Farm Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Blackberries, hay, assorted fruits, vegetables, and bedding plants(flowers).
This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience harvesting blackberries for fresh market. Workers will handle both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest. Workers must be able to perform all assigned tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Work will include cane training, spreading and removing black plastic winter covers on plants, placing and monitoring vinegar bug traps, spraying and mowing, installing and maintaining trellis, trellising berry plants and monitoring new growth for tipping (pruning) using handheld pruners, picking berries according to employer’s quality standards, transporting harvested berries, watering and fertilizing, weeding and working with drip line irrigation systems.

Workers will perform a variety of manual tasks associated with hay crop production. Help with irrigation, clean and maintain equipment, stack hay bales, help load/unload bales of hay, assist with mowing, cutting and baling hay, work in fields, clean around barns.

Plant, cultivate and harvest fruits and vegetables. Use hand tools including, but not limited to: shovels, hoes and knives. Plant roots, seeds and bulbs. Spread plastic or other groundcovering. Clean plastic by hand from ground upon removal. Till soil. Weed and thin plants. Transplant plants by hand. Stake/tie plants, trellis/prune plants, and set poles and wires for vine plants. Pick, cut, lift, or pull crops. Tie vegetables in bunches. Grade, size and field pack product. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, fork lifts, skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction.

Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the production of greenhouse/nursery/flower bedding plants and other horticultural products. Plant, cultivate, and maintain nursery stock, trees, shrubs, bedding plants, plugs, liners, hanging baskets, and other horticultural varieties. Propagate plants from cuttings. Plant/pot seedlings, fill and label trays, move product to/from greenhouses and/or loading/unloading areas. Crimp wire baskets. Attach hangers to baskets and hang throughout holding houses. Move containerized plants using rolling/electric carts. Unload/unload trucks and product from conveyor belt. Install/remove plastic coverings. Clean/maintain work area.

Prune, trim, and perform other general plant maintenance. Water or irrigate plants, and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Maintain irrigation systems. Tie/position plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Wrap plants with burlap and other coverings as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade plants and trees. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety.

Work is to be done in the field for long periods of time. Workers are expected to perform duties including boxing, weighing and loading of product. Workers will assist in loading trucks with product weighing up to and including 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time. Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers’ ability to perform the job. Workers are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 100 F.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience harvesting blackberries for fresh market. Workers will handle both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest. Workers must be able to perform all assigned tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.