Best Boy Farms is hiring an experienced Grower to join our team in Mason City, IA (80 miles northwest of Waterloo). In this role you will be responsible for crop health and performance, from planting and crop establishment through harvest and crop removal. This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who understands the relationship between the plant, greenhouse climate, irrigation, nutrition, labor and production results.
We are a commercial greenhouse operation in Northern Iowa, focused on growing high-quality, fresh produce in a controlled environment. Our team combines modern greenhouse technology with hands-on crop expertise to produce consistent results while maintaining high standards for food safety, quality and operational efficiency.
We believe strong crops start with strong people. We value teamwork, practical problem-solving and continuous improvement, and we are committed to building an operation where employees can contribute, develop their skills and make a meaningful impact.
We offer competitive compensation based on experience, medical, dental and vision insurance, paid vacation and holidays, and much more.
What you will be doing:
- Develop and execute growing strategies for each crop variety and greenhouse section.
- Monitor crop health, plant balance, fruit load, quality, root-zone conditions and production performance.
- Manage climate strategies, including temperature, humidity, ventilation, light, shading, heating and carbon dioxide.
- Develop and adjust irrigation and fertigation programs based on crop stage, plant demand and weather conditions.
- Monitor nutrient levels, electrical conductivity, pH, drain percentages and irrigation timing.
- Lead the integrated pest management program, including scouting, biological controls, disease prevention and crop hygiene.
- Identify crop concerns early and implement practical corrective action.
- Lead and develop Growers, IPM employees and other assigned team members.
- Communicate crop-work priorities to labor and operations teams and monitor the quality and timing of work.
- Prepare crop forecasts and maintain accurate growing, climate, irrigation and production records.
- Analyze crop and production data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
- Partner with maintenance, operations, food safety and leadership to support a safe and efficient greenhouse operation.
- Develop and maintain growing procedures and support continuous improvement initiatives.
This job is for you if you have:
- At least five years of progressive commercial greenhouse vegetable-growing experience.
- Strong knowledge of greenhouse climate, irrigation, fertigation, plant nutrition, crop balance and plant health.
- Experience with greenhouse tomatoes or another commercial high-wire vine crop.
- Demonstrated ability to diagnose pest, disease, nutritional and environmental crop concerns.
- Experience leading employees or providing technical direction to a growing team.
- Strong analytical, planning and problem-solving skills.
- Experience using greenhouse climate-control and production software.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Excel and other common business applications.
- Clear verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to work a flexible schedule and participate in weekend, holiday and after-hours on-call coverage.
Preferred Experience
- Direct experience growing cluster, cherry-on-the-vine or grape tomatoes.
- Degree or diploma in horticulture, plant science, agronomy, controlled-environment agriculture or a related field.
- Experience with Priva or comparable climate-control systems.
- Experience managing biological pest-control programs.
- Bilingual English and Spanish communication skills.
Best Boy Farms is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to legally protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations are available to qualified applicants and employees during the hiring process and employment.