Farmworker/laborer

Job description

FARM LABORER:
Asparagus Crown Planting: Worker will hand plant asparagus crowns. Worker will have hand held baskets and will have to take the crown out of 20-bushel boxes, fill baskets and walk down the row planting the crowns, spacing them 7 – 8 inches apart on the furrow. Workers will be required to reach, walk, bend, stoop, kneel and stand for long periods of time.

Tree planting: Worker may assist with the marking out of new orchards using string, marking sticks, marking flags and tape measure. Trees will be unbundled and handled with care as not to break and damage young trees. Trees are planted mechanically with a planter and by hand. Worker will ride the machine and place plants in the holes as the machine moves along the row. Tree graft union height will be adjusted by pulling the tree until at a specific height using a specially marked stick as a measure. Straighten tree and compact soil around tree. Worker will trim some small branches, place plastic tree guards around base of tree and hang deer repellant bags on tree. Worker will be required to unload boxes of trees to be planted. Some workers will walk behind planter to ensure proper planting. Worker will also assist in replacing dead trees in established orchards. Worker will use shovel to manually remove dead tree and replace with new tree. Worker will apply pellet fertilizer around base of the trees.

Rock, root, stick, brush pick up and removal: Worker will pick up by hand rocks, roots, sticks, brush from ground and place on trailers, in loader buckets or in piles. The use of a pointed shovel, ax, loppers or pry bar may be necessary for help with pick up. Worker will be required to walk, bend, kneel, stoop and lift for long periods of time.

Hoeing: Worker will walk or ride on mechanical weeding machine down rows of planted crops using a garden hoe or hand levers to remove weeds growing around and within the plants. Care must be exercised as to not dig up or harm the adjacent vegetable plants. Worker must be able to walk, bend, kneel, stoop, sit and stand for long periods of time.

Cutting and Stacking Wood: Worker will cut down trees, carry and stack cut wood. The safe and careful use of a chainsaw is necessary, Employer will provide additional training. Worker will be required to walk, bend, kneel, stoop and lift for long periods of time.

Thinning: Thinning is a manual process used to control the size and quality of grown fruit. Worker must possess ability to pick up and handle 10-foot orchard ladder weighing 40 pounds. Worker removes smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within fruit cluster. Worker identifies and removes misshapen, damaged and/or other not quality fruit as directed by Employer.

Moving Irrigation Pipes: Occasional moving, lifting, and placing irrigation pipes as needed.

Special Requirements

Job requires worker to complete tasks in general farm labor and hand harvest of: asparagus, cherries, sweet corn, peach, hard squash, pumpkin/gourd, zucchini, brussel sprouts, and apples
2 months verifiable commercial vegetable hand harvest or tree fruit harvest experience required. Applicants must furnish job references from employers of the last 2 years establishing acceptable prior experience.
Drug testing done at employers expense, and not utilized as preemployment tool.