Farm Workers

Job description

Perform manual labor to harvest Vidalia onions and watermelons. Harvest Vidalia onions by picking up onions, clipping top and roots using shears, placing in bucket, walking to bin and dumping bucket into bin, or handing bucket to a dumper. Dumpers will empty buckets and give the harvester back the empty bucket with a token/ticket. Unload and load boxes of onions by hand and using machinery. Use hand tools, such as shears, shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, and knives. Open fields by moving onions from one row to another row to open up a driveway for the machinery. Pull weeds, clean and maintain field and work areas. Transport drinking water to field workers. Inform supervisors of crop progress. Perform manual labor to plant, harvest, pack, sort and load watermelons. Harvest watermelon by cutting stems from the vine using knives. During the cutting process, a farm worker walks in a designated area selecting mature watermelons to be harvested based on appearance considering the variances in shape, size, weight, and external color while also considering other factors such as location of vine, age of crop, number of times crop has been cut, growing conditions of crop, as well as variety of watermelons. Workers will then pick up harvested watermelons and pitch them to another worker who will either gently place into bins or pitch it to another worker within an assembly line. Move vines and fruit in the field in order to prevent damage by cultivation or harvest. During the loading process, a farm worker walks in a designated area while lifting preselected watermelons, then pitches the watermelons to another farm worker who catches the watermelons and pitches them to another farm worker or gently places them in the designated area or transport vehicle. Watermelons are unloaded and packed by hand using aid of conveyor belts and sizing machines. In the packing process, watermelons are unloaded from harvest transport vehicle where employees lift watermelons from harvest vehicle and pass to another employee who gently places the watermelon on the in feed conveyer. An employee then lifts the fruit from the sizing station and gently places watermelons in bin while assuring count and pack layout for each bin is correct for their sizing station. Erecting boxes, placing pallets at stations and placing boxes at stations is a duty necessary to keep production flowing and is part of the packing process. Duties also include field and shed sanitation. As a minor activity, workers may operate farm vehicles and equipment, including forklifts. Workers who apply for and obtain an FLC or FLC employee certificate of registration with driving authorized by the USDOL Wage and Hour Division during the employment period may drive the bus or other transportation vehicles to transport workers and may be offered additional work hours. Assist with Good Agricultural Practices policies.

Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker’s ability to perform the job. Persons seeking employment in this position must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Employer reserves the right to discharge an obviously unqualified worker, malingerer or recalcitrant worker who is physically able but is unwilling to perform the work necessary for the employer to grow a premium quality product, or for any other lawful reason.
Employer attests that it has sent (or will promptly send) original surety bond to CNPC.
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. 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.

Special Requirements

One month of verifiable farm work experience is required. Walk, bend, reach, stoop, push, pull, lift, carry and load up to 50 lbs. for prolonged periods of time. Perform repetitive movements. Most job duties require workers to work in extremely hot and/or wet weather.