Farmworker/laborer

Job description

GENERAL FARM LABOR: Worker will be required to hoe or pull weeds as directed by supervisor. Worker will stake crops and specialty variety peppers and will stake with 12 to 96 inch stakes placed in the ground by hand using stake pounders weighing up to 20 pounds. Workers may also be required to stake with air driven machines. Worker will sprout young shoots on the tomato plant as needed for optimum plant potential. Workers will pull out of ground and pick up 12 to 96 inch in length tomato stakes and place them in approved container. Worker will repair, clean and sanitize harvest buckets, bags, bins, and equipment as instructed. Worker will conduct pruning activities. Worker will wash produce with water in the grading barn or shop and then repack. Worker will use a hammer and nails to repair 18-bushel apple bins used for harvesting apples and pumpkins
Worker will make and/or staple corrugated card board boxes in the grading barn. Worker may be required to grade, bag, tie and palletize bags of apples for animal feed. Worker will stack hay and straw on a wagon in field and then unload and stack into a barn. Workers will conduct various farm and field clean up tasks such as raking brush, picking up rocks and roots and mowing grass on farm as directed.

1. Farm Equipment Operation: Workers may be required to operate forklifts, tractors and other farm equipment during field operations incidental to the production of the crop/grain. Before any worker is required to operate any farm equipment, the worker will be instructed in the proper and safe operation of a tractor and applicable equipment. Workers will be required to operate tractors and equipment according to instructions and in a manner that protects the operator, other workers, trees, crops, and equipment. Failure to obey operating and safety instructions will result in progressive disciplinary action, described in work rules listed below.

2. Field Planting/Seeding: Worker will carefully hand transplant plants by removing them at the base of the plant. Worker will use an employer provided hand shovel for field planting and seeding. Plants shall be handled with care as not to break, damage or bruise the plant. Worker will insert shovel face forward into center of predetermined hole so as to not touch the sides of the hole to prevent burning of the plant. The plant shall be placed into the ground so the root structure is entirely covered with ground soil. The plant is inserted until the first leaves are showing. Worker will then cover the back of the plant, remove the shovel and then cover the front of the plant. Plants may be planted mechanically with a planter and the worker will ride the machine and place plants in the drops as the machine moves along the row. Seeds may be planted by hand. Seeds will be placed into the center of the predetermined hole in the row and placed no deeper than a half inch into the ground and covered with ground soil as instructed by supervisor.

Pay will be hourly.

Special Requirements

3 verifiable months commercial agriculture experience required. Applicants must furnish job references from employers of the last 5 years establishing acceptable prior experience.

Season Commitment: Job offered requires worker be available for and worker agrees to work every day that work is available for entire employment period.
Worker must be able to perform job description duties in safe manner consistent with established safety procedures.
Field work begins at assigned time shortly after daylight. Work may be scheduled during moderate rain, in high humidity, when trees/crops are wet with dew/rain, and in temperatures as low as 15 degrees F and up to 105 degrees F. Worker should have suitable clothing for variable weather conditions.

Drug testing not utilized as a pre-employment tool. See work rule #5 for more information regarding post-employment drug testing.