Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
shrubs, sod, trees.
Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the outdoor production of horticultural products. Plant, cultivate, and maintain nursery stock, trees, shrubs, bedding plants, plugs, liners, and other horticultural varieties. Prepare fields/soil for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, tractors, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes). Plant/pot seedlings or ‘liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and other plants with shovel or tree spade. Uncovers and/ or recovers, assists with assembly and repair of poly covered winter storage houses and pulls lath strips to prepare storage houses for new poly covers. Installs and removes poly blankets used for winter protection.
Perform general plant maintenance. Irrigate and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Train, prune, trim, shear, space, transplant and cull trees and/or plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Shear trees with proper taper and bud cut angle for quality. Tie/position trees and plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade trees. Select trees for cutting according to grade. Cut trees using axe or chainsaw. Drag cut trees from cutting area. Bale trees using tree baler. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twice and/or stapes. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety. Clean/maintain work area.
Plant, cultivate, and harvest sod. Assist with ground preparation. Prepare soil/growth medium. Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, lime and other soil conditions on sod grass and turf areas. Dig, rake, and screen soil. Sow grass seed and plant sod plugs. Unroll and place sod. Cut, roll and stack sod. Load/unload sod.

Workers may perform duties including boxing, weighing, loading and installation of product.

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, and saws.
Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high 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. Install and remove levee gates.

Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 50 pounds and lifting to a height of 4 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 light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 32 to over 100 degrees F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers 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.

Employer requires all newly-hired employees to take and pass an employer-paid drug test before starting work. Drug test not required for prospective applicants prior to hiring decision. All testing is conducted uniformly after an initial job offer has been extended and accepted by the new hire.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of prior experience working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with nursery production. Workers must be able to perform all duties with accuracy and efficiency. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 50 lbs. Employer-paid pre-employment and post-hire drug testing required.