Farm Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Avocados.
Plant, cultivate, and harvest tree fruit. Size and/or strip pick fruit based on seasonal need. Harvest fruit on steep terrain from trees using 32 – 40 foot ladder, clippers and/or 12 foot picking poles. Fill picking bags and place fruit in bins. Follow supervisor/foreman's instructions on color/size requirements. Must be able to differentiate between colors and fruit varieties accurately. Hand thin to control the size and quality of fruit. Hand prune 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.

Workers injured on the job and unable to perform the full range of duties may be offered light duty, if available. Light duty tasks may vary depending on availability of task, nature of worker's injury, and instructions from worker's physician. Light duty tasks may include blight checking, fruit checking/quality control, light picking/pruning/thinning/sorting, or tree counting.

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.

Workers may operate farm machinery, equipment and vehicles. Workers will be instructed in the safety and operation of the equipment before driving the equipment. Workers will be expected to be able to operate equipment, with or without direction, in a manner that protects the operator, visitors, other employees, crops, facilities and equipment. Employee may drive Cal Van over the road. Employee may pick up workers from different housing sites/pick up points and take them to an assigned work site and at the end of the day take them back to the housing site/pick up point. In order to drive a Cal Van, employees must possess valid driver’s license (state issued) and must be able to pass Class B Physical exam and register as an FLCE driver. The employer will be responsible for the cost of the California Driver’s License, Class B Physical Exam, and registration as an FLCE driver (if any). All employees in this position (H-2A as well as corresponding domestic workers), will be given the opportunity to obtain a driver’s license (DL) and register as an FLCE driver on a voluntary basis. The DL and FLCE Certificate are not a pre-hire job requirement. No job applicant will be denied an employment opportunity due to a lack of a DL or FLCE Certificate at the time of application and/or hiring. Further, no worker (H-2A or corresponding domestic worker) will be terminated for failure to obtain a DL or FLCE Certificate.

Production Standards: Because the average picking rate of a worker varies throughout the season based on weather, quantity, and other factors, there is no constant minimum number of bins that are required to be picked throughout the season. However, the employer has determined to the best of its ability the following minimum production standard:

Beginning of Season: 1-2 bins per day in an 8 hour shift (depending on the height of fruit trees, quantity on fruit trees, and size of ranch). The production standards may change to 2-4 bins per day when the quantity of crop increases at peak of harvesting season. Workers have to fill up a bin with 900lbs of avocados to be considered 1 bin. Size dimension of a bin: 45L x 48W x 30H.

Special Requirements

Jobs offered are working in a fruit farm handling both manual and mechanized tasks. Saturday work may be required, if necessary. Must be able to lift/carry 100 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing required.