Farm Workers
Employer
1615 Schroer Farm Road (field and packing facility)
Ray City, GA 31645
United States
Job description
Crops/Commodities:
pecans, peaches and satsumas.
Perform manual labor to grade and pack pecans, harvest and transplant pecan trees or load harvested trees onto trucks; and assist with the harvesting of pecans. Manually cultivate and harvest peaches and satsumas; plant peach trees, satsuma trees and pecan trees. Pick up limbs in orchards; cut and drag broken limbs from field and mow; remove any vines, suckers, shoots or debris that may deter the function or growth of trees; and clean, maintain orchards and work areas. Grade, size, and sort product according to color, shape, size, appearance, feel, and/or quality, in accordance with supervisor's instructions. Inspect products for damage/defects and discard inferior products and foreign matter. Remove leaves from fruit and cull defective fruit as instructed by supervisors. Work on assembly line during grading and packing process. Place product in super sacks and mark grade on sacks. Weigh products and record weight and/or grade. Clean, pack and load harvested products. Ongoing orchard maintenance including pruning and thinning on ladders and lifts. Use hand tools such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, pruning scissors, pipe fittings, pipe wrenches, shears, pick axes and wheelbarrows. Workers will be assigned rows of trees and must prune and thin each tree as shown by the field supervisor. Limbs must not be torn from the tree, nor should limbs be completely stripped of leaves. Transplant, weed, thin and prune crops. Repair and maintain farm vehicles and agricultural equipment. Pick up old pecans in the field to be hauled off. Use wheelbarrow to haul dirt, concrete, and mulch to washes in the field. Remove unwanted weeds by hand in orchard. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches including checking valves. Set up, operate and maintain irrigation equipment. Use pickax and shovel to make new irrigation ditches in the field. Construct or repair trellising. Apply pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers to crops. Inform orchard managers of crop progress. Workers must have a general understanding of how pruning affects competition with fruiting wood and how thinning is done to provide nutrition to the developing fruit. Improper pruning can cause problems with fruit load, fruit size, disease severity, and overall production. Place graded fruit in appropriate containers according to grade. Place filled containers in specified areas. Stack filled containers on pallets by prescribed pattern and height according to size, grade, brand, label or other identification. Apply strapping or other stabilizing materials to finished pallets manually with hand tools or using automatic equipment. Record product, packaging and order information on specified forms and records. Apply tags or printed labels to containers. Measure, weigh, count and record finished products. Examine and inspect containers, and materials to ensure that packing specifications are met. Assemble cartons, inserts, crates and containers by hand or using container assembly machinery. Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas using cleaning solutions and hand tools. Workers must harvest fruit of desired ripeness and use care when harvesting not to damage or bruise produce. Handle product carefully to prevent damage. Must follow quality control standards and production procedures. Operate equipment safely, with or without direction. Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer's products and property. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination. Supervisor(s) will provide instructions and directions to workers. Workers must be able to comprehend and follow instructions and communicate effectively to supervisors. Workers expected to perform basic duties in a proficient manner without close supervision.
Special Requirements
Two months of experience grading/packing pecans required. Lift and carry up to 50 lbs. Work outside in extremely hot, cold, and/or wet weather. Perform prolonged walking, bending, pushing, pulling, lifting and reaching over head for extended periods of time. Perform repetitive movements.