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Job Requirements of Assistant Variety Scientist:
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Plant Breeding, Agronomy, Horticulture, Crop Science, Genetics, or a related field.
- 7 years (10 years highly preferred) of experience with field research, data collection, and greenhouse operations in a breeding or agricultural R&D setting.
- Strong understanding of experimental design, trait heritability, and statistical analysis.
- Familiarity with molecular biology techniques (e.g., marker-assisted selection) and digital phenotyping tools.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and statistical software (e.g., R, SAS).
- Strong organizational and documentation skills to meet regulatory and internal standards.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
The work environment characteristics and physical requirements described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Working Conditions:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee works in outside weather conditions on a regular basis.
- Field-based work with regular travel between research stations and trial locations.
- Working conditions may be rainy, hot, humid, dusty, etc. depending on the weather
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud
- Duties of this job are also performed in an office environment
- Employee may be required to drive a vehicle for extended time periods
- Extended hours may be required during peak planting and harvest seasons.
Physical Requirements:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit
- The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, use hands to handle and/or move various objects, tools and/or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, talk, hear, and see
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus
- Ability to freely access all areas of the including farm offices, tractor sheds, various farm/harvesting equipment, etc.
- Ability to operate and use all equipment necessary to run the farm including chemical applications equipment and common office equipment
- Ability to move or handle various items throughout the farm generally weighing between 0-65 pounds. Ability to lift and carry up to 65 pounds.
The above declarations are not intended to be an “all-inclusive” list of the duties and responsibilities of the job described, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Rather, they are intended only to describe the general nature of the job, and a reasonable representation of its activities.
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Assistant Variety Scientist
Company Overview: U.S. Sugar produces approximately 6.5 million tons of sugarcane annually on more than 200,000 acres of land in the South Florida area. U.S. Sugar owns and operates the largest private agricultural short line railroad in the country and is the only sugar company in the continental United States that transports its harvested cane supply from its farms and other growers by railroad to its sugar factory. The rail system includes the South Central Florida Express (SCFE), acquired by U.S. Sugar in 1994, which not only transports sugar cane to the factory, but also transports finished sugar products, citrus products, fertilizer, farm equipment, aggregates, and other freight interchanging with CSXT and FECR.
Position Summary
U.S. Sugar is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Assistant Variety Scientist to support our sugarcane breeding and variety development programs. This position plays a vital role in developing high-yielding, disease-resistant sugarcane varieties with superior sugar content, improved extraction efficiency, and enhanced resilience to pests and environmental stressors. The role involves hands-on assistance with field and greenhouse operations, data collection, digital phenotyping, and statistical analysis.
Key Responsibilities
- Assist in the execution of proprietary and collaborative breeding programs (CL, CLRB, RB varieties).
- Support all phases of the Internal Variety Evaluation and Expansion System (IVEES), including EN and ME pre-commercial tests.
- Contribute to the selection of parental plants and variety crosses aimed at enhancing genetic diversity.
- Assist with USDA/APHIS paperwork and maintain proper documentation for regulatory compliance.
- Support greenhouse operations, including seedling production and transplanting of first-generation plants.
- Prepare field plots for planting trials, nurseries, and variety tests across single or multiple locations.
- Carry out field planting and mapping activities for small and large-scale trials.
- Conduct routine field inspections to evaluate plant performance and support selection decisions.
- Implement pest and disease screening protocols tailored to each trial location.
- Perform drone flights and collect digital phenotyping data to monitor crop development.
- Collect field data to assess variety performance in terms of cane yield, sugar content, ratooning ability, and juice quality.
- Evaluate maturity curves and ripener tests to assess natural and chemically induced sugar accumulation.
- Ensure accuracy and quality in data collection and recording processes.
- Conduct statistical analyses to evaluate cane and sugar yields and recommend test designs.
- Assist in writing variety descriptions, research reports, trial summaries, and commercial recommendations.
Job Requirements:
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Plant Breeding, Agronomy, Horticulture, Crop Science, Genetics, or a related field.
- 7 years (10 years highly preferred) of experience with field research, data collection, and greenhouse operations in a breeding or agricultural R&D setting.
- Strong understanding of experimental design, trait heritability, and statistical analysis.
- Familiarity with molecular biology techniques (e.g., marker-assisted selection) and digital phenotyping tools.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and statistical software (e.g., R, SAS).
- Strong organizational and documentation skills to meet regulatory and internal standards.
- Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
The work environment characteristics and physical requirements described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Working Conditions:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee works in outside weather conditions on a regular basis.
- Field-based work with regular travel between research stations and trial locations.
- Working conditions may be rainy, hot, humid, dusty, etc. depending on the weather
- The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud
- Duties of this job are also performed in an office environment
- Employee may be required to drive a vehicle for extended time periods
- Extended hours may be required during peak planting and harvest seasons.
Physical Requirements:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit
- The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, use hands to handle and/or move various objects, tools and/or controls, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, talk, hear, and see
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus
- Ability to freely access all areas of the including farm offices, tractor sheds, various farm/harvesting equipment, etc.
- Ability to operate and use all equipment necessary to run the farm including chemical applications equipment and common office equipment
- Ability to move or handle various items throughout the farm generally weighing between 0-65 pounds. Ability to lift and carry up to 65 pounds.
The above declarations are not intended to be an “all-inclusive” list of the duties and responsibilities of the job described, nor are they intended to be such a listing of the skills and abilities required to do the job. Rather, they are intended only to describe the general nature of the job, and a reasonable representation of its activities.