Drain and Slab, to establish adequate
level of elements in the fertilizer mix. - Daily review of pH, EC and drainage percentage to make effective adjustments in
fertilization according to the crops needs. - Review the Pests and Diseases Monitoring data and establish the strategies for Pests
and Diseases Management. - Calculate the proper doses and spray volumes for pesticides applications.
- Monitor the effectiveness of the strategies used for the pests and diseases
management. - Operate and maintain all the operational equipment used in a greenhouse environment
including irrigation, fertilization, weed and pest monitoring and control, etc. - Conduct a weekly Crop Registration to generate growing trends and accurate production projections.
- Determine the appropriate time for each Crop Maintenance activity, and ensure that the
jobs are correctly done properly and timely. - Calculate and purchase in a timely manner all the supplies needed for the greenhouse
operation such as Seeds, Plants, Slabs, Fertilizer, Pesticides, Bio-controls, and any
other supply used in the Growing Process. - Record, analyze and present the data resulting for trials or research taking place in the
Greenhouses. - Respond and resolve Systems Alarms on a timely manner.
- Be an active professional seeking for information and advice that could lead to improve
processes, increase yields and obtain better product quality year after year, keeping a
cost effectiveness approach.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Minimum 5-years of experience as a Grower in a high-tech glass greenhouse
environment. - Familiarity with Priva greenhouse control computer software.
- Familiarity with computer software including Microsoft Word and Excel
- Must have a strong understanding of plant growth and interaction with varying
environmental conditions and requirements. - Must be familiar with horticultural nomenclature.
- Ability to communicate effectively (written, oral and spoken) in English; additional
languages (i.e. Spanish, will be considered an asset). - Must understand the processes and the objectives pursued by the Performance
Programs to be an active trainer for the Labor Supervisors and the general workers. - Must work closely with the Priva Clerk in order to keep the system updated.
- Must be committed to be an active leader of the work team, planning and directing all the activities in the Greenhouses in an organized and efficient manner, establishing
schedules and personnel needs, communicating the work plan daily to Labor
Supervisors and ensuring that they carry out the work plan with success, efficiently and
timely. - Must manage the offshore workers schedule to ensure the crop is supplied with the
proper amount of personnel through the year. - Must conduct several meetings through the year to explain performance trends, motivate
employees and address company’s expectations about performance and quality. - Maintain high standards of conduct and professionalism and lead the team to success.
Qualifications/ Experience/Education: - Must have Post-secondary education, ideally in the Horticulture, Plant Science,
Greenhouse Engineering or related life science fields. - A Pesticide Applicators License (any state) with the ability to maintain a current North
Dakota Pesticide Applicators License.
Schedule:
- 8-hour shift, full-time.
- Weekend availability