Working/Functional Title
Dairy Production/Management Educator
Position Summary
Michigan State University Extension is committed to fostering a welcoming and collaborative environment, which requires all staff to contribute toward a vision for success regardless of title or position within the organization. We strive to create a positive culture, access to resources, and a sense of belonging for staff, partners, and programming participants. This means that all staff at MSU Extension are dedicated to the following:
- We work together to ensure that programming is available to all audiences, creates meaningful and positive impacts for participants, and demonstrates partnership and collaboration across communities.
- We understand that a welcoming and respectful environment is built through the efforts of everyone.
- We foster an environment that welcomes a broad range of perspectives and experiences, ensuring that all individuals have the opportunity to contribute and thrive.
- We ensure that every team member is prepared with the skills and resources to contribute to our welcoming and supportive culture.
- We foster an environment that values a range of perspectives, skills, and experiences by working to ensure access to programming for communities.
- We commit to continuous learning and engagement to better serve Michigan residents and meet the evolving needs of communities.
- We recognize that broad accessibility and collaboration are essential elements of our work and are vital to organizational and programmatic success.
- We embrace a culture of understanding, coaching, and feedback toward achieving a vision of success for the entire organization and its staff.
- Together we will achieve success, and we commit to these goals in our work, continued education, and ongoing efforts.
POSITION SUMMARY
As part of MSU Extension (MSUE) and the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute (AABI), this position provides local as well as statewide leadership and educational programming expertise in dairy production and management. Michigan’s dairy industry leads our state in economic impact, generating 1.8 billion dollars in cash receipts, jobs, infrastructure, food security, and local impact, while staying among the national leaders in milk quality and production efficiency. Our Extension program provides support and facilitates responsible growth and constant improvement of the Michigan dairy industry through multiple educational initiatives.
This position will have regional and statewide responsibilities and will collaborate across work teams, Institutes, and community groups, working with faculty, specialists, and educators for overall advancement of the needs of the Institute clientele. In this position, you will identify, design, implement, and evaluate research-based educational programs that meet current and projected outreach needs related to dairy production.
You will be expected to be an effective communicator with teaching methods ranging from traditional in-person meetings held one-on-one or in small groups, to using different forms of synchronous and asynchronous distance learning technologies. You will be expected to develop a broad array of educational materials to include but not be limited to traditional news articles and bulletins, videos, infographics, etc. to meet the broad needs of clientele.
Through your leadership, you will provide support to dairy farmers and agribusiness in eastern Michigan in the “Thumb” region, which includes Huron and Tuscola counties with Huron County being the largest dairy county in Michigan. You will work with producers and allied industry to improve the sustainability of the dairy industry. This can include but is not to be limited to improved production and animal care and welfare methods or practices, improved understanding of emerging production systems and technologies, manure management systems, improved financial management, as well as alternative and emerging markets. Your work will include, but is not limited to, completing on-site consultations, virtual and in-person meetings, conducting demonstrations and/or participating in on-going farm research.
Through collaboration in research, engagement with community members, and dissemination of research-based information through various methods, including in-person and multimedia programming and written communications, you will explore and implement programs that lead to public knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that will improve the viability of the dairy industry. You will also develop, produce, and deliver dairy outreach materials with messaging and content that is accessible and is consistent with the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute Animal Agriculture Work Team messaging.
Your work will include close collaboration with colleagues at MSU and MSU Extension, as well as the network of partner groups that include multiple commodity and industry organizations. You will collaborate statewide with the existing core of dairy educators and specialists and campus-based faculty to provide education and services to Michigan dairy producers. Acting as a statewide point of contact, you will provide support for AABI in determining research and programmatic needs across the state and will communicate and interact with community groups to evaluate the needs of the clientele.
Although negotiable, there will be space available for this position to work from the Huron County MSU Extension office in Bad Axe, Michigan
This position may be eligible to utilize a flexible work environment, however, there is an expectation to work from a MSU Extension County office. The needs, responsibilities, and opportunities of an individual’s position and office location drive the ability and amount of work-location flexibility.
Characteristic Duties/Responsibilities
- Identify, develop, conduct, and evaluate innovative educational programs that meet current and projected statewide needs, and supports growth and understanding of critical issues facing the dairy industry in Michigan.
- Develop and maintain positive working relationships intra- and inter-organizationally and create and promote positive public relations for MSU Extension and the AABI.
- Understand and support the Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute’s efforts in culture, access, belonging, and Civil Rights, with a special emphasis on removing barriers from participation and reaching all populations, including but not limited to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status, socio-economic class and other human differences.
- Communicate and interact with community groups to evaluate the needs of the clientele.
- In concert with the MSU Extension work team(s), work with federal, state, and county agencies to complete needs assessment of the community and develop effective programming.
- Serve as an information resource to clientele, partners, and Extension staff.
- Develop and utilize appropriate media methods to communicate current and timely information, research results, and relevant industry updates, as well as a schedule of current and future activities.
- Collaborate with MSU Extension staff to gather and report programming outputs and impacts, to
