Farm Worker

Job description

Drive and control farm equipment and attached farm implements to till soil and to plant, irrigate, cultivate, and harvest grain crops. Adjust, inspect, repair and service farm machinery. Specifically, set up and operate irrigation equipment, operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow, and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, spray, and harvest crops, including both manual driving and GPS controlled systems. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment; apply pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to crops; clear and maintain irrigation ditches; report to farm owners/managers as needed. Drive grain trucks, corn pickers, soybean harvesters, and cotton pickers, and use various hand tolls as required for task. Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms or machinery. Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions. Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools. Drive trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers. Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions. Operate towed machines such as seed drills or manure spreaders to plant, fertilize, dust, and spray crops. Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers. Mix specified materials or chemicals, and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planter or sprayer machinery. Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps. Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, hand trucks, or forklifts, or transfer augers.

There are few typical days and workers may be required to change duties often and engage in various general functions. Daily duties may vary depending on crop, weather, and field conditions. Workers may be asked, but are not required, to work on their Sabbath.

Special Requirements

Must have or be able to obtain driver's license within 30 days of hire. Must have 3 months of experience related to fixing and digging underground leaks and operating farm equipment. Due to the use of vehicles and heavy machinery, drug testing may be conducted post-hire at the employers expense and is not part of the interview process. All workers may be subject to mandatory testing if they have been involved in a reportable accident or upon reasonable suspicion that drug use is impacting job performance. Criminal background checks are conducted post-hire at the employers expense. Because workers use expensive, heavy agriculture equipment, any worker with recent a criminal conviction for DWI or property crimes will be terminated.