Farm Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, blackberries, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, baking potatoes, hay, pumpkins, gourds, ornamental corn.
Harvest:
Quality is essential. Different varieties of apples, peaches, nectarines, plums and blackberries, will be picked according to established company procedures based on the end use (spot or strip picking for fresh; small percentage of culls for processing.)

Ladders ranging from 8 ft. to 16 ft. in length and weighing up to 50 lbs. each are used. Care must be taken when picking fruit not to damage or bruise fruit. Properly filled fruit buckets weigh up to 40 lbs. Pickers are required to snap fruit off of tree using their thumb and palm of hand to avoid bruising. Each piece of fruit must be carefully placed in bucket to avoid bruising. Foreman or owner will give demonstrations of how the fruit must be picked; picking requirements will be explained to all workers prior to the season's start. Workers must obey all safety rules when applying or handling pesticides.

Pruning and Thinning:
The primary reason for pruning and thinning is to improve fruit quality and thus increase crop marketability and value. Workers are expected to possess or acquire pruning and thinning skills. Pruning involves identifying and removing stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots/suckers with hand pruning saws and clippers, mechanized clippers and pole pruners. Thinning includes hand thinning of fruit for maximum fruit size and quality. All tasks may be done from the ground, ladder or motorized platform.

Work will include hand thinning, pruning and harvesting of crops including but not limited to apples, peaches, nectarines, plums, blackberries, sweet potatoes, baking potatoes, sweet corn, green beans, pumpkins, gourds and ornamental corn; weeding of sweet potatoes, baking potatoes, pumpkins, gourds and corn; loading, unloading and stacking of hay bales; sorting, bagging, boxing and packing of apples, plums, nectarines, peaches and blackberries.

Workers will also perform general orchard work including but not limited to preparing land for planting, picking roots, rocks and other debris, planting trees, trimming suckers, mulching trees, inserting/removing tree spreaders, hoeing, cleaning and clearing fence rows and farm buildings.

In addition, workers may be required to perform variable tasks such as the following: ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, weeding and other tasks related to general orchard work.

Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers' ability to perform the job. Workers are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 100 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required upon reasonable suspicion of use.

Employer assures that workers will be provided transportation from living quarters to work site every day (for workers who must be provided housing under the applicable regulations).

Persons seeking employment as experienced Farm Worker must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of verifiable prior experience working in an orchard and diversified crop farm. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. The employer will drug test upon reasonable suspicion of use.