Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
nursery stock, including woody ornamentals, perennials and grasses.
This job requires a minimum of three months of prior verifiable experience working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Workers will perform work including but not limited to planting, digging, cultivating, mulching, transplanting, mowing, watering in nurseries and seasonal holding houses. Fertilize, prune, spray, space, water, tag and perform other plant maintenance. Count and inventory plants. Propagate plants from cuttings. Load plants onto wagons and trucks. Remove plastic from seasonal holding houses in spring and cover seasonal holding houses with plastic in fall. Assist with building seasonal holding houses. Plant and dig field grown plants, burlap roots, perform general maintenance of field grown plants. Fill, lift, and carry various size pots with soil and plants weighing as much as 75 pounds. Plants must be handled carefully to ensure that minimal leaves, limbs and roots are broken. Workers are supervised at all times by employer or foreman who will provide demonstrations, instructions and directions.

Workers must have an understanding of nursery quality control standards and a working knowledge of nursery production procedures. Workers must be able to harvest crops according to predetermined, customer specific standards. Must select and harvest crops which are suitable for various clients.

Workers must successfully complete and pass a pesticide training course.

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 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 should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations. 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. Must be able to lift/carry 75 lbs.

In addition, workers may be required to perform variable tasks such as the following: irrigation, ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, weeding, and other tasks related to a nursery operation.

Work may also include mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment may include tractors, planters, sprayers, cultivators, transmission trucks, lifts, forklifts, loaders, and other equipment. Workers will be expected to be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direction.

Employer assures that workers will be provided transportation from living quarters to work site every day (for workers who must be provided housing under the applicable regulations.)

Persons seeking employment as experienced nursery worker must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Successful applicants will be subject to a trial period of up to 5 days during which their performance of required tasks will be evaluated.

Special Requirements

This job requires three months of prior verifiable experience working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 75 lbs.