Lead Grower

PRIMARY PURPOSE AND FUNCTION

Walters Gardens is a company rich in heritage diverse in culture and founded on the core values of faith honesty and integrity. The primary purpose of the Lead Grower is to demonstrate professional behavior with a team-based mentality to ensure that all products produced by Walters Gardens are produced to the highest quality standard in an efficient safe and economical way. We are committed to achieving and maintaining operational excellence in order to provide better value for our customers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Water Management
• Primarily responsible for validating and supervising irrigation programs in area to ensure that varieties are receiving optimum water requirements.
• Oversee the irrigation schedule through Priva to optimize growth on plants and minimize losses associated to moisture management in areas listed above.
• Monitor items in area to make sure they have correct water signage to improve communication with growing department.
• Work with Lead Growers on developing Friday weekend and holiday watering schedules.
• Communicate with other Lead Growers for specific application needs when covering their areas.
• Participate in weekend watering rotation.
• Be able to train people and operate all watering systems in the north ranges area.
• Coordinate with trial and breeding departments to ensure each departments items are being maintained at proper moisture levels.
• Fertility Program
• Train grower to decide which items to conduct in-house EC/pH fertility tests on.
• Primarily responsible for working with growers to adjust fertilization program based on results of testing at location to meet crop needs and have applications recorded.
• Give recommendations on extra treatments needed for problem plants.
• On a monthly basis send a list of items to Berger for comprehensive soil testing.
• Supervise the application of the fertilizer drenches.
• Trial fertility programs for optimizing crop development.
• PGR/IPM Responsibilities
• Primarily responsible for overseeing employees scouting greenhouse crops and helping identify insects diseases or pathogens on crops.
• Communicate disease and insect issues to Plant Health team.
• Collaborate with GH Plant Health people on the appropriate measures needed to control insects diseases or pathogens on crops.
• Set-up record and validate items to get plant growth regulator applications in ranges.
• Advise employees on PGR rates and monitor results after applications are made.
• Establish PGR trials to promote or inhibit growth.
• Environmental Management
• Monitor greenhouse environments daily to make sure plants are receiving optimum conditions for holding.
• Train people and operate the environmental controls for the North ranges.
• Monitor humidity levels through Priva and establish the necessary purges to keep botrytis to a minimum.
• Update information in Plant Path for Hostas succulents Epimediums and other items in your area.
• Develop move lists of items out of ranges when needed.
• Inventory Responsibilities
• Review forecast report for items on a weekly basis to ensure upcoming orders will be fulfilled.
• Review Greenhouse Processing Reports on a weekly basis for items in ranges to determine best methods for work on batches.
• Train Section Grower on completing PQR report.
• After GPRs have been reviewed by Section Growers review to see if corrections are needed.
• Review crops on a weekly basis and make sure they are free of weeds moss and liverwort.
• Enter GPRs for resorting cleaning and moving for items in ranges.
• Monitor yields for each variety and determine ways to make improvements.
• Update planning profiles in LiveProduct to make sure items have necessary grow time and expected yield percentages.
• Review items that are flagged by Section Growers to be mowed to make sure they are getting trimmed to proper height at the correct time.
• Work with sales inventory managers and production to have plants trimmed sorted and shipped on time.
• Review large orders on weekly basis and set up GPRs if necessary.
• Make sure items being shipped are coming from best available batch.
• Assist in keeping Plant Path updated for finishing locations.
• Know the purpose for every plant in the finishing area
• Make proactive adjustments to finish plants on schedule
• Weekly follow-up on varieties that have been missed in processing
• Work with Inventory Managers and growers on set down locations custom orders and large orders for items.
• Manage and develop TC standards for suppliers for Hosta and Succulents.
• Notify Inventory Managers with issues deserving of credit.
• Team responsibilities
• Be an active member of the Grower Management Team.
• Assist in the hiring of growing staff to fill vacancies.
• Train manage and motivate growing staff.
• Assist in developing an internship program.
• Annually conduct performance evaluations and set goals with employees that report directly to you.
• Work with other managers to develop lean strategies for increasing efficiency in everyday operations.
• Participate in interdepartmental teams implementing automation.
• Help answer plant production questions from customers customer care and sales support
• When requested accompany sales staff on customer visits.
• Participate in trade shows when asked.
• Help create a safe work environment for employees.
• Participate in grower meetings and educational events when directed by supervisor.

KnowledgeandSkillsRequired:

• 2yearsofGreenhouse/Nurseryworkexperience
• BachelorsDegreeinHorticultureorrelatedfield
• BilingualinSpanishandEnglishpreferred
• Strongleadershipandorganizationalskills
• Abilitytoworkindependently
• Availabletoworkoncallandweekendsasneeded
• Computerskills(includingMicrosoftOffice)
• Environmentalcontrolmanagementbeneficial
• PesticideApplicatorLicensebeneficial