Greenhouse, Farm Labor
Employer
7615 Richmond Rd
Paint Lick, KY 40461
United States
Job description
BURLEY TOBACCO: Growing Tobacco plants: Greenhouse preparation, seeding, & maintenance; & plant bed preparation. Transplant Activities. Cultivation & maintenance. Harvest, curing, stripping, baling, & preparation for marketing. These work activities anticipated to be performed at any time/various times throughout the entire period of employment. Workers plant, cultivate, harvest(cut & house), strip & bale Burly Tobacco. Workers may ride/operate tobacco setter for planting. May walk behind setter to reset missing plants. Workers will chop out weeds with a hoe, or pull weeds by hand. Workers will remove tops & suckers from plants. Workers may drop sticks in standing tobacco by hand or by machine. Using a tobacco knife workers will cut ripe plants off at ground level & spear the tobacco stalk over metal spear onto wooden stick (stick is 48 inches long, one end is stuck in ground, & metal spear is placed on other end). Industry standard is six (6) plants per stick (stick & six(6) plants may weigh 80-100 pounds, & plants may be seven (7) feet tall). Tobacco will be transferred from ground to wagon or trailer & load sticks in orderly fashion onto wagon or trailer. Tobacco will then be hung in barn for curing. Workers standing on rails (worker stands with one foot on each rails, 48 inches apart & from 6 to 40 feet from ground) will either hang stick & separate stalks, or transfer to worker above for purposes of air-curing tobacco. For best results, curing barns should be filled in as short a time as possible. Care must be exercised to prevent bruising or breaking plants & leaves at all times. Care must also be exercised in using tobacco knife, spear, while standing on rails, & stripping the crop. Workers will take great care when stripping (removing tobacco from the stick) the tobacco. The tobacco is taken down from the barn. The stalks with leaves are removed from the sticks & piled under a piece of plastic to retain moisture (bulking down). Each worker pulls his assigned grade for the stalk & passes the stalk down to fellow workers. May assist in baling tobacco by placing cured tobacco onto conveyor loading system or directly into baler. Workers will assist in loading bales of tobacco for marketing.
Special Requirements
Operating motor vehicles under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal and prohibited by law. Operating tools and equipment as applicable and noted in the job description while under the influence of drugs and or alcohol is dangerous and noted in operator manuals - Do Not Operate Under the influence of Drugs or Alcohol. Workmans' Comp Insurance as well as vehicle insurance companies require safety compliance. Poor judgment, improper driving, etc. can result in serious and fatal accidents. Employer has strict policy prohibiting drug use. Any drug testing will be post hire and at the employer's expense. Assisting with the employers farming operation includes lifting agricultural tools and equipment that weigh up to the requirement listed. Employer may request but cannot require workers to work on their Sabbath. The nature of farm work may require workers to work after dark and possibly weekends depending on the weather conditions.