Farm Workers

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Peppers, watermelons, tomatoes, cantaloupes, cabbages, squash, red potatoes, peas, butter beans, sweet corn, cucumbers and okra.
Perform manual labor to plant, cultivate, and harvest peppers, watermelon, tomatoes, cantaloupes, squash, cabbage, red potatoes, peas, butter beans, sweet corn, cucumbers and okra by hand or machine. Use hand tools such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, shears, and knives. Apply fertilizers and non-restrictive use herbicides. Transplant, weed, thin and prune crops. Clean, pack, stack, load, and label harvested products. Repair fences and farm buildings. Participate in irrigation activities. Set up and operate irrigation equipment. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches. Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to carry transplants to the field and harvested produce to the packing house. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. Fold and staple corrugated forms to make boxes used for packing. Grade and sort products according to factors such as color, species, length, width, appearance, feel, smell, and quality to ensure correct processing and usage. Discard inferior or defective products and foreign matter and place acceptable products in containers for further processing. Place in containers according to grade and mark grade on containers. Punch holes in plastic with a post to plant tomato plants. Hammer and tie stakes. Sweet corn will be harvested by pulling selected ears from the stalks, placing into crates and loading full crates onto moving trailers. As a minor activity, plant, cultivate and harvest squash. Dig drainage ditches. Manual shovel work. Clean up fields when harvest is over. Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress. Workers with a valid license and doctor's certificate may be offered additional hours to transport other workers to and from worksites, housing, and town in vehicles provided and insured by the employer. Assist in Good Agricultural Practices policies.

Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job. Persons seeking employment in this position must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.

Employer may request, but not require, workers to work more than the stated daily hours and/or on a worker's Sabbath or federal holidays. Worker must report to work at designated time and place each day. Daily or weekly work schedule may vary due to weather, sunlight, temperature, crop conditions, and other factors. Employer will notify workers of any change to start time. Workers will have an unpaid lunch break.

TERMINATION. Prior to any termination for cause, employer evaluates workers' performance of required tasks and compliance with Work Rules and other employer policies. Employer may terminate a worker for cause if the worker's performance consistently and/or substantially fails to satisfy the employer's reasonable expectations (in accordance with the criteria set forth herein), or otherwise engages in serious or egregious misconduct that endangers health, safety, or property. In assessing whether workers' performance meets reasonable expectations, employer evaluates, among other reasonable criteria, whether the worker: (1) has adequately complied with the Work Rules and any other policies or procedures; (2) has complied with all health and safety guidelines, including the use of tools or equipment in accordance with best practices to protect the employer's property, crops, and in a manner that avoids injury or damage; (3) has treated company property (tools, equipment, crops, fixtures, etc.

Special Requirements

Two months verifiable farm work experience required. Continuously walk, bend, stoop, reach, and lift and carry up to 50 lbs. and work in extremely hot, cold, and/or wet weather. No smoking or tobacco products allowed on the property at any time. Employer is a drug free workplace. All drug testing is conducted post hire at the employer's expense and is not part of the interview process.