Field Workers

Job description

The work is performed in the field on the farm and in a nursery:

Primarily involved in the maintenance of the long cane nursery.
Secondary responsibility is hourly hand harvest of the blueberry test plot and maintenance of this plot.
Additionally, farm maintenance activities will be performed as specified below:

Nursery Work
Under the supervision of a Sandy Ridge leader, the crew will assist in the care and training of long cane nursery crops including but not limited to pruning plants, training plants, tying plants, moving pots, fixing irrigation, deploying, and fixing trellising and weeding.
• Record notes on employee hours and productivity and submit to the office.
• Wash, sanitize, and prepare harvest buckets for the following day’s harvest.
• Act as a Stacker: Stack full crates of blackberries onto a pallet. Stack pallet neatly and correctly. Help load or unload empty crates onto or off the picking trailer

Blueberry Test Plot Harvest and Maintenance
Follow the directions of the test plot manager to hand harvest blueberries.
Separate fruit meeting quality standards from fruit with defects into two separate containers.
Apply a bar code onto each bucket and ensure it coincides with blueberry plant.
Weed and maintain the test plot area.

General Farm Maintenance
Maintain tunnel plastic
Pull weeds
Apply pesticides by hand or with the use of agricultural equipment, including tractors; additional training will be provided prior to performing this task.
Cut suckers
Prune and train plants
Trellis repair and maintenance
Operation of farm equipment after skills are demonstrated and safety checkouts (for each piece of power equipment) are completed
Collection of trash and extra harvest materials.

Quality control
Establishes and follows a packaging review system that ensures harvested product meet company standards in quality and appearance.
Appearance: Good packing, full baskets (no bridges); ask harvesters to re-pack crates and pick correct fruit color as needed.
Crates: Make sure the crate is clean and is the correct type of crate.
Ensure harvester are following food safety guidelines as set by the company.
Record notes of employee hours and productivity and submit to the office.
Scan harvested crates with hand held device.

Transportation (Shuttle Driving duties): Drivers drive approximately 35-45 minutes per day, plus an additional 10 minutes for a weekly roundtrip to the laundry. On top of this, they typically spend an average of 2 hours waiting during the laundry trip. At the end of the contract, driving would be for less than 50% of the total work hours of the contract.

Transport workers in shuttle vans to and from housing according to time schedules, as well as grocery store, laundromat and other locations.
Follow safety procedures for vehicle operation and comply with traffic regulations to ensure passenger and vehicle safety.
Ensure passengers are safely seated and following safety practices while riding in the vehicle.
Regulate heating, lighting, and ventilating systems for passenger comfort.
Report delays and accidents immediately.
Conduct daily vehicle pre-driving and post-driving inspection.
Maintain a valid Oregon driver license (pre-hire requirement).
Vehicle cleaning and maintenance.
Move bathroom and drinking water to work location.

Employees will follow instructions from supervisors on the employer's agricultural methods and practices, use common equipment and tools to successfully perform the work, and help others as part of a work crew. Work performed by these employees is closely monitored, tracked, and assessed for quality, accuracy, and production results.

Special Requirements

Two months of experience performing work related to growing blueberries or blackberries.

Experience to be confirmed though written employment verification letters on company letterhead or by the provision of the name and address or telephone number of the reference who can verify the workers experience. The assistance of the referring office in helping the worker provide this information will be appreciated.

Cannot be color blind due to the need to distinguish colors of crops for proper ripeness and maturity. No smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Ability to communicate in English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. Work is performed outdoors in open fields and can involve exposure to sun, wind, mud, dust, heat, cold and other elements of the normal field environment. Temperatures can range from 50 degrees F to over 90 degrees F during the period of employment.