Maize & Forage Technical Officer

**About Pacific Seeds**

Pacific Seeds is Australia's leading broadacre seed company. We breed, produce and market leading summer and winter crop seeds and have partnered with farmers around Australia for 60 years. We are focused on conducting research and developing new products and technologies which ultimately improve grower profitability.

**Primary Position Purpose**

Work with the Maize Product Development Manager and Product Development Lead - Forage to ensure that the goals of both programs are not only achieved but exceeded.

**Key Accountabilities**

**1.** **Maize Product Development Program**

**Hybrid Testing Program**

In consultation with the Maize Product Development Lead:

- Make and maintain contacts/relationships with research trial contractor personnel & co-operators to both support the hybrid testing program and provide opportunities to promote Pacific Seeds varieties.
- Help prepare and coordinate:

- packeting of hybrid trial entries; and
- racking up of trial site entries ready to plant.
- Actively help coordinate the planting of trials (if required) through communication with Contractor Field Service Staff, Maize Product Development Lead and all other relevant personnel.
- Collect field notes from trials if required e.g. flowering notes, agronomic notes, disease ratings & relevant plot descriptions.
- Collection, processing and cleaning of grain samples for internal and external purposes and gathering documentation of feedback in relation to these.

**Field and Glasshouse Breeding Nursery Activities**

In consultation with the Maize Product Development Lead:

- Help prepare and coordinate:

- packeting of nursery entries; and
- racking up of nursery site entries ready to plant.
- Help coordinate planting of nurseries with appropriate personnel including Gatton Research Farm Manager or Glasshouse Coordinator
- Maintain good management and hygiene of nurseries through actively coordinating activities including plant thinning, weeding, scouting & organising control of pest species.
- Collect relevant notes (if required) on parent lines which may include flowering date and other agronomic traits.
- Coordinate, train and oversee any casual labour personnel required to assist in nursery activities.
- Prepare and coordinate harvest of nurseries including:

- harvest tags and bags;
- physical harvesting and drying of nursery material;
- threshing and cleaning; and
- recording of harvest clean weights and storage of seed lots in appropriate catalogue in seed store.

**Hybrid & Parent Line Stock Management**

In consultation with the Maize Product Development Lead:

- Ensure regular stock takes (if required) of both hybrid and parent line stocks are carried out to maintain program efficiencies.
- Maintain stock systematically in seed stores.

**Germplasm Introduction**
- Where required, help to coordinate the introduction of new germplasm lines from various global suppliers through Australian quarantine while adhering to internal and external protocols.

**2.** **Forage Product Development Program**

**Forage Sorghum Program**

In consultation with the Product Development Lead - Forage:

- Help prepare and coordinate:

- packeting of nursery and trial seed;
- racking up or nursery and trial entries.
- Help coordinate planting of nurseries and trials with the appropriate personnel.
- Collect relevant agronomic traits on hybrids in trials and parent lines in nurseries.
- Prepare and coordinate harvesting of nurseries including:

- harvest tags and bags;
- physical harvesting and drying of nursery material;
- threshing and cleaning of seed; and
- recording weights and storage of seed lots in the appropriate seed store.
- Assist in the collection of samples from trials for drying and quality testing purposes.
- Ensure regular stock takes of both hybrid and parent line stocks are carried out to maintain program efficiencies.

**Forage Oats Program**

In consultation with the Product Development Lead - Forage:

- Find appropriate locations for trial sites with consideration to reliability of data and cost management in order to efficiently obtain high quality and relevant data.
- Actively help coordinate planting of trials through communication with Trial Co-operators, Field Service Staff, Product Development Lead - Forage and all other relevant personnel.
- Help prepare and coordinate:

- packeting of trial seeds;
- racking up of trials; and
- packeting of entries needed for seed increase.
- Collect field notes from trials using specialised machinery to collect plot weights.
- Assist in the collection of samples from trials for drying and for quality testing purposes.
- Prepare and coordinate harvesting of seed increase blocks and storage of harvested seed.
- Ensure regular stock takes of lines are carried out to maintain program efficiencies.

**3.** **Other Responsibilities**

**Management of Casual Labour**
- Provide all induction & training necessary to causal workers for tasks required thro