Historic Farm Specialist chez Five Rivers MetroParks, OH

About the Department

This position is responsible for care and maintenance of the historic farm, including livestock management, crop/field work, equipment, and facility maintenance. Interprets and supports the operation of an 1880’s historical farm by providing recreational and educational experiences for visitors while demonstrating a wide variety of farming and heritage skills typical to an 1880’s era farm. Delivers programs, tours, and events, and ensures programming interprets Five Rivers MetroParks’ (FRMP) mission, goals, and strategy. 

Position Duties

To perform this job successfully, an individual must perform essential duties to expected performance standards. Reasonable accommodations are made as required for persons with disabilities as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
 
• Cares for and manages the daily needs of livestock and crops. Feeds animals, cleans stalls, grooms the horses and other animals; shears sheep; and administers vaccinations and other medications, as prescribed to maintain livestock health. Maintains farm crops and gardens in accordance with the maintenance plan. Constructs and repairs of farm fences, animal pens, and other farm structures and amenities. 
• Operates a variety of historic and modern machinery to complete daily and annual tasks, as well as crop planting and harvest; including but not limited to: tractors and mowers, moldboard plows, planters, hay-bines, hay balers, corn picker, tillage equipment, steam engines, power tools, and chain saws. 
• Interacts daily with youth, families, and adults, while conducting farm tasks and program interpretation such as field work, crop, and livestock care, blacksmithing, woodworking, draft horses, steam engine and equipment use. Demonstrate all of the equipment and activities listed previously, as seasonally appropriate. Wear authentic period clothing while performing these duties. 
• Utilizes draft horses to operate a variety of historical horse-powered machinery to prepare the soil, plant, and maintain crops, harvest with period methods, transport crops via wagon and conduct hayrides for the public. 
• Inventories, restores, and maintains historic equipment and structures utilized in site interpretation in collaboration with the Park Manager. 
• Conducts and participates in educational programs for the public based on all aspects of 1880's farm-life. 
• Supports educational programming through equipment and material staging, input to program planning and preparing and cleaning the program site. 
• Evaluates, assesses, and manages on-site risk for programs, in accordance with agency protocol such as animals/wildlife, tool use, group management, and vehicles. 
• Trains, observes, and collaborates with volunteers to support demonstrations, events, and tasks. 
• Works with the Park Manager, the Education Coordinator, and the Volunteer Services Coordinator, to evaluate programs, demonstrations, and events, upon completion.
•Supports the planning of crops and livestock for educational and demonstration purposes for the farm. Provides recommendations for the selection and breeds of livestock typical of an 1880’s farm. Supports the development of yearly crop plans for historical heirloom fields and gardens. Assists in the development of the crop, livestock, and farm management plan. 
• Maintains records and reports, including livestock health records, equipment, and facility inspections, program attendance, work plan progress and other records and reports, as assigned. 

ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Conducts research to remain current on practices, trends, and skills to develop programming and educational opportunities for the public and to support and improve farming practices. 
• Provides service to the public by responding to questions, helping, and providing information. 
• Supports the research and development of the farm and agency program strategy and programs designed to inform and educate the public in skills and techniques. 
• Serves on agency initiatives and projects, working with various FRMP department employees. 
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Other Qualifications

Employees who are successful in performing this job typically exhibit the following competencies.

Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret relevant trade and technical journals. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from program participants and others. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to speak effectively before groups of visitors and/or employees. Ability to communicate effectively in verbal, written, and graphic forms. 
Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, decimals, and percentages. Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry. Ability to apply concepts of basic accounting. 
Reasoning Ability: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. The ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. 

Other Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 
Ability to manage multiple aspects of a historic farm, including training; handling and working draft animals; operating tractors and general farm machinery. Draft horse experience, preferred. Ability to interpret agriculture and historic farm life to a diverse clientele. Ability to plan, organize, and work effectively with diverse groups, including committees, volunteers, and staff. Self-motivated with excellent time management skills. Basic understanding of, or ability to learn a broad range of maintenance trade skills (i.e., electrical, plumbing, carpentry, construction and mechanical), and gardening and farming skills. 


The following physical demands are representative of those that are typically performed by an employee while performing the essential functions of this job. These physical demands are not considered to be job qualification requirements but rather help identify where and how reasonable accommodation may be made when an otherwise qualified person is unable to perform the job’s essential duties due to a disability covered by the ADA.

The employee frequently walks and stands and occasionally sits. The employee regularly talks and hears. The employee reaches with hands and arms, and uses hands to finger, handle, or feel, and occasionally climbs, balances, stoops, kneels, crouches, or crawls. The employee lifts and/or moves items of up to fifty (50) pounds and occasionally more than sixty (60) pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The employee is regularly exposed to outside weather conditions for prolonged periods. The employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts and high, precarious places. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes, or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is often loud.