Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop

Job description

This application encompasses harvest of apples, pears, as well as thinning, pruning, training and other orchard labor. The worker will perform duties on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker must possess the ability to pick-up and handle a 10 – 12 ft. orchard ladder weighing up to 60 lbs. All other duties assigned under this order will be both those duties of Agricultural Equipment Operator and Farm Worker and Laborer Crop, Nursery and Greenhouse, under the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics Standard Occupational Classification Codes 45-2091 and 45-2092.

Thinning
The worker will hand thin on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will use hands or scissor like clippers to remove small fruit blossoms, buds and/ or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. The workers must be able to identify and remove fruit that is misshapen, damaged and/ or contains other quality problem or needs to be removed.

Training
The worker will hand train fruit trees on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will tie, tape or clip fruit tree limbs to wires; position limbs of fruit trees; shoot thin; remove suckers, thin clusters, position shoots, hedge or remove leaves.

Pruning
The worker will hand prune trees and on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will utilize hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws and other equipment. The worker may be required to selectively prune trees of certain size and color as instructed by their supervisor. The worker will identify and remove stubs, broken branches, downward growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood, shoots and suckers with various equipment.

Fruit Harvest
The worker will hand harvest fruit on a motorized platform, from the ground and/ or utilizing a ladder. The worker will attach the harness, bucket or bag and pick low hanging fruit. The worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping fruit with their hands and removing it from the tree in a motion that will not harm buds on tree branches. The worker will carry the harness, bucket or bag of fruit and will place the fruit into bins. The
worker must exercise care at all times to prevent bruising of fruit or breaking of branches. Some workers may be tasked with examining harvested fruit in bins and sort out any fruit not meeting the grade, color and size specifications.
1.Weeding, hoeing, trunk painting, hand fertilizing and growth selection by hand and clipping. 2.General labor to assist in establishment of new orchard properties by clearing property, planting trees, building trellis, repair and spreading of composted material.
3.Caring for trees during growing process. 4.Monitoring tree disease such as blighted branches in apples.
5.Harvest preparation including spreading liners in bins and rolling bins into blocks by hand. 6.Repairing sprinklers on overhead cooling system. 7.Loading and unloading empty bins by hand. 8.Sorting fruit during harvest and verifying quality of fruit
9.Farm clean up tasks to include picking up garbage around the orchard, removing old string/ wire from trellis/ orchard blocks and other tasks. 10.Operating farm machinery and/ or motorized vehicles to assist in orchard work and transporting fruit, materials, supplies and workers. 11.Maintenance tasks for farm machinery.

Special Requirements

2 months general farm labor experience.

Workers are not permitted to be under the influence of intoxicants of any kind during working hours. Employer reserves the right to conduct employer- paid post-accident drug testing. Any employee who declines to take or fails a drug test will be immediately terminated.

Workers must possess requisite physical strength and endurance to repeat the harvest process throughout the workday. Workers must work at a sustained, vigorous pace and make bona-fide efforts to work efficiently and consistently that are reasonable under the climatic and all other working conditions. Workers may never ride on agricultural equipment not designed for work related riding purposes or any other non-passenger intended equipment unless instructed and authorized by the employer or supervisor to do so.