Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop

Job description

Workers will perform assign duties as instructed by their supervisor.
General Field Labor & Planting: Tasks include staking, stringing, and field cleanup. Workers will perform "Pepper & Melon Planting," receiving trays of young plants and hand-placing them into pre-drilled holes in the field rows. General maintenance includes pulling plastic, using shovels to finish bed ends, installing drainage inlets, and irrigation maintenance (drip tape and plastic roll upkeep). Workers will remove debris and weeds to maintain a clean growing area.
Pepper Harvesting (All Varieties): Workers will move down assigned rows to identify and pick peppers based on size, shape, and color standards. Workers will use hand tools such as shears or knives to harvest product into buckets. Once full, buckets are taken to a field truck/trailer to receive credit.
Pumpkin Harvesting: Workers will walk the field to identify mature pumpkins, first cutting the vine with a small hand knife. Due to the weight (20 lbs to 60 lbs), workers will utilize a manual "toss" or "pass" chain to move pumpkins from the ground to a worker on a field bus or trailer, where they are placed carefully on the floor.
Melon Harvesting: Workers will walk rows to identify ripe melons (watermelons, cantaloupes, or honeydews) based on rind color and acoustic "thump" standards. Workers will hand-harvest and pitch melons to a catch-man on a slow-moving field trailer or place them directly into bins. This requires frequent bending, stooping, and lifting.
Packing House Operations: When the field transport is full, it is moved to the on-site packing house. Workers will unload harvested crops onto a conveyor belt for washing, grading, labeling, and packing. Note: These facilities are located on the farm, and at least 50% of the handled product is grown by the Fixed Site Employer.

Secondary Job activities, Camp Cooks
Incident to and in conjunction with other agricultural operations on the farm, workers will perform secondary agriculture functions, as described at 29 C.F.R. 780.105 (c), that include assisting in maintaining food inventory and stocking supplies, preparing and serving food, and associated farm labor kitchen maintenance and general clean-up of kitchen and service area, sanitizing of dishes, pots and other items used to prepare food, delivery of meals to workers in the fields, and provide food service in compliance with applicable health and safety regulations. All work described herein is provided directly to agricultural workers employed by the employer.

Workers must be able to perform strenuous manual labor outdoors in all weather conditions, including heat, cold, and rain, for a minimum of six (6) hours per day. The position requires physical strength and endurance to bend, stoop, and stand for extended periods, as well as manual dexterity to repetitively use hands at a sustained pace to meet production standards. This is a fundamental entry-level position; the employer will provide on-the-job training and all necessary tools and equipment at no charge to the worker. Consistent with applicable law, the employer may recover the reasonable cost of repair or replacement of tools if damage results from the worker’s willful misconduct or gross negligence after the damage has occurred and after gaining the employee's written authorization to make the deduction. At its sole discretion, the employer may pay a higher wage rate based on individual performance or tenure, which does not alter the entry-level requirements of this position.

Special Requirements

This type of work, involves working conditions that require tremendous stamina, a high level of physical activity in cold or extremely hot conditions in direct sunlight and in adverse weather such as rain. The work requires a high level of physical conditioning.