Farmworker: Diversified

Job description

Sanitation Requirements: For food and general personal safety purposes, all workers will be required and expected to follow common sanitary practices at all times. This is particularly critical when hand harvesting crops for human consumption. Employees are required to cleanse their hands by washing them thoroughly with soap and water before and after using the bathroom and before entering the fields for harvest activities. All workers must report all injuries and illnesses to their employer. As well any communicable disease such as but not limited to diarrhea, or any other infectious disease or illness. Workers shall report immediately any cuts or abrasions that cause open bleeding.

The following description of job activities applies to apples, Peaches, and cherries. Care must be taken at all times to ensure fruit is free of bruises and defects.

Workers will perform various tasks involved in planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruit according to supervisor’s instructions. Workers may till soil, plant stock, picking up rocks/roots/debris, and do pruning activities using a variety of non-mechanical tools. May remove blossoms to improve yield and quality. May aid in irrigation duties. May aid in minor repair of wooden fruit containers. Workers may thin and/or harvest fruit. Workers will harvest fruit according to color, size and degree of maturity as specified by supervisor and place into half-bushel baskets taking the extra time, care and effort not to bruise or scar the fruit. Workers may windrow full containers or carry full containers weighing approximately 50 lbs. to truck or trailer and stack according to supervisor’s specifications. Fruit thinners will thin fruit using hands to remove excess fruit, taking care to walk around entire tree before moving onto next. Workers will be required to stay on their assigned row.

Harvest: Workers will be assigned a row usually with a partner and is responsible for picking all the proper fruit from that row, or half row. Fruit is selected from the tree according to size and/or color standard set by the picking supervisor. In some instances, fruit harvest will be done from a sixteen-foot ladder weighing up to 30 lbs. All workers must be able to lift and carry ladder, as well as work from the top of the ladder. The entire tree must be checked to ensure removal of all fruit meeting-picking requirements. Fruit is placed gently in the picking container until container is full. The full picking container weighing up to 50 lbs. is then taken to transport vehicles and gently emptied into a field bin, taking care not to spill or bruise the fruit in the container or in the field bin. Field bin volume may be checked and determined by weight on state certified scales. Workers are required to stay on their assigned row unless directed by a supervisor to change, or to help someone sporadically. Picking units will be kept free of limbs, leaves or mushy fruit. Workers will be required to pick up and return picking ladders to the ladder wagon provided by the grower at the end of each workday or as directed by the grower or designed supervisor.

Pruning: While pruning trees, workers will receive proper tools for the particular job, i.e., saw, pruners, chain saws, loppers, and hand snips. These tools will be returned to the employer at the end of the task. The cost of tools destroyed maliciously or lost carelessly will be deducted from worker’s wages. In some instances, pruning will be done from a sixteen-foot ladder weighing up to 30 lbs. All workers must be able to lift and carry ladder, as well as work from the top of the ladder. Workers must remove all resulting materials from the trees rendered from performing pruning tasks. When pruning is complete on each tree, each worker is required to rake and scatter the resulting brush in the center of the tractor/equipment middles.

Special Requirements

Workers must have at least 3 months experience as a farmworker. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers. Must be physically able to meet and perform all job specifications stated in job order, including lifting of 50 lbs. Must be able to work in the hot humid weather for extended periods of time. Workers may be subject random drug testing post hire at no cost to the employee. Failing or refusing a drug test will result in immediate termination.