Orchard Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
apples, pears, cherries, berries, vegetables.

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of prior verifiable agricultural employment experience on a fruit or vegetable farm, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Drives and operates a variety of farm machines and equipment, such as trucks, tractors, and forklifts to plant, harvest fruit, prune and thin trees, such as apple, pear, and cherry. Maintains and performs preventive maintenance on machinery and equipment. Prune trees seasonally to promote optimum growth of tree and fruit. Gathers pruned branches from area for disposal. Performs summer pruning and suckering by cutting terminal growth and water sprouts from inside of tree using hand pruner. Thins trees from orchard to eliminate diseased or nonproductive trees using chain saw. Pick apples for fresh market and/or processing. Productivity must be at least 6 boxes per day of fresh market fruit and 8 boxes per day of processing fruit.

To provide a safe and healthy crop, workers must have or will be trained in USDA Harmonized GAP certification standards and must abide by those standards. Failure to do so will be grounds for dismissal.

Worker places ladder firmly against or within tree in a secure position so as not to break limbs or knock off fruit and to prevent slipping or falling. All fruit to be handled with care to avoid causing bruising. Fruit injured by bruising during picking shall not exceed 5% as defined in the U.S. standard for grades. Each worker's picked fruit will be inspected according to instructions given each day by the orchard foreman. Workers will be directed to strip all fruit from tree at one picking or to spot pick (selective picking) according to size and color depending on crop conditions and state of maturity. Fruit picked as drops is never mixed with tree fruit.

Will also perform any combination of tasks involved in planting, weeding, cultivating and harvesting of fruits such as tilling soil, planting stock, pruning trees and bushes, removing suckers and runners from trees, vines and plants. Other duties include laying out irrigation pipe and installing sprinklers, assisting in repairing fences, loading/ unloading trucks, clearing fields, burning brush, hand thinning fruit and picking stones. Will use appropriate tools such as shovels, hoes, tampers, pruning, hooks and shears. Miscellaneous duties as assigned. Workers should report for work with their own suitable work clothing.

Plants, cultivates and harvests vegetables. Works on planter, plants roots, seeds and bulbs. Spread plastic or other groundcovering. Weeds, thins plants. Transplants plants, riding on transplanter or by hand. May set poles and wires for vine plants. Picks, cuts, lifts, or pulls crop to harvest them. Tie vegetables in bunches or top them. Assist with irrigation. Operate and help maintain tractors or hand-operated equipment. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs.

Three days training will be provided for new workers to familiarize them with the employer's specific harvest and orchard practices. This "hands-on-training" will consist of demonstrations and verbal instruction given by the employer or his trainer and workers will practice what they learned under the observation of the trainer. Training will cover safety practices in handling and climbing ladders, climbing trees, recognizing varieties of fruit, estimating percent of color in fruit, assessment of size and maturity of fruit and proper techniques for picking and handling fruit to minimize bruising. Workers will be encouraged to ask questions and will be questioned by the trainer to ensure that the training is fully understood.

Workers must be able to comprehend and follow instructions and communicate effectively to supervisors.
(Continued in Add. C)

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of prior verifiable agricultural employment experience on a fruit or vegetable farm, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing required upon reasonable suspicion of use and after an accident at work.