Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens Extension and Education Center and Field Specialist in Agricultural Business - Columbia, MO

The University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement

MU Extension's Agriculture and Environment program

MU Extension's Agriculture Business and Policy program

MU TITLE: Assistant/Associate/Full Extension Professional

LOCATION: Columbia, Missouri with additional service across the state as needed.

Overview of Responsibilities

Jefferson Farm & Gardens is a 67-acre educational farm operated by MU Extension in Columbia, Missouri. It is a public teaching and demonstration site where agriculture, horticulture, food systems, youth education, natural resources, environmental education, and community engagement come together. The site serves youth, families, producers, entrepreneurs, community partners, faculty, staff, and visitors from across Missouri.

This position has two connected responsibilities. First, the person serves as Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens and is responsible for the daily operation, management, visibility, and long-term success of the site. Second, the person serves as an Extension agricultural business specialist. In that role, the person uses the farm's high-value crops, gardens, food systems, facilities, and public programs as real examples to help producers, landowners, food-system entrepreneurs, and beginning entrepreneurs learn how agricultural businesses can be planned, launched, managed, marketed, and sustained.

Together, these responsibilities make Jefferson Farm & Gardens both a well-run public education site and a practical place to teach agricultural business development, food systems, Agri-entrepreneurship, producer education, and community engagement.

Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens

The Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens leads one of MU Extension's premier public education and demonstration sites. The director serves as the on-site leader and farm manager. This includes responsibility for the farm, gardens, grounds, facilities, equipment, livestock areas, demonstration spaces, classrooms, and event areas. The director keeps these areas safe, attractive, useful, and ready for public programs.

The director coordinates educational programs, manages facilities and grounds, supports partnerships, oversees public use of the site, and expands learning opportunities that support MU Extension priorities. Group reservations are managed through a campuswide online system, with partial event management support provided by a campus-based team.

A key part of this role is helping Extension specialists, faculty, and program teams use Jefferson Farm & Gardens as a place to teach, demonstrate, host events, conduct applied work, and connect with Missourians.

The director supervises the daily work of farm support staff, including student, volunteer, and seasonal employees. The director also oversees equipment maintenance; coordinates needed goods and services from vendors and contractors and prepares the Jefferson Farm & Gardens operations budget for approval.

Agricultural Business Specialist Emphasis

The academic and program focus of this position is agricultural business, food systems, and Agri-entrepreneurship. The specialist uses Jefferson Farm & Gardens as a living classroom to show how high-value agricultural and food-based enterprises can move from idea to production, business planning, marketing, customer engagement, financial management, and long-term success.

This work connects the crops, gardens, food systems, demonstrations, and events at Jefferson Farm & Gardens to practical business models that beginning farmers, specialty crop producers, small-scale entrepreneurs, food-system entrepreneurs, and community partners can understand and use. The goal is to help people see not only how to grow or produce something, but also how to test an idea, identify customers, manage costs, set prices, reduce risk, reach markets, and build a business that can last.

Examples may include high-value horticultural crops, local food enterprises, value-added agriculture, agritourism, farmers markets, direct marketing, youth entrepreneurship, farm-to-school connections, community food projects, and other small agricultural business opportunities. These examples should help new and existing entrepreneurs better understand what it takes to start, grow, or improve an agricultural or food-based business.

The specialist plans, delivers, and evaluates educational programs that help farmers, landowners, entrepreneurs, food-system partners, and agribusinesses make better decisions. These programs may cover business planning, enterprise budgets, pricing, marketing, financial management, tax issues, risk management, feasibility studies, customer discovery, market testing, food system development, and ways to start, grow, or diversify an agricultural business.

The specialist also works with other Extension specialists, producer organizations, local governments, state agencies, agricultural support groups, entrepreneurs, food-system partners, and community partners to identify needs, use resources well, and connect people with the right expertise. The goal is not simply to grow high-value agricultural products at Jefferson Farm & Gardens. The goal is to show how those enterprises can become part of a realistic, profitable, and sustainable business model.

The position includes the following major responsibilities. Percentages reflect the expected initial balance of work and may be adjusted over time based on program needs, site needs, and Extension priorities.

Plan, Deliver, and Evaluate Educational Programming for Agricultural Entrepreneurs - 45%

• Conduct needs assessments and develop, deliver, and evaluate educational programs in collaboration with MU Extension colleagues and community partners.
• Use Jefferson Farm & Gardens as a living classroom for agricultural business, food systems, and Agri-entrepreneurship education.
• Develop hands-on demonstrations that use the Farm's crops, gardens, facilities, events, and other resources to show how agricultural and food-based businesses can be planned, launched, managed, marketed, and sustained.

