Farmworker; Diversified

Job description

Crops: Cabbage, Broccoli, Potatoes, Leafy Greens, Cauliflower, Corn & Lettuce
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 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.

Workers will plant, cultivate, and harvest employer’s crops. Workers will perform support duties such as preparing fields and for planting, and general field clean-up such as, weeding, rock pick up, and digging drainage ditches. Workers will perform general shop/yard/farm cleanup and maintenance such as power washing, painting, raking, leveling, firewood, and fence repair. Workers will operate tractors and farm vehicles on the farm as an incidental activity Workers will also using riding planter and harvester. Workers will also stack, sort, pick, pack, and grade crops.
Workers will work in all duties involved in planting, growing and harvest all listed crops. Workers will plant, cultivate and harvest crops. Workers will cut planting slips, and place in container according to instructions. Workers will use care when working with a knife. Workers will walk along row that have been previously plowed. Workers will drip potato slips into ground and cover back up with dirt. Workers will remove weeds manual either by hand or with a hoe. Workers will stoop, bend and kneel to pick up potatoes using hands and fingers to dig out exposed potatoes. Workers may grade in the field separating #1’s and #2’s into separate 5/8 field hampers. Canners, when harvested will be placed into a separate bin. Damaged and diseased potatoes will not be harvested. Full hampers weighting up to 35 lbs. will be carried to ruck row to be loaded into truck or trailer. Workers will be required to stay on their assigned row. Workers may also be required to wash the potatoes and get the ready for sale.

Packing House: Workers will perform various duties associated with packing employer’s products. Workers will flow standard work methods and practice safe work habits to ensure production is as efficient and safe as possible. Workers must follow all standard food safety methods and practices to ensure product is handled in clean and safe manner. Workers must remove sprouts and/or strings from potatoes as they move along the line. Workers will sort potatoes according to customers’ specifications by removing rotten, and damaged and out of specification potatoes from pack line. Workers will fold and stack cardboard and/or reusable plastic containers. All production workers are expected to be available to work in all areas of production.

Farm Equipment Operation During Field Operations: Workers will be required to operate tractors, forkifts, trucks, sprayers, fertilizer applicators, and other farm equipment as an incidental activity in the production of crops. Workers will use mechanical potato harvesting equipment. Before any worker is required to operate any farm equipment, the worker will be instructed in the proper and safe operation of tractor. Workers must notify supervisor of any mechanical issues. Workers will be required to operate tractors according to instructions and in a manner, that protects the operator, other workers, trees, crops and equipment. Failure to obey operating and safety instructions may result in termination. Failure to obey traffic laws will result in termination of driving privileges.

Special Requirements

All workers should have at least 3 months experience working on a farm. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers operating comparable operations establishing acceptable previous experience. Must be physically able to meet and perform all job specifications stated in job order. Must be able to work in the hot humid weather for extended periods of time.