Agriculture Job Description

Shelterbelts: Relic or useful tools?

RURAL LARIMORE, N.D. — It’s a windy June morning, and two teams of National Resources Conservation Service employees are planting shelterbelts on the edge of a field that grew wheat last year.

Rain is forecast and the teams are anxious to finish. But the employees work diligently, inserting each fledgling tree and bush into the moist soil with care and practiced skill.

In all, about 16,000 trees are being planted in the project, which an NRCS official says will benefit the environment and wildlife for as long as 70 years,

“We’re excited about this. There are a lot of benefits,” says Paul Bjorg, a soil conservation technician with the Grand Forks (N.D.) County Soil Conservation District.

But such projects buck a longstanding trend. For years, area farmers have been more inclined to remove existing shelterbelts than to plant new ones. Big piles of trees, recently removed from dismantled shelterbelts, are a familiar sight in fields across much of North Dakota.

Farming has changed, and, for better or worse, many farmers see shelterbelts as outdated.

“The way we farm today is not the way our great-grandparents farmed,” says Terry Weckerly, a Hurdsfield, N.D., farmer, and president of the North Dakota Grain Growers Association. “We haven’t thrown out the book on conservation. We’re just conserving the land is a different way,” he says.

Conservation officials are careful not to criticize farmers who remove shelterbelts. But the officials also ask ag producers to take a fresh look at the issue.

“We encourage people to consider the benefits of trees in agricultural systems,” says Larry Kotchman, North Dakota state forester.

Declining numbers?

Shelterbelts, also known as windbreaks or tree belts, once were prized by farmers on the windy Northern Plains. For several generations, windbreaks have helped to reduce soil erosion, provide wildlife habitat and shield farmsteads.

Some people reserve the term “shelterbelt” for windbreaks designed to protect farmsteads and livestock, and use “field windbreak” to describe tree rows meant to protect fields. In common useage, though, “shelterbelt” is increasingly popular as a description for both types.

As the name suggests, a shelterbelt consists of one or more rows of trees or shrubs. Typically, each row contains a different type of tree or shrub, with the arrangement designed to benefit wildlife and the environment.

Agricultural Biologist Job Description | Sample Job Descriptions

Agricultural Biologist Job Description and Profile

The job of agricultural biologist, under supervision, involves receiving and engaging in regular training and performing various tasks of increasingly responsible inspection of agricultural fields and performing of related duties as required.  The agricultural biologist must learn to apply and enforce various agricultural laws and regulations. He is expected to obtain Agricultural Biologist license within the first year of employment to qualify for higher Agricultural Biologist position.

Duties and Specifications Investigates any complaint related to pests and agricultural pesticides and violations of State or Federal laws; and conducts various inspection of agricultural products ensuring compliance with regulations, and verify certificate requirements for important and export as well as pest cleanliness. Enforces rules and regulations in pesticide storage and use, and worker safety and health; issues permits of pesticides; and registers pest control advisors and operators. Detects the introduction of detrimental types of pests through surveys, examination, sampling, trapping and regulation of carriers; and controls and eradicates insects, pest plants, nematodes and diseases according to approved procedures. Gathers and compiles necessary evidences and prepares corresponding reports; collects and submits official samples necessary for the verification and enforcement of various regulations; and obtains and disseminates data on agricultural commodities. Provides sound advices to landowners in the control of common pests; conducts inspections on nurseries and evaluation of nursery license applications to ensure compliance with State requirements. Skills and Specifications Able to establish harmonious public relations Able to learn inspection methods. Must learn to interpret and fully apply the provisions of regulations related to agricultural inspection. Organize and prioritize all agricultural work. Be able to write and keep accurate records. Learn to recognize and identify plant products as well as pests. Be able to learn appropriate controls for pests. Must be able to engage effective oral presentations Education and Qualifications Bachelor of Science Degree required; an Agriculture or Biology course preferred. Possess valid license as County Agricultural Biologist, as issued by State Department of Food and Agriculture.

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