
SpaceX is hiring a Farmer in Texas - siralonso
http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5749
======
gpos
My best guess is that SpaceX had to buy a lot of land in the buffer region
surrounding their testing facilities in McGregor, and they're just looking to
put it to good use.

In addition to the direct income from farming, farming the land would maintain
its eligibility for an "open-space appraisal" under Texas law, which would
reduce its property taxes by changing the valuation methodology for the land.
Although there are two types of agricultural property tax exemptions in Texas,
only the open-space appraisal eligibility requirements allow the owner's
principal source of income to be something other than farming.

Sources:
[http://recenter.tamu.edu/pdf/1361.pdf](http://recenter.tamu.edu/pdf/1361.pdf)
[http://bigskyranchtexas.com/everything-you-want-to-know-
abou...](http://bigskyranchtexas.com/everything-you-want-to-know-about-texas-
ag-exemptions-for-your-land/)

~~~
wsh
I think your guess is correct. As the announcement says:

    
    
       This position will be required to work around test schedules as
       necessary to ensure the successful crop production does not
       interfere with testing progress.

------
raverbashing
So this is how a business writes a job position for a farmer. Interesting

Now let's just hope HR and the interviewers don't require the applicant their
Github profile or something.

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snitch182
" typically, SpaceX employees work a minimum 50 hour week" yehaa.. just sleep
in the office!

~~~
butwhy
Hah, I don't even think that would be legal where I live. I'm used to
employers having to pay for every hour a person works. People can work
overtime for free, but the business can't force them to. It sounds like spacex
is quassi forcing them to work more hours than they are being compensated for.

~~~
fleitz
For highly skilled people you generally have lots of options, it's very
difficult for a company to require 50 hour weeks without paying a salary
higher than a company that requires 40 hour weeks.

~~~
raverbashing
"Oh but you're working with cool stuff! And you have a foosball table and free
lunch"

~~~
fleitz
Well... then you're more interested in cool stuff, foosball tables and free
lunch than cold hard cash, but again, for highly skilled people there are many
companies willing to offer boatloads of cash for those that can figure out how
to do their own laundry, and buy their own sodas.

------
hardwaresofton
I don't know whether I'm more excited about the fact that this could be an
interstellar-themed joke, or that SpaceX is trying to do something
interesting/ambitious in the farming industry.

I know companies are mostly in it to profit, but it's hard not to like/want to
think the best of SpaceX

~~~
Omniusaspirer
Based on some other comments in this thread, it looks much more mundane- a
simple tax dodge.

~~~
avz
Closed as _Working as Intended_

Reason: Relevant tax regulations are in place to create incentives for
productive land use.

~~~
Omniusaspirer
Aye, "dodge" was probably harsh language on my part. Saying they're taking
advantage of tax credits would have been better.

~~~
toomuchtodo
"Effective utilization of tax policy."

Frankly, I'd rather the money go into Elon's pocket than the government's.

------
leoc
Isn't this technically a farm-manager position, as the occupant will neither
own nor rent the land?

~~~
sjtrny
That doesn't necessarily affect the definition of a farmer
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmer)

~~~
leoc
As Wiki confirms, it's usual nowadays to reserve the term for freeholders (or
tenant-farmers, which WP oddly doesn't mention at all).

------
fleitz
I misread the title, I thought they hired some farmer who builds a rocket in
his barn, similar to the movie The Astronaut Farmer.

Turns out it's a regular farmer... growing rocket fuel?

Actually... if the new rocket is using methane could they be growing crops
that decompose into lots of methane? Are they experimenting with alcohol/LOX?
Are they growing biofuel to refine to RP-1?

------
ryanmcdonough
Requirements:

*Understand the implications of the weather and make contingency plans

------
dba7dba
I first thought this was for testing farming in space/Mars. But yes, in
reality it's for tax reason. And it doesn't make sense to let all that land go
unused.

Interestingly I know a family that 'farms' on Maui so they can live on a land
that's zoned for farming. Supposedly the land is zoned for farming, so they
bought the land, built nice houses and also farm to satisfy the requirement
for zoning. But of course they are not farmers...

------
socialist_coder
If you have ever driven around Texas, you will see "farmland" like this all
over the place. A random factory or warehouse with cows grazing around it is
quite common, even in the greater Austin area.

Like other's have said, it's for tax reasons. I figured they didn't even
bother trying to make an actual profit from the farm, but maybe in this SpaceX
case they will since the scale is so large.

------
thomasfoster96
Dang, I have to be a US citizen. Surely SpaceX's agricultural activities
aren't subject to space industry regulations?

~~~
leoc
As the position requires ten years of experience in Central Texas agriculture
specifically, it's probably moot in this case.

------
tempodox
That page doesn't zoom well. Hit Cmd-Plus several times to magnify and see how
it destroys the text. I would have expected better from what wants to be a
professional presentation. No responsive web sites for astronaut farmers.

~~~
viewer5
I'm on Chrome and Win7 and it was fine for me (aside from the text column
scootching rightward, starting at 175% zoom, but just scrolling to the right
fixes that).

------
shmerl
So is it to train people to create farms on space colonies?

~~~
gyardley
It's almost certainly to qualify for a Texas property tax break.

All kinds of people in rural Texas grow some hay or keep a couple cows on
their extra acreage to save on taxes.

------
trhway
the position is subject to ITAR.

~~~
desdiv
Dishwashers[0], baristas[1], line cooks[2], and porters[3] are all subject to
ITAR as well. Can't afford to let China learn our latest China scrubbing
technology.

[0]
[http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5715](http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5715)

[1]
[http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5839](http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5839)

[2]
[http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5708](http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/5708)

[3]
[http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/6151](http://www.spacex.com/careers/position/6151)

~~~
gus_massa
I don't want to jump on the conspiracy bandwagon, but the baristas heard a lot
of interesting technical conversations. Also, in the University bar, we use to
grab a paper napkin and write in it, but we don't work with classified
information.

~~~
BruceM
Good enough time to mention this again then:
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-cia-starbucks-
even...](http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/at-cia-starbucks-even-the-
baristas-are-
covert/2014/09/27/5a04cd28-43f5-11e4-9a15-137aa0153527_story.html)

------
JoeAltmaier
Ha! They say to work at SpaceX you have to be extremely flexible, and work 50
hours a week. They're saying that to a farmer, with a straight face.

------
josephwegner
I can't help but think about the plot of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.

~~~
joshvm
I was thinking more of Interstellar. Presumably they'll train him to be a
pilot and keep him in reserve for when the Blight arrives.

------
rurounijones
> SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and
> will not be influenced in any manner by ... veteran status, disability
> status ...

> Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX’s Affirmative Action Plan for
> veterans and individuals with disabilities ...

Seems a bit contradictory?

~~~
rtpg
I think "influenced" here is meant in the negative sense (you will not be
punished for your disabilities).

It's like how the the 14th amendment is not meant to get rid of advantages for
whites, but of the disadvantages for pretty much every minorities.

~~~
gizmo686
"influenced in any manner" seems pretty non-ambiguous.

Also, affirmative action did face significant 14th amendment challenges.

------
protester
> Must be able to climb ladders and work in tight spaces.

This is the most interesting bit.

~~~
hueving
Farming requires that.

------
aligajani
Interstellar...it's happening

------
kapad
The resume's being sent in for this will be worth a read. I hope someone hacks
SpaceX and leaks them. ;)

