Farmworker
Employer
7654 E Townline Road
Williamson, NY 14589
United States
Job description
Manually plant, cultivate and harvest apples. Use hand tools such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, knives and saws. Till soil and apply fertilizers; transplant, weed, thin or prune crops (may require the use of chainsaws); apply pesticides; clean, pack and load harvested products. Construct trellis, assemble bins, repair bins, fences and farm buildings, participate in irrigation or drainage activities. Set up and operate irrigation equipment. Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to plow, harrow and fertilize soil, or to plant, cultivate, prune, thin, train trees, spray, protect with hail netting, enhance crop light exposure and harvest crops. Use equipment, sanitizers and hand tools to sanitize bins, machinery and equipment to meet food safety regulations. Repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. Harvest apples by hand. Apply hail netting, reflective orchard floor covering, pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers to crops. Remove or move hail netting or reflective orchard floor covering from block to block or to storage building. Inform supervisor of crop progress. Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. Clear and maintain drainage ditches. Participate in employer provided and other training for pesticide use & application, food safety practices, equipment operation and safety and general work safety. Follow all food and other safety procedures. Record information about crops such as pesticide use, food safety threats or practices, yields or costs. Apples injured by bruising during picking shall not exceed 0% (WNY) for fresh and 0% (WNY) for processing. Productivity must be at least 3 bins (67.5 bushels) fresh market and/or 6 bins (120 bushels) processing fruit per day. A few fresh varieties require stem clipping of each apple before placing the apple in the picking bag. Workers are expected to work at least the number of days and hours specified. Depending on weather, crop or other conditions, workers may be requested, but not required, to work up to seven days per week and/or on the Sabbath and up to 12 hours per day. Workers should report to work with their own suitable work clothing and footwear. Field temperatures may range from below O (F) to 90+ degrees (F) with possible wet morning conditions. Due to both worker safety and food safety concerns, workers must be able to speak and understand enough English to follow directions and communicate safety threats to the farmer, other workers and supervisors.
Orchard Development and Maintenance: Workers will be required to plant, adjust planting depth by the tree graft union, stomp soil around newly planted trees, spread fertilizer, pick up roots, stones, and limbs, hoe trees, strip suckers or unwanted growth from trees, dig root suckers, rub out buds, remove vines, lay irrigation pipe or tube, repair and maintain irrigation system, strap, paint tree trunks and tie or thin out the crop load on fruit trees. Instruction will be given for each task and standards of performance communicated to workers. The specific standards for a job will be disclosed and demonstrated by the supervisor before the work begins.
Summer Pruning: While pruning trees, workers will receive proper tools for the particular job (i.e., saw, pruners, loppers and hand snips). These tools will be returned to the employer at the end of the task. The supervisor will set a standard or pattern for each orchard and will demonstrate and communicate to his workers. Workers will be assigned rows of trees and must prune each tree according to the predetermined standard. In some instances, pruning will be done from an 8 or 18 foot ladder weighing up to 40 pounds. All workers must be able to lift and carry a ladder, as well as work from the top of a ladder. Wood cut from the tree must be removed without damaging apples.
Special Requirements
This job requires a minimum of 3 months of verifiable agricultural experience working in an orchard handling both manual and mechanized tasks including summer pruning, thinning, and harvesting (picking) activities associated with production of apples (for both fresh and process markets).
Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s)/contact information or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 50 lbs. Employer-paid pre-employment and post-hire drug testing required. Criminal background check required. Sex offenders are not hired as children live on the farm and neighbors have children whose backyards abut our orchards. Workers are often scattered throughout the farm and may have no direct supervision at times during work hours nor during their "off" hours. Criminal background checks will be conducted at the employer's expense.