Orchard Worker

Job description

Manually plant pecan trees. Plant and cultivate pecan trees and harvest pecans. Operate farm vehicles, tractors and equipment. Perform ongoing pecan orchard maintenance including pruning and thinning trees. Plant pecan trees by hand while keeping up as trailer pulls young trees through orchard. Haul fertilizer and lime to young trees with wheelbarrow and buckets, keeping up as tractor pulls fertilizer trailer through orchard. Put garlic, soap, and wraps on young trees by hand. Pull pigweed and johnson grass by hand. Remove unwanted weeds. Hand treat invasive weeds and trees with backpack sprayers and hand cut unwanted trees. Worker may perform grading/irrigation activities. Work in groups to set up irrigation equipment, including carrying lines and putting in underground emitters. Operate irrigation equipment. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches. Use pickax and shovel to make new irrigation ditches in the field. Use wheelbarrow to haul dirt, concrete removed from around old barns and on the farm, and mulch, to fill washes in fields. Haul dirt, asphalt, crushed concrete and miscellaneous materials to washes with wheelbarrow and/or dump trucks. Seed grass in washes. Put out rye grass by hand in washes. Harvest nuts by hand. Pick up old pecans in the field to be hauled off. Push pecan wagons by hand into storage. Pick up limbs and rocks. Put out bales of hay. Maintain lawns and shrubs at cleaning, pre-cleaning and drying plant and farm housing. Use hand tools such as clippers, shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears and knives. Till soil, transplant, weed, thin and prune crops; clean and load harvested products; cut and drag broken limbs from field and mow; remove any vines, suckers, shoots or debris that may deter the function or growth of trees. Participate in irrigation activities. Ongoing orchard maintenance including pruning and thinning on ladders and lifts. Use hand tools such as chain saws, weed eaters, hand trenchers, mowers, blowers, shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, pick axes, chippers, pipe fittings, pipe wrenches, irrigation tools, rakes, post hole diggers, sledgehammers and wheelbarrows. Harrow and fertilize soil, plant, cultivate, spray, sweep, shake, and harvest crops using equipment. Place filled containers on conveyors or in specified areas. Stack filled containers on pallets by prescribed pattern and height according to size, grade, brand, label or other identification. Apply strapping or other stabilizing materials to finished pallets manually with hand tools or using automatic equipment. Record product, packaging and order information on specified forms and records. Apply tags or printed labels to containers. Measure, weigh, count and record finished products. Examine and inspect containers, and materials to ensure that packing specifications are met. Assemble cartons, inserts, crates and containers by hand or using container assembly machinery. Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas using cleaning solutions and hand tools. Workers who have a valid driver's license and doctor's certificate may drive trucks and/or vans to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers on and/or off the farm and may be offered additional hours. Assist with Good Agricultural Practices policies.

Employer may request, but not require, workers to work more than the stated daily hours and/or on a worker's Sabbath or federal holidays. Workers will have an unpaid lunch break. Worker must report to work at designated time and place each day. Daily or weekly work schedule may vary due to weather, sunlight, temperature, crop conditions, and other factors. Employer will notify workers of any change to start time.

TERMINATION. Prior to any termination for cause, employer evaluates workers' performance of required tasks and compliance with Work Rules and other employer policies.

Special Requirements

Two months of verifiable nut tree pruning experience is required. Use of 10 foot ladder and/or lift on pruning towers up to 65 feet to prune pecan trees. Work is outside in hot and/or rainy conditions and requires prolonged bending on hands and knees, walking, sitting, stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, and lifting and carrying up to 50 pounds. During pecan harvest, work is in extremely cold and/or rainy weather.