Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Apples, berries, peaches, vegetables.
Plant, cultivate, and harvest tree fruit. Use farm equipment to cut, pull, dig, thresh, clean, chop, bag, or bundle harvested crops. Load/unload harvested fruits or other materials manually or with mechanized equipment such as conveyors, or handtrucks. Spot and/or strip pick fruit based on seasonal need. Snap fruit off tree with thumb and palm of hand to avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Pick culls and peelers. Fill fruit buckets and place fruit in bins. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on color/size requirements. Must be able to differentiate between colors and fruit varieties accurately. Hand thin to control the size and quality of fruit. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Must accurately identify and remove misshapen, damaged or otherwise unmarketable fruit. Hand prune based on fruit variety. Use manual and mechanized pruning tools and equipment. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots-suckers.

Workers injured on the job and unable to perform the full range of duties may be offered light duty, if available. Light duty tasks may vary depending on availability of task, nature of worker's injury, and instructions from worker's physician. Light duty tasks may include blight checking, fruit checking/quality control, light picking/pruning/thinning/sorting, or tree counting.

Plant, cultivate and harvest fruits and vegetables. Use farm equipment to cut, pull, dig, thresh, clean, chop, bag, or bundle harvested crops. Load/unload harvested fruits/vegetables or other materials manually or with mechanized equipment such as conveyors, or handtrucks. Use hand tools including, but not limited to: shovels, hoes and knives. Plant roots, seeds and bulbs. Spread plastic or other groundcovering. Clean plastic by hand from ground upon removal. Till soil. Weed and thin plants. Transplant plants by hand. Stake/tie plants, trellis/prune plants, and set poles and wires for vine plants. Pick, cut, lift, or pull crops. Tie vegetables in bunches. Grade, size and field pack product. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants.

Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.

Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions.

Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer's products and property. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.

Mow, cut, and weed fields. Prepare and/or clear land for planting using mechanized or hand equipment to remove trash, rocks, or other debris or material that may interfere with planting or harvesting activities. Level land by moving dirt and other materials. Equipment may include tractors, dozers, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chainsaws, bobcats, skid loaders, high lifts, trucks and Kabota RTVs. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences.

Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of agricultural experience working in a fruit farm or vegetable farm handling both manual and mechanized tasks. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.