Farmworkers, Laborers And Agricultural Equipment Operator
Employer
Sunnyside Ranch
Sunnyside, WA 98944
United States
Job description
Workers will thin, prune, train apple trees, perform orchard labor, perform duties on a motorized platform, from the ground and/or utilize a ladder. Worker must possess the ability to pick up and handle a 10-12 foot orchard ladder. All other duties assigned under this order are those of the Farm Worker, Diversified Crops, and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC): 45-2092 and 45-2091 job under the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Spread plastic or other ground covering. Clean plastic by hand from ground upon removal. Till soil. Weed and thin plants. Transplant plants by hand. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies.
Use/maintain power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, forklifts, skid loaders and platforms. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. Workers may not use a cell phone or handheld device while operating equipment.
Care of young non-producing fruit trees, including weeding, tree trunk painting, hand fertilizing and hand clipping. Set up/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates. Clear debris from field and clean/maintain farm buildings, structures, equipment, and work areas. Repair/ maintenance farm buildings, fences, and other structures.
Workers will be required to attend an orientation on workplace rules, policies and safety information prior to beginning work on or after the date of need, and continuing safety meetings throughout the contract period.
Training
Workers will be given a two-day training period. During the two-day training period, workers will not be disciplined based on quality.
Non-supervisory farm workers may demonstrate tasks to others. Designated workers may be responsible for acting as a liaison between the crew and the supervisor to communicate progress of production tasks and communicate work completed for the day.
Workers injured on the job and unable to perform the full range of duties may be offered light duty, if available. Light duty tasks may vary depending on availability of task, nature of worker's injury, and instructions from worker's physician. Light duty tasks may include any combination of the following:
Tree Training: hoeing, tree painting, and weed mat application. Tie/position trees and limbs, together and to trellises, using string, tape, wire or other fasteners and supports.
Thinning: Hand thin to control the size and quality of fruit. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Must accurately identify and remove misshapen, damaged or otherwise unmarketable fruit.
Pruning: Hand pruning based on fruit variety. Use manual and mechanized pruning tools and equipment. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood, shoots-suckers, and selectively remove diseased limbs and branches due to fire blight and/or bacterial canker.
Use/handle ladders up to 12 ft. in length and weigh up to 30 lbs. or perform work on motorized platform.
Blight and insect checking - Check fruit trees for blight and insect damage. Mark trees.
Light thinning - Thin fruit trees. Break up fruit clusters. Cup fruit in hand and drop fruit to ground. Requires standing.
Tree counting. Walk through orchard and count number of trees in row. Requires standing.
Equipment washing - Wash equipment with hose and other cleaning tools.
Special Requirements
This job requires no prior experience working in a tree fruit orchards, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with fruit production, pruning activities and showing proficiency with orchard ladder use. Workers must be able to perform all duties with accuracy and efficiency. Workers will thin, prune, train apple trees, perform orchard labor, perform duties on a motorized platform, from the ground and/or utilize a ladder. Worker must possess the ability to pick up and handle a 10-12 foot orchard ladder. All other duties assigned under this order are those of the Farm Worker, Diversified Crops, and Standard Occupational Classification (SOC): 45-2092 and 45-2091 job under the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Spread plastic or other ground covering. Clean plastic by hand from ground upon removal. Till soil. Weed and thin plants. Transplant plants by hand. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling,