Agricultural Environmental Specialist 1-3

The Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry is hiring an Agricultural Environmental Specialist 1-3. This classified position involves advanced duties in agricultural inspection and enforcement, requiring three years of relevant experience or a related degree. The role offers competitive pay, benefits, and opportunities for professional development. The job is statewide in Louisiana, with domicile determined post-selection, indicating it is not a remote position.
Salary

$3,181.00 - $5,724.00 Monthly

Location

Statewide, LA

Job Type

Classified

Job Number

AES-51957-3.19.26-TW

Department

DAF-Agriculture and Forestry

Opening Date

03/20/2026

Closing Date

4/2/2026 11:59 PM Central

About this Job

Job #AES-51957-3.19.26-TW

Ready to make a meaningful impact on Louisiana’s workforce and organizational culture? Join the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry as an Agricultural Environmental Specialist! This position serves in the Office of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. This position is posted statewide. Domicile will be determined once the applicant has been selected.

Grow your career with opportunities in leadership, professional development, and specialized advancement opportunities.

Why Join Us?
• Contribute to a mission-driven organization that serves communities across Louisiana
• Enjoy competitive pay and excellent benefits
• Be part of a collaborative, inclusive, and supportive team

LDAF cares about the well-being of its employees! We offer a fully employer-funded Employee Assistance Program (EAP), providing valuable support and resources to help you and your household members thrive at work and at home. The EAP is also free for all members of your household.

Selected Core Competencies:

Communicating Effectively: The ability to convey information, ideas, and emotions using structured communication methods that promote understanding and engagement.

Making Accurate Judgments: The ability to assess options, weigh risks, and make sound decisions using available information and logical reasoning.

Thinking Critically: The ability to analyze information objectively, identify connections across sources, and form logical, well-supported conclusions.

Selected Preferred Competencies:

Accepting Direction: The ability to be open and willing to follow guidance or instructions.

Demonstrating Initiative: The ability to assess situations independently and take proactive steps to address them without being prompted or instructed by others.

Displaying Expertise: The ability to demonstrate specialized knowledge, skills, and experience to apply subject-matter expertise in diverse and evolving contexts.

Driving Results: The ability to set and pursue goals, maintain focus amid competing demands, and deliver results.

Managing Projects: The ability to plan, implement, and close out project initiatives by coordinating people, resources, and timelines to achieve defined outcomes.

Minimum Qualifications

Three years of experience in agriculture, chemistry, natural resource management, structural pest control, or inspection or enforcement for compliance with agricultural, environmental, or public health laws, rules or regulations; OR

A bachelor’s degree in forestry, an agricultural, biological, chemical, environmental science, or engineering field.

Job Specification

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

Job Duties and Other Information

Job Duties:

This position performs complex and advanced level duties for Office of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences within the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry and entails responsibility and professional agricultural inspection and enforcement work in a variety of technically specialized and professional regulatory programs, including but not limited to pesticide, horticulture and quarantine, seed, industrial hemp, agricultural chemistry programs and structural pest control.
• Evaluates and compiles data and other facts related to inspections within the above-described functional areas into comprehensive technical reports through the use of established regulatory criteria, policies, and procedures.
• Ensures consumer products meet applicable quality standards through routine sampling in all of the functional areas such as: disease/insect/weed free; seed purity and germination; industrial hemp THC concentration; product label guarantees; quality plant installation and maintenance; pesticide treatments that provide protection of human health, homes and crops; quality agricultural lime and fertilizer; assists in preventing introduction of noxious weeds, insects and diseases; etc.
• Issues stop orders on applicable goods, products or activities not registered, substandard or out of compliance.
• Conducts field inspections on various crops, samples seed in bulk and containers, records inspection and seed processor facility inspections for seed certification. Has advanced knowledge of various crops and varieties related to the Seed Certification Program.
• Conducts inspections and/or investigations related to pesticide producers, distributors, dealers or aerial or ground pesticide applicators ensuring they are complying with licensing/certification, record keeping, and use laws, rules and regulations.
• Through experience gained related to pesticide off-target drift and knowledge of potential damage effects caused by specific pesticides via visual inspection and sampling, independently investigates pesticide damage complaints by observing aerial views and interviewing persons as to improper operations of pesticide applications.
• Inspects structures treated and pretreated by local pest companies to ensure termite treatment meets minimum standards set by pest control laws.
• Has advanced experience in the structural pest control program to understand the rules and regulations related to minimum standards and be able to discuss with pest control operators.
• Conducts complex inspections and/or investigations related to horticulture, quarantine and/or nursery work.
• Collects routine official regulatory samples of seed, industrial hemp, fertilizer and agricultural lime from manufacturers, dealers, and farmers, as well as investigative samples due to complaints or as follow up to a previous sample collection.
• Uses various electronic devices that assist in inspection/investigation documentation and keeps current with available technology by participating in training provided or by independent study.
• May serve on new technology pilot program to obtain and present feedback to management on the implementation of new technology for field inspections and investigations.
• May assist the supervisor and/or manager in handling administrative functions for this unit, including but not limited to gathering EPA numbers from work reports, reviewing and compiling inspection reports.
• Independently and accurately responds to inquiries from regulated industries and the public.
• Incumbent is required to operate and maintain a state vehicle in performance of duties and may be required to perform inspections of certified fields on horseback. Statewide travel may be required.

Other duties as may be assigned.

Functional Requirements:
• Moderate light lifting, 30 pounds with occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds
• Reaching above shoulders
• Climbing stairs and occasionally ladders
• Sit over a long period of time at workstation or in a vehicle for travel
• Drive a vehicle to perform inspections and investigations
• Requires considerable walking over irregular ground and standing for long periods of time
• Lifting items such as tools, computer, scanner, luggage or other items used to travel and perform duties/attend class throughout the state

Environmental Factors:
• Occasional excessive heat and humidity
• May be required to wear appropriate safety protection
• Working indoors and outdoors
• Working around routine neighborhood residential hazards
• Occasionally working in moderately cold temperatures for short periods of time
• Exposed to grain dust, bad odors from farm animals, chemicals, fertilizers and other agricultural materials

Position-Specific Details:

Appointment Type: Full-time- this position may be filled by probation or by promotion of a classified employee of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry serving with permanent status. Applicants who are not permanent employees of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry will be required to serve a probationary period up to 24 months.
Career Progression: This position may be filled as an Agricultural Environmental Specialist 1, 2, or 3.

Compensation: The salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.

Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry is an Equal Opportunity Employer and State as a Model Employer (SAME) to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

How To Apply:

No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.
• Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.

For further information about this vacancy, contact:

Tiffany Waddell - HR Analyst

Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry

5825 Florida Blvd., Suite 1001

Baton Rouge, LA 70806

twaddell@ldaf.state.la.us

Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program:

Insurance Coverage More information can be found at https://info.groupbenefits.org/

Parental Leave – Up to six weeks paid parental leave

More information can be found at https://www.civilservice.louisiana.gov/Parental-Leave/Default.aspx

Holidays and Leave – State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:
• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• Mardi Gras,
• Good Friday,
• Memorial Day,
• Independence Day,
• Labor Day,
• Veteran's Day,
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
• **** Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

Retirement – State of Louisiana employees are eligible to participate in various retirement systems (based on the type of appointment and agency for which an employee works). These retirement systems provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers and employees and their beneficiaries. State retirement systems may include (but are not limited to):
• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (www.lasersonline.org). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
• Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (www.trsl.org),
• Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (www.lsers.net), among others