Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
sweet corn and green beans.
Plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables. Use hand tools including, but not limited to: shovels, hoes and knives. Plant roots, seeds and bulbs. Spread plastic or other groundcovering. Clean plastic by hand from ground upon removal. Till soil. Weed and thin plants. Transplant plants by hand. Stake/tie plants, trellis/prune plants, and set poles and wires for vine plants. Pick, cut, lift, or pull crops. Tie vegetables in bunches. Grade, size and field pack product. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, fork lifts, skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences.

Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Connect irrigation drip tape using scissors, screwdriver and/or tweezers. Check daily for water leaks. Repair water leaks as needed. Disconnect irrigation hoses to avoid disrupting harvesting equipment.

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 100 degrees F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job.

Workers will stand at a conveyor belt grading and/or packing sweet corn or green beans. Workers may also harvest and pack corn by hand in the corn fields in which the corn is growing. The workers may be placing hand picked corn on a conveyor belt or into bins/crates/RPC/eco boxes or other containers. Workers may also pack crates/RPC/eco boxes or other containers with 48 ears of corn on a packing line at the packinghouse. Workers on the bean packing line may grade beans, fill and close containers, weigh containers or stack containers of beans on pallets. Workers may stack crates/RPC/eco boxes or other cases onto pallets.

Workers will operate machines to trim and wrap corn. Workers may operate machines to label and detect metal in packages of corn. Individuals will work in teams packing trays containing 4, 5, or 8 trimmed cobs of sweet corn. Workers will also work to ensure all quality control processes and policies are met. Workers may also pack crates/RPC/eco boxes or other containers with 48 ears of corn. Trimmed ears will be placed into styrofoam trays in 4, 5, or 8 packs depending on the specifications of the customer. Workers will also pack trays into cases and stack cases onto pallets. Excellent manual dexterity is required in both hands to grasp corn repeatedly throughout the shift. Workers may occasionally empty containers of corn weighing up to 50 lbs. for packing or disposal purposes. Employees must be able to occasionally lift up to 50 lbs. repeatedly throughout the day. Must be able to work in 34 – 90 degree F work environment or outside temperature.

Special Requirements

Positions sought by this labor certification are in sweet corn and green bean production work. To be considered for the jobs, applicants are required to have at least three months prior agricultural experience working on a vegetable farm handling both manual and mechanized tasks. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Prior experience with sweet corn and/or green beans is desirable, but not required. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid pre-employment and post-hire drug testing required. The test will be conducted after hire.