Farmworkers

Job description

Crops/Commodities: Farm Work: watermelons.
Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays): Transplant, cultivate, harvest, grade and pack watermelons by hand. Participate in irrigation activities. Use hand tools such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears and knives. Till soil. Transplant, weed, thin, and prune crops. Set transplants or seed by hand as directed. Handle seedlings with care. Install or remove items required in plasticulture. Transplant watermelons in bare soil. Cover seedlings with floating row covers. Prune roots and vines. Remove misshapen and blossom-end rot affected root. Plant windbreakers. Use pollinizer crops. Cover soil with plastic. Inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress. Plant rows which includes bending and stooping all day while walking in plowed dirt, with the expectation of being able to measure planting distance with your own stride (steps) and carrying all the plants needed for that row. A typical planting day will involve around 10,000 ft of rows setting a plant every five feet. Grade, sort, wash, clean, select, label, pack, and/or load harvested products. Load melons onto trucks. Job opportunity is Skill Level I. All primary duties are entry-level and require close supervision and/or a short demonstration of the task by a more experienced worker.

Secondary duties (performed on less than half of the workdays in the contract period): Participate in irrigation activities. Set up and operate irrigation equipment. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches. Record information about crops, yields or costs. Assemble cartons, crates and containers. Clean and maintain work areas and equipment. 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

Walk, bend and stoop in plowed dirt for prolonged periods of time, lift and carry up to 50 lbs. Push and pull. Work outside in unshaded fields in extreme heat. Drug testing is conducted post-hire at the employers expense and is not part of the interview process.