Field Worker:nursery Worker, Shuttle Driver, General Laborer

Job description

The work is performed in the field on the farm and in a nursery:

Primarily involved in the maintenance of the long cane nursery.
Secondary responsibility is hourly hand harvest of the blueberry test plot and maintenance of this plot.
Additionally, farm maintenance activities will be performed as specified below:

Nursery Work
Under the supervision of a Sandy Ridge leader, the crew will assist in the care and training of long cane nursery crops including but not limited to pruning plants, training plants, tying plants, moving pots, fixing irrigation, deploying, and fixing trellising and weeding.
• Record notes on employee hours and productivity and submit to the office.
• Wash, sanitize, and prepare harvest buckets for the following day’s harvest.
• Act as a Stacker: Stack full crates of blackberries onto a pallet. Stack pallet neatly and correctly. Help load or unload empty crates onto or off the picking trailer

Blueberry Test Plot Harvest and Maintenance
Follow the directions of the test plot manager to hand harvest blueberries.
Separate fruit meeting quality standards from fruit with defects into two separate containers.
Apply a bar code onto each bucket and ensure it coincides with blueberry plant.
Weed and maintain the test plot area.

General Farm Maintenance
Maintain tunnel plastic
Pull weeds
Hand apply pesticides (additional training will be given before this task)
Cut suckers
Prune and train plants
Trellis repair and maintenance
Operation of farm equipment after skills are demonstrated and safety checkouts (for each piece of power equipment) are completed
Collection of trash and extra harvest materials.

Quality control
Establishes and follows a packaging review system that ensures harvested product meet company standards in quality and appearance.
Appearance: Good packing, full baskets (no bridges); ask harvesters to re-pack crates and pick correct fruit color as needed.
Crates: Make sure the crate is clean and is the correct type of crate.
Ensure harvester are following food safety guidelines as set by the company.
Record notes of employee hours and productivity and submit to the office.

Transportation (Shuttle Driving duties)
Transport workers in shuttle vans to and from housing according to time schedules, as well as grocery store and other locations.
Follow safety procedures for vehicle operation and comply with traffic regulations to ensure passenger and vehicle safety.
Ensure passengers are safely seated and following safety practices while riding in the vehicle.
Regulate heating, lighting, and ventilating systems for passenger comfort.
Report delays and accidents immediately.
Conduct daily vehicle pre-driving inspection.
Maintain a valid Oregon driver license (pre-hire requirement).
Vehicle cleaning and maintenance.
Move bathroom and drinking water to work location.

House Inspection:
One day a week, inspect the entire house and outside perimeter.
Follow up on documented areas of improvement in employer housing
Maintain record on the inspection.
Report to the administration the result on the inspection, concerns and incidents.

Additional Job Responsibilities: Workers are responsible for following Crew Leader instructions. These include completing daily warm-up exercises.

Special Requirements

Three (3) months of experience performing work related to growing blueberries or blackberries.

Experience to be confirmed though written employment verification letters on company letterhead or by the provision of the name and address or telephone number of the reference who can verify the workers experience. The assistance of the referring office in helping the worker provide this information will be appreciated.

Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops for proper ripeness and maturity. No smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Ability to communicate in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. Work is performed outdoors in open fields and can involve exposure to sun, wind, mud, dust, heat, cold and other elements of the normal field environment. Temperatures can range from 50 degrees F to over 90 degrees F during the period of employment.