Nursery Workers

Job description

The nursery worker position includes duties associated with the planting, cultivation, harvesting and packing of soft fruit crops. This work can require standing, walking, stooping, bending, and lifting up to 50 pounds for long periods of time outdoors in all weather conditions. This work requires adherence to important food safety and quality standard operating procedures and the ability to work quickly and consistently alongside fellow workers with a positive, professional, team based attitude, attention to detail and a high level of accuracy and a consideration for the safety and health of fellow workers and of the consumers who will purchase and consume the crops grown, harvested, packed, and shipped from the farm.

Key Responsibilities Include:
• Trough Filling: Preparing growing mediums for planting.
• Planting: Establishing plants according to production plans.
• Irrigation Setup: Installing and maintaining irrigation systems.
• Crop Care: Performing tasks such as flower removal, leaf removal, and applying biological controls to ensure plant health.
• Harvesting: Picking fruits according to ripeness and quality standards.
• Packing: Packaging fruits for distribution in our packhouse.
• Cleaning and Maintenance: Ensuring all areas of the glasshouse and production site are clean and organized, including end-of-cycle crop removal and site preparation for new planting.
• General Maintenance: Performing routine maintenance tasks and ensuring tools and equipment are cared for.

Stawberries
Workers will remove weeds from around the plants and from the row middles. Workers will bend and stoop to pick strawberries according to size, color, shape and degree of maturity and place into field containers. Workers will be expected to pick fully ripe strawberries, discard any cat-faced, deformed, decayed or undersized berries according to supervisor’s instructions. Also, workers must carefully remove any undesirable berries from plant that would later cause fungi to attack the plant. Workers may carry full container weighing approximately twelve (12) lbs. and empty into field bin or load onto trailer. When full, carried to end of rows at designated truck-loading place. Then the buckets of berries will be inspected for quality and loaded for transportation to roadside market. Depending on market demand, workers may also be required to pick strawberries in cups, clamshells and/or flats. Strawberries harvested specifically for sale at a roadside stand as fresh market specialty basket container must be field graded. For berries harvested for sale at roadside stands, extra care must be used to ensure that each strawberry is undamaged and perfect. All berries must be handled carefully to prevent bruises or fingernail cuts. Pickers will take extreme care not to damage the delicate berries. Quality and workmanship is of the utmost importance. Pre-harvest activities for strawberries may include weeding and transplanting. Workers may be required to perform other tasks maintenance activities in the strawberry operation. When harvest is completed, the workers will assist in removing the strawberry plants from the plastic to prepare for planting the next crop.

Special Requirements

Employer may conduct drug/alcohol testing post-employment and at the employer's expense.

Employer may conduct criminal background checks post-employment and at the employer's expense.