Farm Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
pome fruits, stone fruits, grapes, berries, and rhubarb.
This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience working in a diversified orchard, handling manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Cultivate and harvest fruits. Use hand tools including, but not limited to: shovels, hoes and knives. Spread plastic or other groundcovering. Clean plastic by hand from ground upon removal. Weed and thin plants. Stake/tie plants, trellis/prune plants, and set poles and wires for vine plants. Pick, cut, lift, or pull crops. Grade, size and pack product in field. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants. Work in fields.

Prune, cultivate and hand-harvest pome fruits, stone fruits, grapes, berries and rhubarb. Spread and remove ground covers. Pick/harvest according to quality standards. Load/transport harvested fruits. Prepare boxes and sort/pack fruit. Workers must adhere to all Food Safety Protocol.

Weed fields. Perform hoeing, hauling, 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 retriever/roller wagons. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, power shears and chain saws. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction.

Clear cull stock, brush and debris from field and clean/maintain all work areas. Workers will also perform general orchard work including but not limited to preparing land for planting, planting trees, trimming suckers, building trellises, mulching trees, inserting/removing tree spreaders, hoeing, cleaning and clearing fence rows and farm buildings, operation and maintenance of tractors and other equipment under supervision. Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Mix and apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions. Employee may assist and/or participate in Bin construction and/or repair. This task requires the use of various tools including but not limited to tape measures, hammers, staple guns, nail guns, hack saws, power saws, and air compressors.

Tree Training: hoeing, tree painting. Tie/position trees and limbs, together and to trellises, using string, tape, wire or other fasteners and supports. Thinning: Hand thin to control the size and quality of fruit. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Must accurately identify and remove misshapen, damaged or otherwise unmarketable fruit. Pruning: Hand pruning based on fruit variety. Use manual and mechanized pruning tools and equipment. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots-suckers. Weeding, grafting, and budding.

Use/handle ladders up to 15 ft. in length and weighing up to 50 lbs. or perform work on motorized platform. Harvest: Spot and/or strip pick fruit based on seasonal need. Snap fruit off tree with thumb and palm of hand to avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Pick culls and peelers. Fill fruit buckets and bags and place fruit in bins. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on color/size requirements. Must be able to differentiate between colors and fruit varieties accurately.

Cherries: Hand pick fruit leaving stems attached. Place harvested fruit at bottom of basket/bucket. Avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Identify defects (bird pecks, limb rubs, splits, sunburn) and other damage. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on fruit quality.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience working in a diversified orchard, handling manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 50 lbs.