Agricultural Laboratory Technician Position Summary The Agricultural Laboratory Technician performs routine and non-routine chemical analyses on agricultural matrices, including soil, plant tissue, irrigation water, and fertilizers. This role focuses on leveraging automated wet chemistry systems to evaluate nutrient profiles, helping farmers and agronomists optimize crop yields and soil health. The ideal candidate possesses hands-on technical proficiency with Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) systems, a solid grasp of data manipulation within Microsoft Excel , and experience navigating a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) .

Key Responsibilities & Duties Instrument Operations:

Setup, calibrate, operate, and maintain Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) systems to perform automated, high-throughput testing for agricultural nutrients (e.g., nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, ortho-phosphate, and total phosphorus).

Sample Matrix Processing:

Perform agricultural sample preparations, including soil extractions, plant tissue digestion, and filtration of irrigation water samples in accordance with standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Data Management & Tracking:

Log samples, track progress, and securely upload final analytical data into the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to ensure complete chain-of-custody and traceability.

Analysis & Reporting:

Utilize systems for data reduction, calculation of nutrient curves, and quality control checks, ensuring results meet industry standards before delivery to agronomists.

Team Collaboration:

Coordinate workflows, share technical updates, and manage digital documentation using Microsoft 365 cloud applications (including Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive).

QA/QC Compliance:

Maintain strict compliance with agricultural testing quality assurance/quality control guidelines, identifying out-of-specification spikes or baseline drifts immediately.

Qualifications & Requirements Education:

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Agronomy, Environmental Science, Soil Science, or a closely related scientific discipline.

Technical Experience:

Minimum of 1-3 years of hands-on laboratory experience.

Software Proficiency:

Advanced competency in Microsoft Excel (formulas, data organization, plotting) and the broader Microsoft 365 productivity suite.

LIMS Competency:

Experience interacting with a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) for sample batching and data entry helpful.

Physical & Safety Abilities:

Comfort working with chemical reagents, hazardous acid digestions, and operating standard wet-bench glassware safely. Must be able to lift 25 pounds and work in agricultural laboratory conditions.

Job Type:

Full-time Pay:

From $32.00 per hour

Benefits:

Employee discount Health insurance Paid time off Professional development assistance Relocation assistance Retirement plan Tuition reimbursement Vision insurance

Experience:

Agriculture:

3 years (Preferred)

Laboratory:

3 years (Required) Data entry: 2 years (Required)

Work Location:

In person