General Farm Workers

Job description

*All packing and stacking duties will be performed in the field and on the farm*
General Farm Workers to perform the following duties:
Agricultural Product: Strawberries

Bedding:
This position operates under the supervision of the crew foreperson and involves preparing and maintaining planting beds for optimal crop growth. They are responsible for cutting roads, shoveling, laying drip tape, and applying plastic during the bed up process.
Essential Job Duties:
• Prepare fields to create uniform planting beds.
• Operate or assist with equipment to create raised beds for planting, ensuring proper dimensions and spacing.
• Lay plastic mulch, fabric, or other materials over beds to control weeds, regulate soil temperature, and retain moisture.
• Assist in the installation of drip irrigation in the field to ensure efficient water delivery.
• Inspect planting beds for proper alignment, compaction, and material coverage, making corrections as needed.
• Reports all safety issues, incidents, and injuries to foreperson immediately.
• Adhere to all company policies, including observing appropriate meal and rest periods.

Cut Runners:
This position operates under the supervision of the crew foreperson and involves manually removing the small plant nodes “runners” that are attached to the long stem that grows from the original plant.
Essential Job Duties:
• Removes strawberry runners using both hands.
• Adhere to all company policies, including observing appropriate meal and rest periods.
• Safely operates hand tools such as scissors or knives to cut runners.
• Reports all safety issues, incidents, and injuries to foreperson immediately.

Planting:
This position operates under the supervision of the crew foreperson and effectively aids in the transplanting of fields.
Essential Job Duties:
• Continual visual examination of transplants to determine if plants are healthy for transplanting.
• Use hands and arms to handle transplants and transplant trays.
• Hand transplant bare root plants by placing plants in pre-punched holes in the ground.
• Walk throughout shift on uneven ground.
• Ensure that all food safety policies are followed.
• Ensure that all safety procedures are followed to reduce the risk of any type of injury to either the employee or others.
• Reports all safety issues, incidents, and injuries to foreperson immediately.
• Adhere to all company policies, including observing appropriate meal and rest periods.
Hoop House Worker:
This position operates under the supervision of the crew foreperson and is responsible for safe and accurate transportation, installation, maintenance, observation, and removal of hoop houses for strawberry crops.
Essential Job Duties:
• Operates equipment during hoop house installation.
• Measures field dimensions to mark accurate positions for post installation.
• Uses a post digger to drill platforms into the ground.
• Positions metal “U”-shaped arches onto platforms to create structural support.
• Install plastic coverings over arches and secure them with rope.
• Conducts daily inspections of machinery and materials to ensure quality and performance.
• Repairs hoop house components, including plastic and rope, as needed.
• Receives materials needed to install hoop house, such as but not limited to: rope, plastic and platforms.
• Reports all safety issues, incidents, and injuries to foreperson immediately.
• Adhere to all company policies, including observing appropriate meal and rest periods.

Special Requirements

Minimum Job Qualifications: Three months experience in berry or vegetable harvest is required. Work is performed in open fields and may involve exposure to mud, dust, wind, heat, cold, and other natural elements. Temperatures can range from 30 degrees Fahrenheit to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the environmental and working conditions described. No smoking, alcohol, firearms in the field or residential housing. Ability to communicate in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. (i.e. Workers must listen to, understand and follow instructions of Employer supervisors and managers.)