Farm Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:

watermelons.

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience working on a farm handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience.

Workers will engage in planting, cultivating and harvesting watermelons. Watermelon Planting: Workers will install plastic mulch and drip tape. Workers will walk through the fields, carrying a tray of watermelon plantlets and hand-plant them in the holes created by the hole-punching machine. Watermelon Cultivation: Workers will walk up and down rows, moving vines out of the rows, and weed the rows, either by hand or with a hoe. Watermelon Harvest: Workers will cut vines, roll watermelons over, pick up and toss watermelons back to other workers until they are loaded on the bus. Once the bus arrives at the packing shed, the workers will unload the watermelons, placing them on the conveyor belt and sort them by size into shipping boxes.

Work is to be done for long periods of time. Workers will assist in loading trucks with product weighing up to and including 75 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. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations. Saturday work required. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required upon reasonable suspicion of use and after a worker has an accident at work.

Persons seeking employment in this position must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Successful applicants will be subject to a trial period of up to 3 days during which their performance of required tasks will be evaluated. If the performance during the trial period is not acceptable to the employer the worker‘s employment will be terminated.

Employer may request, but not require, workers to work more than the stated daily hours and/or on a worker’s Sabbath or federal holidays. Workers will have an unpaid lunch break. Worker must report to work at designated time and place each day. Daily or weekly work schedule may vary due to weather, sunlight, temperature, crop conditions, and other factors. Employer will notify workers of any change to start time.

TERMINATION. All workers will be subject to a three-day trial period, during which the employer will evaluate workers' performance of required tasks. Employer reserves the right to terminate a worker at the conclusion of the trial period if the worker’s performance fails to satisfy the employer’s reasonable expectations, or is otherwise unacceptable.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience working on a farm handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 75 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required upon reasonable suspicion of use and after a worker has an accident at work. Must be willing to work 1st, 2nd or 3rd shift hours.