Farm Laborer

Job description

The farm worker position includes duties associated with the harvesting and packing of watermelons. This work can require standing, walking, stooping, bending, and lifting up to 75 pounds for long periods of time outdoors in all weather conditions. It also includes making important decisions based on size, coloring, and ripeness according to prescribed standards. This work requires adherence to important food safety and quality standard operating procedures and the ability to work quickly and consistently alongside fellow workers with a positive, professional, team-based attitude and a consideration for the safety and health of fellow workers and of the consumers who will purchase and consume the fresh produce grown, harvested, packed, and shipped from the farm.

Watermelons, Mini Watermelons :
Workers will bend and stoop to pick vegetables according to size, color, shape and degree of maturity and place into field containers. Workers must use care when performing their farm work duties and exercise consciousness to not damage or bruise the fruit and vegetables. Workers must adhere to all safety rules as instructed by their supervisors and all farm work operations must meet the standards and specifications given by the employer. Workers will be assigned a row or series of rows and required to select and pick produce according to criteria outlined and demonstrated by managers such as size, coloring, and ripeness. They will be responsible for in-field grading and discarding of poor quality, rotting, and/or over-ripened produce. Workers will gently load the good quality produce into containers, taking care to avoid damage or bruising. Workers may carry full container weighing approximately fifty (75) lbs and empty into field bin or load onto trailer.

Farm, Field, and Shed Sanitation: Workers may be responsible for picking up trash, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping and mopping floors, and other similar farm and shed sanitation as part of SOPs and SSOPs within Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Handling Practices (GHPs), and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for Food Safety. This includes personal hygiene and handling the fruit in the field and shed with an emphasis on food safety, sanitizing all harvesting and packing equipment and keeping the fields and shed as clean as possible.

Truck, Tractor and Forklift Operation During Field & Packing Operations: Workers will drive vehicles to deliver farm grown produce and grain to market. Workers may be required to operate forklifts, tractors and trucks during field operations as an incidental. Before any worker is required to operate a forklift, the worker will be instructed in the proper and safe operation. Workers will be required to operate machinery according to instructions and in a manner that protects the operator, other workers and equipment. Repeated failure to obey operating and safety instructions may result in termination.