Farmworker/laborer

Job description

FARM LABORER:
Farm maintenance: Worker completes farm clean up tasks to include picking up garbage around orchard, removing old string and wire from trellis and orchard blocks, picking up rocks, roots, brush, and any other garbage instructed to be removed. Worker will perform general repairs in maintenance of any equipment used for the orchard or facility. Worker may be required to fertilize and spread composite material by hand or machine at a given rate per acre or rate per tree. Worker may be required to keep orchard weed free by hand or hand equipment. Worker will wash and sanitize wooden and plastic apple boxes prior to harvest activities and performs maintenance to pallet bins before and during harvest. Worker will use the following specialized tools to safely repair wooden apple boxes: hammer, nails, air nailer, hand saw, power saw and electric drill. All equipment and tools necessary to complete jobs are provided by employer.

Irrigation: Worker will be required to check and maintain all working components of irrigation system which include: irrigation lines, micro sprinklers, headers, mainlines, valves, any other irrigation equipment. Workers will be required to fix leaks as directed by supervisor. Worker will install irrigation lines, headers, mainline, valves, micro sprinklers, and any other irrigation equipment. Worker will repair drain tile with mechanical or hand equipment, this will include digging of current drain tile.

Tree planting: Trees will be unbundled and handled with care as not to break and damage young trees. Trees are planted mechanically with a planter and by hand. Planting tasks will include repetitive and physically demanding shovel work, lifting and placing of heavy 12 ft x 6 in poles. If planting mechanically, worker will ride the machine and place plants in the holes as the machine moves along the row. Tree graft union height will be adjusted by pulling the tree until at a specific height using a specially marked stick as a measure. Straighten tree and compact soil around tree. Worker will be required to unload 70-pound boxes of trees to be planted.

Grafting: Grafting is the process of manually inserting a section of a fruit tree stem with leaf buds into the stock of a planted fruit tree. Worker will be required to safely use a knife to cut off a branch of the understock, making a straight, slanting cut. Worker may be required to safely use a chainsaw during grafting activities. Worker will then attach the cut section of the new stem to the stock of the tree and bind tightly with tape. All grafts must be covered with a protective coating immediately after completing the graft.

Thinning: Hand thinning: Thinning is a manual process used to control the size and quality of grown fruit. Worker must possess ability to pick up and handle 16-foot orchard ladder weighing 40 pounds. Worker removes smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within fruit cluster. Workers will be expected to be able to identify and remove fruit that is misshapen, damaged and/or with other quality problems as directed by supervisors. Thinning may be done from the ground or a ladder up to 16 feet in height or from a motorized platform.

SEE ADDENDUM C FOR ADDITIONAL JOB DUTIES

Special Requirements

2 verifiable months of commercial tree fruit hand harvest required. Applicants must furnish job references from recent employers within the last 5 years establishing acceptable prior experience.

Season Commitment: Job offered requires worker be available for and worker agrees to work every day that work is available for entire employment period.
Worker must be able to perform job description duties in safe manner consistent with established safety procedures.

Drug testing not utilized as pre-employment tool. See work rules for more information regarding post-employment drug testing.

Field work begins at assigned time shortly after daylight. Work may be scheduled during snow, moderate rain, in high humidity, when trees are wet with dew/rain, and in temperatures as low as 15 degrees F and up to 105 degrees F. Worker should have suitable clothing for variable weather conditions.