Farmworker/laborer

Job description

This job requires harvest of Apples and Pears

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 Duties Include:
1. Harvest preparation including spreading liners in bins, rolling bins into blocks by hand.
2. Load and unload empty bins by hand and place in orchard.
3. Picking numerous varieties of apples and pears according to established company procedures accounting for difference in the treatment of different varieties.
4. Selectively pick only fruit of a certain color and/or size as instructed by the supervisor. 10.Handle fruit carefully and not bruise or damage fruit when it is placed in the bin.
5. Field Packing, packing picked fruits and /or vegetables into bags, buckets, bins or trays.
6. 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
7. Support duties for apple, pear, harvest to include bin checking, defect fruit sorting, loading lugs onto trailers, cooling fruit and swamping bins in and out of rows.
8. Workers may drive company vehicles that are less than 15 passenger vehicles. Employees that want to be drivers must possess a valid driver's license. The driver’s license is not a pre-hire job requirement. They will drive workers from living quarters to work site and vice versa and provide one weekly trip to workers to purchase groceries (transportation is provided for workers who must be provided housing under the applicable regulation)

Special Requirements

4e) Must be able to lift and/or load 60lbs.
4g) Work may take place when temperatures are below freezing and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 4h) May require extensive pulling and/or pushing of tools, wheelbarrows, fruit containers, etc.
4i) May require the worker to sit and/or walk for extended periods of time while sorting, picking, examining, weeding, transporting, pruning, etc.
4j) Workers will be required to stoop and/or bend over while performing farm labor such as weeding, irrigating, pruning, picking, removing debris, etc.
4k) There will be repetitive movements while performing most of the farm labor duties, for example picking, sorting, pruning, shoveling, weeding, etc.