Farmworker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Including, but not limited to the following:
Hops, Cherries, Blueberries, Apples.
Plant, cultivate and harvest fruits and vegetables. Use farm equipment to cut, pull, dig, thresh, clean, chop, bag, or bundle harvested crops. Load/unload harvested fruits/vegetables or other materials manually or with mechanized equipment such as conveyors, or handtrucks. 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.

Drive tractors and planters, and operate other mechanized farm equipment to plant, cultivate, and harvest hops. Use farm equipment to cut, pull, dig, thresh, clean, chop, bag, or bundle harvested hops. Load/unload harvested hops or other materials manually or with mechanized equipment such as conveyors, handtrucks, or forklifts. Mow/rake hop bines. Operate combines, pickers and/or dryers.

Operators may also operate stationary equipment such as hop picking/cleaning machines, kilns, and hop balers. Cut rhizomes and store in cold storage until planting. Fill bins with potting soil. Plant rhizome pieces in pot and place pots in greenhouse. Sort plants and separate hop plants by untangling vine. Take care not to damage hop vine. Till soil and prepare field for planting. Plant pots in field. Dig and prepare ground. Plant roots or pots. Pick up pots after planting. Cut roots off hill with hop knife. Wash and separate roots. Cut roots to length and bundle roots. Load roots/plants onto trailers or trucks. Stack, stage, and haul roots/pots. Remove broken or damaged poles and install a new pole. Ensure all hop poles are vertically straight and tamped into place. Manually remove weeds by hand or with digging tools. Twine and train hops. Weeding baby hop yards carefully to avoid damaging vines. Manually remove drip tubing from hop plants and place at center of the hill to avoid damage. Roll, tie, and install tube with utility vehicle and tubing roller. Re-tie broken tubes to nearest string. Excess or repeated damage to drip tubes may result in suspension or discharge. Load string bundles onto string cart. Top tie string to trellis. "Pogo" hop strings into hop hills with hop clips. Fix loose/missing strings. Fix non-compliant acreage immediately. Hills found without clips may result in suspension or discharge. No unused string may be discarded in the field. Pick up bines and hop clusters from ground behind combine and put into truck. Place bale cloth on the truck front and latch/unlatch truck. Cut bale cloth with hot knife. Bale and sew hop bales. Stencil hop bales. Clean and sweep baler floor. Mix hops with pitchfork and push hops to pit. Track harvest information on sheet.

Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.

Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions.

Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer’s products and property. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.

Mow, cut, and weed fields. Prepare and/or clear land for planting using mechanized or hand equipment to remove trash, rocks, or other debris or material that may interfere with planting or harvesting activities.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior cultivation/harvest experience on a vegetable farm, nursery,greenhouse, or tree farm. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.