Agricultural Laborers

Job description

Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling fruit.

Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
APPLES/PEARS Harvest: Worker will hand harvest apples and pears. Worker will attach harness, bucket or bag and picks low hanging fruit while standing on the ground and higher branches while standing on a ladder. Worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping fruit with the hands and removing from the tree in a motion so as not to harm adjacent buds on the tree branches. Worker will carry harness, bucket or bag of up to 60 lbs. and will place fruit into bins, which hold approximately 22 bushels of fruit. Care must be exercised at all times to prevent bruising of fruit or breaking of branches. Some workers may be required to examine harvested fruit in bins and sort out any fruit not meeting the grade, color and size specifications. Workers must possess ability to pick up, handle a 10 ft. or 12 ft. orchard ladder weighing 40 pounds.
Other Job Specifications included: This is a description for apples and pears.
The Worker will care for young non-producing fruit trees including but not limited to weeding, hoeing, trunk painting, hand fertilizing and growth selection by hand and clipping.
Provide general labor to assist in the establishment of new orchard properties by clearing property, planting trees, building trellis, repair and spreading of composted material and any other labor considered necessary for the efficient structure of new orchard properties.
Care for trees during growing process- recognize tree disease such as of blighted branches in apples and pears.
Harvest preparation including spreading liners in bins, rolling bins into blocks by hand.
Propping and tying of apple and pear trees and limbs.
Repair sprinklers on overhead cooling system.
Load and unload empty bins by hand and place in orchard.
Picking numerous varieties of apples and pears according to established company procedures accounting for difference in the treatment of different varieties.
Selectively pick only fruit of a certain color and/or size as instructed by the supervisor.
Handle fruit carefully and not bruise or damage fruit when it is placed in the bin.
Observation of bruised, damaged or cull fruit by the supervisor will result in a bad bin mark and after three bad bin marks, the workers will receive disciplinary action up to and including termination. A bad bin mark occurs when a bin is inspected and a significant number of culls, bruised or damaged are found by the supervisors.
Farm clean up tasks to include picking up garbage around the orchard, removing old string and wire from trellis and orchard blocks, and other hand tasks.
The Worker must be adept at safely placing and using ladders. Much of the work will be done from an aluminum ladder up to 12 feet in height.
Hand tools, such as pruning hooks, shears, and/or picking bags will be utilized.

Special Requirements

This job opportunity requires 1 month of experience working with fruit trees.
When lifting loads heavier than 60 pounds, use two or more people to lift the load.
Must be able to lift and/or load 60lbs.
Work may take place when temperatures are below freezing and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

May require extensive pulling and/or pushing of tools, wheelbarrows, fruit containers, etc.

May require worker to sit and/or walk for extensive periods of time.

Workers will be required to stoop and/or bend over while performing farm labor.

There will be repetitive movements while performing most of the farm labor duties.