Farmworker/laborer

Job description

HAND THINNING: Thinning is a manual process used to control the size and quality of grown fruit. Worker must have the ability to pick up and handle 10-foot orchard ladder weighing 40 pounds, or to work from a moving platform, or to work from the ground. Worker removes smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within fruit cluster. Worker identifies and removes misshapen, damaged, and/or other inferior quality fruit as directed by Employer. Worker hand thins apple or cherry trees (by hand or with clippers) to ensure proper fruit load based on grade, tree size, color and size specifications as determined by the Employer. Worker clips blossoms from young trees to encourage tree growth.

PRUNING: Worker will prune numerous varieties of apple and cherry trees according to established company procedures based on difference in treatment of different varieties. Worker will prune for long periods of time using variety of pruning equipment including hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws, or chain saws. Pruning may be done from the ground, on a ladder that is up to 16-feet, or from a motorized platform. Worker prunes, trains, and positions apple trees to trellis, including clipping and tying limbs and shoots to wire from ground, on a ladder that is up to 10-feet, or from a motorized platform. Worker may be required to selectively prune only certain size trees as instructed by Employer.

Worker must possess or acquire pruning skills to identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood, diseased branches and shoots/suckers by using hand pruning saws and clippers, or power equipment for pruning activities.

Other Job Specifications include:
1. Worker will help with all phases of planting trees in new or existing orchards – either behind planter or digging in by hand, stomping in, pruning, mulching with straw, installing tree training aids, tree guards and deer repellant, picking up marking flags.
2. Worker cares for young, non-producing fruit trees by weeding, hoeing, trunk painting, hand fertilizing, growth selecting by hand, and clipping.
3. Worker provides general labor to assist in new orchard establishment by clearing property, planting trees, building trellis, hand spreading fertilizer, repairing and spreading of composted material, picking rocks and roots from fields in transition, and any other labor considered necessary for efficient structure of orchard properties.
4. Worker cares for trees during growing process; supervisor will instruct workers on how to recognize tree disease such as of blighted branches in apples and gummosis in cherries.
5. Worker completes harvest preparation including rolling bins into blocks, cleaning inside and around buildings used for harvest, repairing boxes, and any other task deemed necessary by Employer to prepare for harvest.
6. Worker props and ties apple and cherry trees and limbs.
7. Worker will help install or repair drip irrigation.
8. Worker will help repair farm buildings, fences, and build agriculture structures.
9. Worker loads and unloads empty bins and sets them in orchard.
10. Worker helps with farm clean up tasks including picking up garbage around the orchard, removing old wire and posts from orchard blocks, weed whacking, picking up rocks, roots, and brush in transitional blocks, farm road repair, painting (no high heights) of farm buildings, and other hand tasks, as well as miscellaneous cleaning in and around farm buildings.
11. If worker is eligible to drive under Michigan law and provides proof of no infractions from official source, Employer may require worker to drive in Employer-provided vehicle to and from the worksite and to locations within 40 miles as directed. To be eligible for driving job, worker must understand and agree to driving rules, as outlined in work rules below.

Special Requirements

Job requires worker to complete tasks in general farm labor, hand harvest of apples. Employer will provide instructions and training on specific job duties.
Experience Requirement: 2 months verifiable experience in tree fruit hand harvest required Applicants must furnish job references from recent employers establishing acceptable prior experience within previous 5 years.
Drug testing done at employers expense and not utilized as preemployment tool.