• The duties may include, but are not limited to:
• Propagate and grow imported plants as well as healthy and inoculated indicator plants in greenhouses, growth chambers, screen houses, field plots and orchards.
• Prepare soil mixes; sow seeds; plant and transplant seedlings or rooted propagations; budding, grafting, labeling, pruning, fertilizing, and watering herbaceous and woody plants.
• Prepare field plots; plant fruit trees or rootstocks; fertilize, prune, and water trees (using a drip irrigation system).
• Assists crop specialists in conducting lab, greenhouse, and field tests for submicroscopic pathogens: collecting and extracting samples, inoculating and labeling and caring for inoculated test plants.
• Erecting and repairing fences, mowing grass, rouging diseased trees, controlling weeds with physical and chemical removal, and removing trees when field tests are complete.
• Maintains inventories of community greenhouse supplies; runs errands to locations in the surrounding area to obtain supplies or deliver items.
• Mow grass in orchard and operates small to medium tractors and government vehicles (trucks and automobiles).

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Individuals who were born male after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period, unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit E-Verify at https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Valid state driver's license is required at the time of application.
• All USDA employees are required to be enrolled in Continuous Vetting, which authorizes government agencies to receive notifications of criminal activity on individuals who hold low risk, public trust, or national security positions.
• An APHIS regulatory pesticide applicators license is highly desirable.
• Uses protective equipment such as gloves, safety glasses, boots, hearing protection, and respirator, and may be exposed to high and low temperatures.
• Subject to dirt, dust, agricultural chemicals, and in some cases potentially damaging noise pollution.
• May occasionally be required to lift and move objects weighing up to 80 lbs.
• Overtime work to water plants on the weekend will be required on a rotational basis.

Qualifications

To qualify, you must show you have had training and experience of sufficient scope and quality to provide you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the position. Your answers to the vacancy specific questions must be supported by the work experience in your resume. For example, if you respond in the affirmative when questioned whether you have experience propagating plants, your resume must include this experience, mindful that experience may not be inferred by job title.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience