Farmworkers And Laborers
Employer
Quarterline Rd. and Winters Rd (Beards E 03)
Kewadin, MI 49648
United States
Job description
Duties may vary from time to time. Workers will perform various tasks involving planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruit according to supervisors’ instructions. Workers may till soil, plant stock, pick up rocks/roots/debris and doing pruning activities using a variety of tools. May aid in irrigation duties, minor repair, and cleaning of fruit containers and equipment before and after harvest. May drive workers to field and/or grocery. Nursery: workers may be asked to prune and plant roots. Weeding by hand or with machine, grafting scion wood to roots, delimbing, spraying, and applying herbicide. Spray Applicators: Apply pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, and herbicides, when and where directed by the spray manager. You will be asked to drive a fabricated vehicle through the orchard. Consult with spray manager with any concerns involving the quality of our crop or the health of our trees and give recommendations. Operate equipment safely and responsibly. Keep spray equipment lawful and clean. Keep records of chemicals, rate, and location applied and turn in to spray manager. Communicate with spray manager or operations manager if problems or questions arise. If repairs are needed talk to mechanic before continuing use of equipment. Pruning: Workers will receive proper tools for the 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. Workers will be assigned rows of trees and must prune each tree according to the size of the tree and the need for the pruning. Workers must take care not to damage limbs that are not being pruned. Workers must prune the needed trees according to the above requirements. Workers must remove all resulting materials from the trees and stack the resulting brush in the center of the tractor/equipment middles. Pruning Standards: When pruning you will want to prune out the following: Suckers, stubs, or broken branches, downward growing branches, rubbing or crisscrossing branches, upward growing interior branches, whorls, and narrow crotches. Orchard Laborer/Maintenance: Workers involved in orchard maintenance may be required to pick up roots, limbs, rocks, or debris from the orchard or fields being prepared for orchard planting, fencing, and mowing of lawns and orchards. Mow, edge, and fertilize lawns. Week and mulch landscape beds. Trim hedges, shrubs, and small trees. Remove dead, damaged, or unwanted trees and water lawns. Harvest: Workers will be assigned to a crew and cherries will be harvested mechanically. Farm Equipment Operation During Harvest: Workers may be required to operate tractors and other farm equipment during harvest. Operators: Operators must conduct a pre-operation maintenance check at the beginning and during each shift. Bus/Truck Drivers: Transporting fruit from the orchard to the farms distribution center. Talk to your supervisor. Get information from him/her for the day: what orchard, how to get there, what kind of cherries, where to deliver them to. Check out your truck using the pre-trip checklist on the clipboard in the truck. Check all fluid levels, fill fuel, fill tanks with water, strap tanks down. Be ready to go when your crew leader is ready. Make sure you clean tank channels before leaving the orchard. Taking cherries to receiving. Write down information on your load description pad, fill out shaded areas. Get directions to receiving from your supervisor. Get directions and paperwork from receivers-determine where to go on pad to be unloaded and let forklift drivers know how many tanks you need reloaded. If a contamination within the cherry tanks occurs in the orchard, be sure to relay detailed information to the receivers. Fill tanks with water and go back to orchard. If by chance your crew moves to another orchard, find out where they are going. Keep an eye on your fuel.
Special Requirements
Applicants must be 18 years or older. Employer may conduct a criminal background check on all new employees at employers expense. Workers may be asked to operate farm equipment and experience is necessary. 3 months experience operating Orchard Equipment is required. Must be able to lift and carry 30-60 lbs. All tools, supplies, and equipment will be provided at no cost to the workers. The cost of tools destroyed maliciously or lost carelessly will be deducted from workers wages. May drive workers to field and/or grocery. Valid Drivers License is required. Proper work attire is required. Workers should come prepared wearing appropriate clothing and footwear for the environmental and working conditions described. Cell phones can only be used during breaks, emergencies, and to communicate with supervisors when needed. Spray Applicators: Must have a valid driver's license to operate.