(Serge Island Farms- St. Thomas, Jamaica)
THE ROLE
The incumbent will be responsible for overall operation of the dairy farm for fodder and silage production and pasture land management; developing and implementing crop production strategies to meet the feed/fodder requirement of the herd and improving overall farm profitability; maximizing land, manpower and resource utilization; implementing nutrient management plans, maintaining recording systems and budgets; preparation of reports; reviewing and monitoring.
KEY RESULTS AREAS:
- Plan, develop and implement best management practices for forage cultivation and implement management procedures that will monitor the quality, yield and regrowth duration of forage.
- Oversee the establishment and management of pastures and forage crops to include:
- Introducing high yielding grass/ fodder species
- Cultivation and weed control techniques,
- Implementing soil nutrient requirements/techniques
- Placement of type and form of fertilizer required.
- Monitoring of species variations and measure the effects on the establishment of pastures
- Manage established fodder crops
- Implement advanced methods of cultivation of forage crops, suggesting requirement of farm machinery & equipment.
- Arrange for soil and leaf analyses to be performed to ensure correctness of fertilizer purchase/application
- Develop plans for irrigation, draining and soil enrichment
- Implement environmentally friendly pest and disease control programs.
- Study and apply scientific methods to obtain various valuable yields, both qualitatively and quantitatively
- Develop plans and projects on cultivation of pasture lands.
- Determine the technological processes for the planting, care and harvest of crops such as corn, alfalfa, sorghum etc
- Manage and modify the agro-technical processes and work processes involved in pasture management.
- Training of employees to implement best management practices
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
- A Bachelor's Degree in Agriculture with emphasis on agronomy, crop, soil, weed management, agro business or agro science from an accredited tertiary institution.
- Three (3) years experience in fodder/ pasture production/ farm management
- Experience in supervising and coordinating crop and labour management.
- Ability to lead and supervise teams