Program Collaboration and Community Engagement - 20%

• Work with MU faculty, Extension specialists, education directors, schools, agencies, nonprofits, donors, volunteers, and community partners to expand teaching, demonstration, outreach, and public education at Jefferson Farm & Gardens.
• Help Jefferson Farm & Gardens serve as a statewide Extension education and demonstration site that supports local, regional, and statewide priorities.
• Partner with the Boone County Extension and Engagement Specialist, Boone County Extension Council, Advisory Board, local officials, agricultural groups, schools, volunteers, donors, and other partners.

Farm, Facilities, and Site Operations - 10%

• Provide daily leadership for farm, garden, grounds, livestock, equipment, facilities, classrooms, meeting rooms, and demonstration-site operations.
• Prepare and maintain indoor and outdoor spaces for Extension programs, field days, school visits, tours, meetings, volunteer activities, and public events.
• Coordinate scheduling, setup, cleanliness, safety, accessibility, equipment maintenance, repairs, supplies, grounds care, seasonal operations, and daily work of student, volunteer, and seasonal staff.

Resource Development and Entrepreneurial Leadership - 8%

• Co-develop and carry out a resource-development plan with support from MU Extension leadership, CAFNR Advancement, fiscal staff, grants support staff, and other university partners.
• Maintain a practical business plan for Jefferson Farm & Gardens that reflects its mission, operations, staffing needs, program goals, and financial needs.
• Lead grant writing, proposal development, budgeting, partner coordination, reporting, and management of funded projects.

Communications and Visibility - 10%

• Work with MU Extension and Mizzou communications teams to promote Jefferson Farm & Gardens programs, partnerships, events, demonstrations, grants, and impacts.
• Provide timely updates, photos, field notes, event information, and program highlights for leadership, partners, donors, funders, news stories, tours, digital media, and social media.

Administrative and Fiscal - 7%

• Work with MU Extension and A&E Extension fiscal offices to prepare and manage the operations budget, maintain records, track expenditures, and follow MU Extension fiscal policy.
• Approve facility-use requests and agreements within policy, maintain fee schedules, and route exceptions or high-risk requests to the appropriate university offices.
• Coordinate vendors and contractors, support safety training and onboarding, and route conflicts of interest, safety concerns, or legal, financial, or reputational risks to the proper office.

This position is a 12-month, ranked, non-tenure track appointment at the rank of assistant, associate, or full Extension Professional. Rank will be determined at the time of appointment based on qualifications and experience in accordance with MU Extension faculty standards. This position holds the working title of Director of Jefferson Farm & Gardens.

As an Extension Professional, your workload distribution at appointment will be 25% Administrative Activity, 65% Extension Teaching and 10% Traditional Service.

This appointment is renewable annually at the discretion of the University, and workload distribution may change at the discretion of Extension leadership. Circumstances affecting continued employment include, but are not limited to, work performance, fund availability, and educational priorities.

Core Duties of MU Extension Specialists

MU Extension Specialists deliver the University of Missouri to all Missourians by bringing research-based solutions to local problems. These core duties fall into three major areas: Educate, Create, and Connect. The emphasis among these duties and specific deliverables will vary by appointment and evolve from year to year, directed by an annual plan of work for the program area and for the individual.

Educate. Specialists design, conduct, and evaluate educational programs and teach research-based information through meetings, in-person and online courses, continuing education, technical assistance, volunteer training, media, demonstrations, tours, and consultation, supporting the individual, organizational, and community goals of Missouri's learners and clients.

Create. Specialists develop innovative, research-informed educational products and scholarly works - curricula, publications, presentations, educational tools, websites, demonstrations, grant proposals, and project reports - obtain and manage extramural funding, and contribute to the scholarship of Extension by evaluating programs for learning, behavior change, and community impact.

Connect. Specialists engage learners, stakeholders, volunteers, communities, county extension councils, county commissions, government officials and agencies, partners, donors, funders, and University and professional organizations. Strong connections help generate revenue to sustain and grow valued programming through grants, contracts, fees, gifts, sponsorships, and partnerships.

