Agricultural Technician

This position is located at the Benton Border Protection Station and reports to the Station Manager or Shift Supervisor.

The Agricultural Technician performs regulatory inspections on vehicles and commodities to prevent the introduction of unwanted pests into California. The technician will work independently with little or no supervision and may be assigned to work weekends and holidays, as well as rotating shifts.

• Enter the interior of vehicles, including trailers, trunks, and passenger compartments, to inspect for and remove any hitchhiking pests.
• Read and interpret shipping manifests and quarantine certificates to determine the contents and admissibility of commercial shipments.
• Use printed and electronic reference materials to determine the admissibility of private shipments of plant material.
• Complete on-the-job training to learn and keep abreast of changes in regulations and vehicle inspection procedures.
• Sample and inspect rejected or regulated commodities for pest infestation by collecting and carrying samples and using knives, fruit crushers, hand lenses, and microscopes to examine commodities.
• Compare collected specimens with samples or printed or electronic reference materials to make a preliminary identification of common pests.
• Preserve and ship suspect pest specimens using prescribed methods to a laboratory for identification.
• Dispose of rejected commodities by grinding, burning, or placement in a dumpster.

The majority of the job duties are performed outdoors, in the private vehicle and truck inspection areas, approximately 90% of the time. When working outdoors, the employee may be exposed to high-low temperature changes and variable climatic conditions such as rain, fog, dust, fumes, gases, and odors.

Priority consideration will be given to applicants receiving state public assistance under the CalWORKs or Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) programs. Applicants who receive state public assistance need to identify their status as a CalWORKs or TANF recipient in the "Comments" section of the application. Applicants must submit verification of CalWORKs or TANF eligibility.