Farmworkers 45-2092

Job description

Crops: Sweet Potatoes, Soybeans, Rice, Cotton, Milo, Corn and Wheat
Workers will use mechanized and power-driven equipment such as tractors, planters, sprayers, cultivator, and other equipment to plant, cultivate, harvest, and irrigate crops. Workers will be expected to be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direct. Workers must be able to comprehend and follow instructions, communicate effectively to supervisors. Unusual, complex, or non-routine activities will be supervised. Field workers will be expected to perform their general duties in a timely and proficient manner. Workers must obey all safety rules and basic instructions and be able to recognize, understand, and comply with safety, pesticide warning/re-entry and other essential postings.
Workers must have a clean driving record (no major moving violations such as but no limited to Driving while intoxicated or reckless driving) and able to obtain an insurable driver’s license may be required to drive company vehicles.
Workers will install and maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment, remove drip tubing or install drip tubing, dig and maintain ditches.
Perform all tasks involved in the growing and harvesting of crops. This includes sweet potatoes, bedding, cutting slips, transplanting slips, pulling, and/or chopping weeds and harvesting with the use of mechanical harvesting equipment, field grading sweet potatoes and using equipment to travel potatoes from the field to the pack house or storage facility. This also includes for other row crops (soybeans, milo, corn, rice, cotton, and wheat) pulling and/or chopping weeds. Workers must notify supervisor/employer of any material issues. Workers must report any safety and/or food violations to their supervisor immediately.

Field Work: Perform all tasks involved in the growing and harvesting of Matthews Ridgeview Farms’ crops. This includes for sweet potatoes: bedding, cutting slips, transplanting slips, pulling and/or chopping weeds and harvesting with the use of mechanical harvesting equipment, field grading sweet potatoes and using equipment to travel potatoes from the field to the pack house or storage facility. This also includes, for other row crops (soybeans, milo, corn, rice, cotton, and wheat) pulling and/or chopping weeds.

Field Primary duties and responsibilities:
• Roll out plastic on sweet potato beds, remove plastic from beds when needed.
• Roll out cloth on sweet potato bed. Remove cloth from beds when needed.
• Cut Sweet potato slips, stack slips into carton, load cartons onto truck.
• Use mechanical sweet potato harvesting equipment to harvest sweet potatoes.
• Field grade sweet potatoes by separating #1’s, #2’s, Jumbos, and canners into separate harvesting bins.
• Pull and/or chop weeds from fields.
• Maintain a clean and safe work area.
• Notify supervisor of any mechanical or material issues.
• Notify supervisor of any safety and/or food safety violations.
• Clean work area after work assignments are completed.
• Perform other related duties and assignments as required.

Physical environment/working conditions: The position in the field involves stooping, bending, kneeling, standing, walking, and lifting (up to 75 lbs.) for long periods of time throughout the day. Work environment can vary depending upon various factors including weather. Generally, the work environment will be dirty, dusty and/or damp, with extreme temperature fluctuations according to the season.

Special Requirements

All applicants must have at least 3-months experience working in soybeans and rice. Applicants must be able to furnish
affirmative job references from recent employers. Workers must be able to bend, stoop, sit and stand on feet for long periods of time. Must be physically able to meet and perform all job specifications stated in job order, including lifting of 70 lbs. Must be able to work in dirty, dusty, and damp environments and in hot humid weather for extended periods of time. Workers are subject pre-hire and random drug testing at no cost to the employee. Failing or refusing a random drug test will result in immediate termination.