Professional Expectations

• Engage with councils, commissions, legislators, funders, donors, volunteers, and stakeholders to identify educational needs, build partnerships, and collaborate with appropriate internal and external partners to meet those needs.
• Create an annual action plan that reflects local needs, Jefferson Farm & Gardens priorities, and statewide program area efforts; provide regular reports of impact to the Boone County Extension Council, Boone County Commission, supervisors, advisory groups, and other partners as requested.
• Collaborate with campus-based faculty, Extension specialists, field specialists, students, and community partners on research, demonstration, education, and outreach projects, and deliver findings through field days, tours, courses, workshops, consultations, publications, media, and digital platforms.
• Demonstrate competency in communication, educational programming, subject matter knowledge, educational delivery, volunteer and personnel management, grant acquisition and management, fiscal stewardship, partnership development, teamwork, interpersonal relations, organizational knowledge, leadership, and professionalism.
• Offer timely, research-based information and represent the University of Missouri on boards and committees as assigned.
• Participate in professional development events to improve technical, administrative, grant-development, entrepreneurial, and leadership skills.
• Conduct all activities in accordance with the Civil Rights Acts, Title IX, Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and local, state, and regional affirmative action plans.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support the mission and purpose of MU Extension and Jefferson Farm & Gardens.

Additional Expectations

• Travel regularly throughout Missouri, using own transportation, with occasional out-of-state travel. A valid Missouri driver's license, a legally operating vehicle, and wireless telephone/data service for University use are required. Reimbursement for approved travel is provided per University of Missouri policy.
• MU Extension programs and Jefferson Farm & Gardens events often occur outside of normal business hours. Working evenings and weekends is regularly required to meet the needs of learners, clients, stakeholders, partners, and visitors.

MU Extension Leadership Received

Primary supervision for Jefferson Farm & Gardens director duties is received from the Senior Program Director for MU Extension's Agriculture and Environment program area. Programmatic supervision for the Agricultural Business specialist emphasis is received from the Education Director for the Agriculture Business and Policy program area. Administrative oversight is received from the Regional Director for the Northeast Region.

MU EXTENSION INFORMATION

The University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement's distinct land-grant mission is to improve lives, communities, and economies by producing relevant, reliable, and responsive educational strategies throughout Missouri. Our dedicated and knowledgeable specialists and staff collaborate with researchers and community leaders to develop and deliver programs that address the needs of Missourians, including educational attainment, economic development, and healthy people. For more information about MU Extension and Engagement, please visit https://extension.missouri.edu/

UNIVERSITY INFORMATION

The University of Missouri, also known as Mizzou and MU, is the Flagship University of the four-campus University of Missouri System. It is one of the state's land-grant universities. MU's comprehensive undergraduate programs and its graduate, professional, and research programs attract an annual enrollment of more than 30,000 students. MU Extension and Engagement programs are located on all four campuses and in 114 counties and St. Louis city.

An earned master's degree is required in horticulture, plant science, agriculture, agricultural education, agricultural business, agricultural economics, natural resources, farm management, public administration, nonprofit management, or a closely related field at the time of appointment.

Candidates will also be evaluated on:

• Experience developing, delivering, and evaluating educational programs for producers, entrepreneurs, youth, community partners, or public audiences.
• Practical knowledge in managing a farm, garden, education center, public facility, nonprofit program, or similar outdoor learning site.
• Administrative and leadership experience, including supervision of employees, students, volunteers, or seasonal staff, and management of fiscal, physical, and program resources.
• Working knowledge of horticulture, agriculture, livestock care, conservation practices, natural resources, public gardens, educational farms, food systems, or related areas.
• Experience with grants, proposals, budgets, project management, post-award administration, funder reporting, and entrepreneurial revenue strategies such as contracts, gifts, sponsorships, and use fees.
• Experience building partnerships and coordinating collaborations with faculty, Extension specialists, public agencies, schools, county governments, nonprofits, donors, volunteers, funders, elected officials, and other community partners.
• Experience supporting public programs such as tours, field days, school visits, volunteer activities, advisory boards, community events, or other public-facing educational programs.

This position offers a minimum starting salary of $85,000, with the final salary determined based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.

Complete the brief online application and be prepared to upload:

* Cover Letter

* Resume/CV

* Copies of all unofficial academic transcripts, and

* a list of 3-5 references

For questions regarding the online application process contact MUHR@missouri.edu or call 573.882.7976. For technical problems with the online application process contact Helpdesk@missouri.edu or call 573.882.5000.

Employment visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.