Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
greenhouse/bedding plants, sunflowers and produce.
Workers will perform work including, but not limited to, planting, digging, mulching, transplanting, mowing, watering in fields and seasonal holding houses. Workers will fertilize, prune, space, water, tag and perform other plant maintenance; count and inventory plants; propagate plants from cuttings; harvest/pack plants/produce by hand; plant and dig field grown plants, perform general maintenance of field grown plants. Considerable stooping and kneeling is required. Workers will fill, occasionally lift and carry various size pots with soil and plants weighing as much as 51 pounds; load plants/produce onto wagons and trucks. Care must be taken to prevent damaging produce and plants. Workers will remove plastic from seasonal holding houses in spring and cover seasonal holding houses with plastic in fall; assist with building seasonal holding houses. Workers will also perform general cleaning/maintenance of fields and work areas and servicing of equipment.

Work will also include mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment may include tractors, planters and cultivators. Workers will be expected to be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direction. Tractors should be driven in a manner to protect operator, other workers, products, trees, crops and equipment. Repeated failure to obey safety requirements and operating instructions may result in termination.

Work on production line. Grade, size, sort, and pack product. Bunch/bundle product pursuant to supervisor instructions. Fill bins/trays and other containers with product, level bins, and prepare product for shipment to market or storage. Perform quality control on inbound/outbound loads. Follow quality control standards and production procedures. Handle product carefully to prevent damage. Ocassionally lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Palletize and stack boxes/containers. Use power equipment including, but not limited, to: fork lifts, conveyor belts, and cooling equipment/refrigeration units. Operate equipment safely, with or without direction,meaning that workers who are experienced with the equipment and are provided the necessary safety instruction from the employer remain able to operate and abide by all standard safe operating requirements without supervision. Assist with regular maintenance on equipment. Clean/sanitize work station and equipment.

Work is to be done for long periods of time. Workers are expected to perform duties including packing, weighing and loading of product. Workers will assist in loading trucks with product weighing up to and including 50 pounds and occassionally lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time. 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. Saturday work required. Must be able to ocassionally lift/carry 50 lbs. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

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 Farmworker must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.

Employer may request, but not require, workers to work more than the stated daily hours and/or on a worker's Sabbath or federal holidays.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of one month of prior verifiable employment experience on a vegetable farm or nursery, including tractor operation experience. Workers will be expected to perform manual jobs as well as equipment operation with accuracy and efficiency beginning with planting through harvest. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to occassionally lift/carry 50 lbs.