Farm Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
vegetables, including, but not limited to, tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, asparagus, and fruits, including, but not limited to, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples.
This job requires a minimum of three months of prior cultivation/harvest experience in commercial field crop production of fruits or vegetables. Workers will manually plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables, including, but not limited to, tomatoes, beans, corn, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, asparagus, and fruits, including, but not limited to, strawberries, cherries, peaches, apples. Works on planter, plants roots, seeds and bulbs. Propagates plants. May spread plastic or other groundcovering. Weeds, thins, plants. Transplants plants, riding on transplanter or by hand. May set poles and wires for vine plants. Picks, cuts, lifts, or pulls crop to harvest them. Workers will perform packing in the field and in packing house. Work may also include harvesting greenhouse tomatoes. May assist with irrigation. May assist with general farm building maintenance.

Workers must be physically able to perform seeding, planting, harvesting and heavy lifting. Considerable stooping and kneeling is required. Care must be taken to prevent damaging produce and plants.

Pruning: Hand pruning based on fruit variety. Use manual and mechanized pruning tools and equipment. Identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches rubbing against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots-suckers.

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.

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 general farming.

Workers with a clean driving record (no major moving violations such as but not limited to Driving While Intoxicated or Reckless Driving) and able to obtain an insurable driver's license may be required to drive company vehicles. Workers with appropriate licenses and a valid doctor's certificate may be asked to drive other workers. Workers may be directly involved in loading and unloading, organizing produce at Grower Only Farmers Markets or Roadside Markets. Workers may be asked to drive to Markets or Orchards to deliver Produce or receive Apples or Fruit.

Employer has a strict prohibition on tobacco usage. No smoking or tobacco use of any kind will be permitted in the fields. Smoking is allowed only in designated areas during 45-mintute lunch break.

Work is to be done 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 packaged 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, peach fuzz, 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.

Employer will instruct workers in the safety and operation of equipment before use. Workers must operate equipment in a manner that protects operator, visitors, other workers, products, trees, crops and equipment.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior cultivation/harvest experience in commercial field crop production of fruits or vegetables. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.