Agricultural Equipment Operator

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
corn, sugar beets, soybeans, potatoes, corn silage, organic corn, squash, peas, string beans.
This job requires a minimum of 3 months of verifiable agricultural experience handling both manual and mechanized tasks including operating commercial agricultural equipment. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Plant, cultivate and harvest vegetables. Use hand tools including, but not limited to: shovels, brooms. Plant seeds. Till soil. Take care to prevent damaging produce and plants. Cultivate crops. Maintain clean working environment, shoveling dirt and other debris from work area.

Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Clean, sweep grain bins.

Use power equipment including but not limited to: tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, chain saws, high lifts, skid loaders, fork lifts, diskers. Tractor driving may include additional attachments that assist with planting, harvesting, maintaining, cleaning, cultivating, hauling manure or transporting crops. Operate disking machine to remove weeds and other materials, as instructed, from designated work area, to till the soil where crops are to be planted, to chop unwanted weeds. Worker will ensure that the disks will repeatedly slice any ground to which they are applied in order to optimize the result of the soil. Primary tillage tools will be used to break virgin ground, incorporate residue into the soil in preparation for further work and break up compacted soil in order to increase soil aeration and to promote soil permeability in lower levels of the soil profile. Remove weeds using a tractor-mounted row crop cultivator tool. Worker will machine-harvest potatoes by operating a windrower and potato harvester.

Workers must operate equipment, with or without direction, in a manner that protects operator, visitors, other workers, products, crops and equipment. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in termination.

Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment.

Mix and apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions.

Perform farm building/field maintenance and repairs, including picking up garbage, rocks, and power washing farm buildings and equipment.

Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 65 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers must work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Work required in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 15 to over 105 degrees F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker’s ability to perform the job. Workers should be able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear. Shorts, bathing suits or other casual clothing not permitted.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of verifiable agricultural experience handling both manual and mechanized tasks including operating commercial agricultural equipment. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Workers must be able to perform manual and mechanized tasks with accuracy and efficiency. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 65 lbs. Employer-paid pre-employment and post-hire drug testing required. Clean driving record required. Must have or be able to obtain driver's license with F Endorsement within 60 days of hire.