Northern Ranches Field Crop Workers

Job description

A. Field Crop Worker

Work with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, carrots, hay, row and field crops, grain and seed products. Perform planting, bloom picking, runner setting, watering, weeding, planting-growing-trimming strawberry runner tips, and pest control. Work in support role for trim operations during harvest. Install and maintain irrigation systems, apply and remove plastic covers to fields, clear fields of debris, and lift up to 50 pounds. Workers may operate buses to transport workers on the farm (not on public roads). As driving takes place exclusively on the farm, a commercial driver’s license and/or passenger endorsement is not required for this specific function. Drive vehicles to haul crops supplies, tools, or farm workers, operate tractors and equipment,mix and apply chemical, fertilizer, plant, cultivate, and harvest crops. Clean work areas and maintain grounds and landscaping. Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions. Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, irrigating, or harvesting activities. In compliance with 29 C.F.R. 780.105 (c) worker may perform work in labor camp located on the farm that includes all areas of preparing and serving food, housing cleaning detail to provide a high standard for safe and secure living conditions and food service. Works as a member of a crew, or individually performing moderately complex tasks that require limited judgment. Use standard tools such as rakes, long handled hoes in conventional crops and short handled hoe in organic crops, and shovels. Workers may occasionally use various power tools when repairing equipment, irrigation systems, and performing basic equipment repair. Workers may occasionally and/or sporadically perform duties associated with and directly related to trimshed work including but not limited to packing plants, closing/stacking boxes in and around the field and trim sheds, distributing plants, and clean-up functions in and around the field and trim shed. When working in California, Employer complies with the California health and safety rules applicable to short-handled hoes.

B. Strawberry Regular, Green Plant, Plant Sorter, and Raspberry Plant Trimming: Trim Shed Nursery

Worker will sort, trim and bundle strawberry plants in trimming shed to prepare plants for packing and shipment and will be paid on a piecework basis. Worker also may be assigned to fill a support role for trim operations during harvest. In a support role, workers will perform duties associated with and directly related to trimming, including but not limited to packing plants, closing/stacking boxes in and around the trim shed, distributing plants, and clean-up functions in and around the trim shed and will be paid on an hourly basis. (See below).

Workers may trim a small amount of raspberry rootstock which consists of separating, sorting and cutting roots and canes and will be paid on a team piecework basis. Work production and quality will be monitored and reviewed for accuracy by the Supervisor.

Strawberry regular trim: Worker stands at assigned station at trim table; takes harvested strawberry plants from pile on table; inspects and discards plants that do not meet specifications of trim shed supervisor, taking care not to discard marketable plants; creates “hand” of marketable plants, arranged so that all crowns are together, and all roots are aligned in the same direction; grasps root ends with other hand and passes roots over sickle blade on table to trim roots to uniform length; grasps stem end and passes stem end over sickle blade to trim stem end to uniform length; places “hand” of plants on table; repeats process to create a bundle of exactly 100 marketable plants, uniformly trimmed, bundled with crowns together, and roots aligned in same direction. Lays completed bundle on table to be removed by packer.

Special Requirements

Must have 1 month experience working with strawberry nursery plants within the previous two years. The name and address or telephone number of the reference who can verify the worker's experience and performance will be required at the time of interview and written confirmation of experience in the form of a letter. No smoking allowed in the fields or dormitories, cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops, able to use shears and other agricultural tools, conditions of housing include no smoking, drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the dormitories.

Work is performed outdoors in open fields and can involve exposure to sun, wind, mud, dust, heat, cold and other elements of the normal field environment. Temperatures can range from 20 degrees F to over 100 degrees F during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the work and working conditions described.