Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop

Job description

Workers will perform assign duties as instructed by their supervisor.
Planting Passion Fruit;
Workers will plant passion fruit in a selected area that is suitable with full sunlight and well-drained soil. Fruits will either be started from seed or cuttings. If by seed, seeds will be soaked and planted and started indoors in a greenhouse setting and transplant the seedlings out after 6-8 weeks. If by cuttings, cutting will be cut properly and transplanted into soil when ready. Space vines appropriately (3-5 feet apart) to allow for growth and air circulation. Workers will set up trellises, fences, or other vertical structures to support the climbing vines. Train vines to climb and maintain their growth on the support structures. Fertilizers or organic compost will be applied regularly to nourish the plants to encourage fruit production. Workers will also monitor plants and identify sings of pests and diseases and take appropriate action to prevent further spread.

Harvesting Passion Fruit; Once at the picking location, doing a row at time, workers will be picking passion fruit directly from the vine, ensuring the fruit is fully ripe on the inside. Workers will identify the maturity of the passion fruit by checking color, texture, weight, wrinkling, aroma and moisture content. At times fruit may drop from the vine and will be picked up immediately to ensure fruit has an optimal taste. Workers must avoid harvesting unripe fruit. Fruit should be harvested by using a sharp knife or clippers off the vine at around 1.75 inch 2.25 inches long to prevent waterloss. Fruit will be placed in a bucket or basket and carefully avoiding to bruise or scratch the fruit. Workers may carry full containers weighing up to 50 lbs.
Passion fruit should never be harvested when wet, as this will encourage the spread of disease.

Passion Fruit Packing: Trucks will take the harvested passion fruit to the packing house which is located inside the farm, workers will pick out the fruit that will be used for seed the rest of the fruit will be separated by size, labeled and packed.

Note: The packing house is located inside the Farm and more than 50% of the product processed is produced by the Fixed Site Employer.

Field Maintenance: workers will tie, stake and prune plants using a ladder, clean micro jets and remove plastic drip lines, using hands or a hoe, workers will remove dead plants and weeds.

The worker in order to perform this kind of work must be able to work outside for at least 6 hours a day in all kinds of weather and be in a possession of the requisite physical strength and endurance, working quickly and skillfully with their hands repeatedly. The employer will provide the tools necessary (if applicable) to perform the described job duties without charge to the worker. Employer may deduct the reasonable cost of damages and/or replacement of tools and/or equipment if such repair or replacement results from willful neglect or gross negligence after the damage has occurred and after gaining the employee's written authorization to make the deduction.

Employees may volunteer to work additional hours when work is available, there is a possibility that available work hours will be in excess of 20% of the hours offered but they are not guaranteed, the worker is not required to work more than the stated daily hours in the contract and/or on a worker's Sabbath or federal holidays Workers should expect occasional periods of little or no work because of weather, crop or other conditions beyond the employer’s control. These periods can occur any time throughout the season. If workers request a leave of absence during the contract period, if the worker has been offered an opportunity to work, the hours will be deducted from the hours offered under the ETA-790 for the purposes of the three-quarter guarantee.

Special Requirements

This type of work, involves working conditions that require tremendous stamina, a high level of physical activity in cold or extremely hot conditions in direct sunlight and in adverse weather such as rain. The work requires a high level of physical conditioning.