Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
nursery stock including, but not limited to, ornamental shrubs, perennials, roses.
Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, hammers, utility knives, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, fork lifts, skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants when needed. Apply fertilizers. Clear debris from field and clean/maintain farm buildings, structures, equipment, and work areas. Assist with farm building/field/road maintenance and repairs. Repair fences.

Prepare fields/soil/container-growing area for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using tractor, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes. Plant, cultivate and maintain nursery stock and/or bedding plants in condition for shipping and sale to customers. Pot seedlings or ‘liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Perform general plant maintenance. Prune, trim, space, transplant, weed, and cull plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Irrigate and apply fertilizer. Pack, label, tag, pull, and store plants by variety. Count, grade, and inventory plants. Must understand nursery quality control standards and have working knowledge of production procedures. Must harvest crops according to specific standards. Must select, harvest, assemble, and prepare plants pursuant to customer needs. Lift, carry, and load/unload nursery stock and/or supplies. Workers will assist in loading/ unloading trucks with product weighing up to and including 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time.

Uncover winter plant storage facilities (‘hoop houses') at the beginning of the growing season, to include: removing 1” x 2” strips of lumber, removing nails, and using machinery to bale plastic covering. Repair hoop houses prior to winter, to include: repairing, removing, and/or adding lumber to hoop house structure, and repairing metal hoops. Cover hoop houses prior to winter. Build new hoop houses, to include: driving metal support pipes into the ground, assembling and installing metal hoops, and installing irrigation lines. Cover and uncover plants with protective frosts blankets as needed during cold weather. On occasion, early morning hours will be required to irrigate plants as a protective measure against frost during cold weather.

Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers must work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Work required in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required during rain, snow, wind, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 10 to 100 F. Workers may be required to work during rainy conditions not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job. Workers should be able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of prior agricultural experience, preferably working in a nursery, handling both manual and mechanized tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required after a worker has an accident at work.