Senior Farm Viability Manager

About PFI

Practical Farmers of Iowa is a nonprofit organization that has worked to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities since 1985. We create learning opportunities via farmer‑led events, on‑farm research and educational content through our robust network of farmers. We also provide funding and technical assistance to help farmers adopt regenerative farming practices and grow farm businesses. Our vision is an Iowa with healthy soil, healthy food, clean air, clean water, resilient farms and vibrant communities.

This work has always been rooted in our value of welcoming everyone and creating a culture of mutual respect. We believe that a diversity of people, ideas and perspectives strengthens our ability to find creative solutions, enriches our understanding and broadens our impact. At Practical Farmers, we celebrate this diversity and are committed to ensuring that our policies and practices create an equitable and inclusive workplace.

We take equal opportunity seriously and seek to empower and support all applicants and teammates.

Practical Farmers offers a flexible, supportive and fast‑paced work environment. Professional development is a core part of our culture, and team members are encouraged to take independent initiative to help fulfill our mission.

Our Shared

Purpose:

We make it easier for farmers and landowners to implement conservation, production and business changes that make their farms more resilient.

How We Do It: We remove barriers and reduce risk in two main ways:

• Offering personalized support
• Helping farmers and landowners define success for themselves and providing practical tools to help them reach it, including through:
• Technical assistance
• Business coaching
• Financial assistance
• Connections to trusted resources and service providers
• Engaging broader systems and industry leaders

We work to create a more favorable environment for farmers and landowners by:

• Educating “enablers,” such as lenders, advisors, agencies and technical service partners
• Supporting supply chain development across short, medium and multinational markets
• Building relationships with organizations and companies that influence farmer opportunities
• Supporting local, state and federal policies that advance resilient farms and communities

Over the past 12‑plus years, the farm viability department, which was recently restructured to fulfill greater farmer demand, has sought to address barriers farmers face to reaching their goals. The department houses a rapidly growing suite of programs that help farmers improve the financial, operational and ecological resilience of their businesses.

At present, we oversee between 22 and 25 ongoing programs that collectively enroll and engage over 4,000 farmers each year. Programs operate on overlapping timelines with varied requirements, deliverables and funding cycles. These include:

• Cover Crop Business Accelerator
• Cover Crop Cost‑Share
• Empower Farmers Program
• Extended Rotation Cost‑Share
• Farmland Access Navigators
• Farm Mentors
• Farm to Institution Peer Mentorship
• General Cover Crop Consultations
• Grazing Infrastructure Cost‑Share
• Labor4
  
  Learning
• Local Foods Purchase Assistance Shared Producer Onboarding
• Monitoring, Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MMRV)
• Nitrogen Rate Risk Protection Program
• Phosphorus Stewardship Program
• Petite Prairies
• Prairie Strips
• Precision Conservation Analysis
• Produce Safety Cost‑Share
• Row Crops to Prairie
• Rural Grocery Pilot Program
• Savings Incentive Program
• Sustainable Agriculture Business Incubator

Practical Farmers of Iowa is seeking a diligent, collaborative and mission‑driven leader to serve as the senior farm viability manager. For more than 40 years, Practical Farmers has equipped farmers to build resilient farms and communities across Iowa and beyond. The senior farm viability manager plays a critical role in coordinating this work by supporting managers, aligning processes, securing funding and ensuring high‑quality execution across the department.

• Facilitate teamwork
  within the farm viability department.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive and accountable team culture.
• Oversee contractors, staff…