Field Workers: Mulberry Harvest

Job description

H-2A and corresponding domestic workers must be available to perform each of the following job activities in connection with the harvesting and farming operations:

Field Workers: Mulberry Harvest, General Ranch Labor, Picking, Weeding, Pruning Planting, QC, Forklift Driver, Tractor Driver, General Farm Labor / General Ranch Maintenance, prepare freshly harvested crop for shipment to perform the following duties:

Mulberry Harvest: Workers will perform duties associated with and directly related to mulberry harvest work, including but not limited to picking and packing berries in the field; distinguish quality and ripeness; pick and place in packing baskets / containers in the field. Covering the ground under the mulberry tree with a tarp, the workers gently shake the branches of the tree to make the berries fall off and onto the tarp. The workers carefully retrieve the berries off the tarp and place them in small baskets. Workers will perform general ranch labor - pruning, planting, weeding (using a long-handled hoe); safely walk on uneven ground in different parts of the field to perform the work. Packing 8 oz clamshells, with 12 clamshells per crate for a 6 lb crate; workers will also will be packing 6 oz clamshells with 12 clamshells per crate for a 4.5 lb crate. Quality B product will be packed in 4 lb buckets.

Quality control: Quality control worker makes sure that the product meets standards of quality. They examine and weigh product baskets to be of the weight and quality required. Some quality control inspections are routine and quick, others are more complex and lengthier. Quality control worker may be responsible for declaring that a product (basket) is not below the specified quality. Quality control person may also inspect that a picker is not leaving good product in the furrow or are putting incorrect/bad product in baskets. They may make recommendations for improvements.

Forklift Driver Specifications: The Forklift driver is responsible for inspecting the forklift. Forklift drivers use knobs and levers to operate the forklift. Duties include the transferring and stacking of bins full of product onto the trailer. The employee works in an area that consists of 300 ft. in radius. Cycle is repeated.

Tractor Driver Specifications: The tractor driver is responsible for inspecting the tractor. Duties include getting in and out of the fields. The tractor driver takes empty bins, goes into the lot and sets them throughout the lot for workers to fill with product. The tractor driver gets in and out of the field as bins are set. Once workers fill up the bin, the tractor driver gets into the lot to take out the bins full of product. The tractor driver takes them out of the field and once out the field, a forklift transfers the product into the trailer. Cycle is repeated.

General Ranch Maintenance / General Farm Labor includes, but is not limited to, on the farm road maintenance and dust control to farm roadways by means of farm equipment.

Special Requirements

Requirements: 1 month experience harvesting crops to avoid crop damage and personal injury. Written verification of experience is required. Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of the product. Must be able to use shears, clippers and other agricultural tools(i.e., hand saw (can be powered by gas)); no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Worker safety on the job and in employer-provided housing is our top priority. Workers may not possess, consume, or be under the influence of alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs, or other controlled substances at the worksite or in the employer-provided housing. Fighting, including but not limited to, verbal, physical, or through social media or texts, and any threats or act of violence, and/or disruptive behavior against another individual or against property will not be tolerated, particularly acts of violence committed while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.