Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Apples.
This job requires a minimum of 3 months of prior agricultural experience, preferably working tree fruit orchards, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Workers will manually plant, cultivate and harvest apples. Workers will manually plant and cultivate apple trees. Use hand tools, including but not limited to, shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears and knives. Duties include tilling soil and applying fertilizers, transplanting, weeding, thinning or pruning crops; applying pesticides or herbicides; cleaning and loading harvested products. There are no apple packing house duties involved. Construct trellises, repair fences and farm buildings or participate in irrigation activities. Repair and maintain bins, farm vehicles, implements and mechanical equipment. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches. Record information about crops, such as pesticide use, yields or costs.

Planting: Propagate plants by placing buds/scions. Plant seedlings or 'liners' by hand or with mechanical planter. Clear cull stock, brush and debris. Dig holes and shovel dirt.

Tree Training: hoeing, tree painting, weed mat application. Tie/position trees and limbs, together and to trellises, using string, tape, wire or other fasteners and supports.

Thinning: 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.

Pruning: Hand pruning 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. Prune trees seasonally to promote optimum growth of tree and fruit. Gather pruned branches from area for disposal. Perform summer pruning and suckering by cutting terminal growth and water sprouts from inside of tree using hand pruner. Thin trees from orchard to eliminate diseased or nonproductive trees using chain saw.

Harvest: 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. Supervisors will explain and demonstrate picking requirements to all workers at the start of the season and as needed thereafter to ensure quality standards. Bruised or damaged fruit will be noted by supervisor(s) in a post-inspection quality report. Supervisors may issue written disciplinary notice to workers with a significant number of culls, bruised, or damaged fruit. Repeated failure to follow quality control instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.

Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers must work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Work required in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 10 to over 95 degrees F.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of prior agricultural experience, preferably working tree fruit orchards, 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. Workers must have no fear of working from heights of 20+ feet above the ground.