Farmworker: Diversified (45-2092.00)

Job description

This ETA 790 job order is filed for Farmworker and Labors 45-2091.00. Workers will perform multiple duties associated with this SOC code and the code of Agricultural Equipment Operators (45-2091.00). The posting on the FLAG / US DOL website was a summary. This job order contains more complete details for the job including work duties, work rules, performance standards and housing rules. Additional the employer has outline the steps for termination.

Employer current intends on growing the following crops: Peaches, Strawberries, Pumpkins, Plums, Blackberries, Watermelon, Tomatoes, Okra, Squash, Cucumbers, Peas, Corn, Beans, Lettuce, Peppers, Eggplant, Cauliflower, broccoli, Potatoes, Blueberries, Cantaloupe, Onions, Zucchini, Collards, Kale.

Workers will plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables. Workers will be required to remove weeds by hand or with a hoe. Workers will bend and stoop to pick vegetables according to size, color, shape and degree of maturity and place into field containers. Workers may carry full container weighing approximately fifty (50) lbs. and empty into field bin or load onto trailer. May be required to pull and discard culls as directed by supervisor. Pickers will take care not to bruise or scar produce. Pre-harvest activities may include staking, tying, transplanting and pruning. Workers will stand on feet for long periods of time. Workers are required to work in fields when plants are wet with dew or rain. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from forty (40) to over one hundred (100) degrees.

Workers will perform various tasks involved in planting, cultivation (including pruning and thinning) and harvesting fruit according to supervisor’s instructions. Workers may till soil, plant stock, weed, and do pruning activities using a variety of tools. May aid in irrigation duties. May aid in minor repair of wooden fruit containers. Workers will harvest fruit according to color, size, and degree of maturity as specified by supervisor and place into ¾ bushel baskets taking the extra time, care and effort not to bruise or scar the fruit.

Sanitation Requirements: For food and general personal safety purposes, all workers will be required and expected to follow common sanitary practices at all times. This is particularly critical when hand harvesting crops for human consumption. Employees are required to cleanse their hands by washing them thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom and before entering the fields for harvest activities or the packing facility for packing operations.

The following description of job activities applies to peaches and plums

Orchard Standards: a) workers must stay on their assigned row, b) workers must completely check each tree to ensure all fruit is harvested prior to moving to the next tree, c) workers must be able to lift and carry their ladders. Workers are responsible for getting their own ladders and returning them to the ladder wagon at the end of each workday or as directed by the grower or designated supervisor, d) workers must keep picking areas free of limbs, leaves, or mushy fruit.

Harvest: Some apples are harvested/picked for immediate use. This is called spot harvest and workers must be extremely careful not to damage, scratch or bruise the fruit. Employer will set the standard to which the fruit is to be harvested. This includes color, size and use. Harvest will be done from 16-foot-tall ladder weighting up to 30 lbs. All workers must be able to lift and carry their ladders, as well as work from the tip. Workers must check the entire tree to ensure removal of all fruit meeting the picking specification and requirements. Fruit is gently placed in the picking container until the container is full. The picking container may weight to 50 lbs. Once full workers will gently empty the container into the field bin. Workers will take care not to spill, bruise or damage the fruit. Field bin volume will be checked by supervisors

Special Requirements

Must have three months experience as a farmworker. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers. Must be physically able to meet and perform all job specifications stated in job order. Must be able to work in the hot humid weather for extended periods of time. Workers are subject to random drug testing at no cost to the employee. All drug testing will occur after the worker begins his or her employment and is not a part of the interview process. Failing or refusing a drug test will result in immediate termination.