General Labor

Job description

This job description encompasses the growing and harvest of apples, cherries and pears. The worker will perform duties on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker must possess the ability to pick-up and handle a 10 to 12 ft. orchard ladder weighing up to 60 lbs. Thinning - The worker will hand thin on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will use hands or scissor like clippers to remove small fruit blossoms, buds and/ or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. The workers must be able to identify and remove fruit that is misshapen, damaged and/ or contains other quality problem.

Training - The worker will hand train fruit trees on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will tie, tape or clip fruit tree limbs to wires; position limbs of fruit trees; shoot thin; remove suckers, thin clusters, position shoots, hedge or remove leaves. Pruning - The worker will hand prune trees and on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder.

The worker will utilize hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws and other equipment. The worker may be required to selectively prune trees of certain size and color as instructed by their supervisor. The worker will identify and remove stubs, broken branches, downward growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood, shoots and suckers with various equipment.

Cherry, Apple and Pear Harvest:

The worker will hand harvest fruit on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will attach the harness, bucket or bag and pick low hanging fruit. The worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping fruit with their hands and removing it from the tree in a motion that will not harm buds on tree branches. The worker will carry the harness, bucket or bag of fruit and will place the fruit into lugs. The worker must exercise care at all times to prevent bruising of fruit or breaking of branches. Some workers may be tasked with examining harvested fruit in bins and sort out any fruit not meeting the grade, color and size specifications. Additional Duties:

Caring for trees during growing process.
Monitoring tree disease such as blighted branches in apples and gummosis in cherries.
Harvest preparation including spreading liners in bins and rolling bins into blocks by hand.
Loading and unloading empty bins by hand.
Sorting fruit during harvest and verifying quality of fruit
Farm clean up tasks to include picking up garbage around the orchard, removing old string/ wire from trellis/ orchard blocks and other tasks.
Operating farm machinery and/ or motorized vehicles to assist in orchard work and transporting fruit, materials, supplies and workers.
Maintenance tasks for farm machinery.
Assisting Orchard Manager in daily duties
Bin repair