Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
Landscape, shrubs and trees.
Manual tasks related to the growing of nursery stock will include some combination of the following: preparing fields for planting by clearing cull stock, brush and debris; planting seedlings or ‘liners' by hand (including riding and inserting liners in a mechanical planter); digging, loading, unloading or transplanting bare-root nursery stock; straightening, tying, pruning and shearing trees and shrubs; cutting, pulling or removing and mowing weeds or grass; planting and digging field grown plants, burlap roots, and perform general maintenance of field grown plants; watering trees and moving irrigation equipment; spraying herbicides and insecticides and applying fertilizer.

Tasks related to harvest of nursery stock will include the following: taking inventory, tagging and grading plants, preparing trees and shrubs for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary; digging; wrapping burlap or other covering around root balls and securing with twine and/or staples; crimping wire baskets; lifting, carrying and loading nursery stock; and unloading, moving or loading supplies, including wire baskets, and other plant maintenance. Plants must be handled carefully to ensure that leaves, limbs and roots are not broken during digging, handling, wrapping and/or transplanting processes.

Work will also include heavy mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment may include power shears, pruners, loppers, chain saws, high lift and fork lift, skid steer loaders with diggers, and tractors.

Work is to be done in the field for long periods of time. Workers are expected to perform duties including boxing, weighing and loading of product. Workers will assist in loading trucks and wagons with product weighing up to and including 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time.

Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Workers are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 100 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers' ability to perform the job. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

While the employer does not require prospective applicants to take and pass a drug test prior to a hiring decision, the employer has a no-exceptions drug policy requiring newly-hired employees to take and pass an employer-paid drug test. Every new hire must undergo testing before starting work with the company. All testing is conducted uniformly after an initial job offer has been extended and accepted by the new hire. If an employee tests positive, he/she is immediately terminated and paid for all hours worked between the first date of employment and the date of termination, if any. In the case of a non-local or foreign worker who is terminated for cause resulting from failure to pass a drug test, the employer will arrange least-cost transportation to the worker's place of recruitment, at the worker's expense. The employer will also test at random.

Persons seeking employment as experienced Nursery Workers must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Successful applicants will be subject to a trial period of up to 5 days during which their performance of required tasks will be evaluated. If the performance is not acceptable to the employer the worker's employment will be terminated.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of agricultural field work experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing required.