Orchard Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
apples, apricots, strawberries, cherries, nectarines, peaches.
Plant, cultivate, and harvest tree fruit. Spot and/or strip pick fruit based on seasonal need. Snap fruit off tree with thumb and palm of hand to avoid stem pulls, punctures, bruising, or other damage. Pick culls and peelers. Fill fruit buckets 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. Remove fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Must accurately identify and remove misshapen, damaged or otherwise unmarketable 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.

Fruit Packing: Grade and pack fruit by hand or with mechanized packing equipment, including but not limited to bagging machines, bin feeding machines, box machines, labeling machines, regular and high stacking forklifts. Sort graded fruit in appropriate containers according to packing instructions. Deliver pallets of finished product to cold storage. Load/unload product. Prepare orders for shipping. Keep material and product records accurately.

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.

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. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Build/repair fences.

Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear. Workers wearing clothing inappropriate for work will not be permitted to start work.

Outdoor work required when plants are wet, or during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours may vary. 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. Work is done outdoors for long periods of time and requires prolonged periods of standing and/or walking, repetitive movements, and frequent bending and/or stooping. Workers must be able to handle, lift, and carry heavy or bulky objects (product, containers) in accordance with the specified lifting requirements.

Supervisor(s) will provide instructions and directions to workers. Workers must be able to comprehend and follow instructions and communicate effectively to supervisors. Unusual, complex or non-routine activities will be supervised. Workers expected to perform basic duties in a proficient manner without close supervision.

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.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior agricultural employment experience working in a tree fruit orchard performing manual tasks associated with production and harvest or packing house activities.Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. This application encompasses the main jobs performed in a fruit orchard during production and harvest seasons. Workers must perform work assigned and may not perform duties not provided in this application, or work in areas not assigned without the specific authorization of the foreman or crew boss. Workers will be expected to perform any of the listed duties as assigned by his/her supervisor. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.