Farmworkers And Laborers, Nursery, Greenhouse

Job description

Manually plant, cultivate, (staking and tying) harvest and pack vegetables, fruits, horticultural specialties, and field crops such as: apples, hard squash, sweet corn, pumpkins, mini pumpkins, gourds, tomatoes, Indian corn, cantaloupe, and strawberries. Use tools such as picking sack, ladders, pruners, hand pruners, loppers, shearing knives, apple graders, hydraulic pruners, or chainsaws. Duties may include tilling soil and applying fertilizers; transplanting, weeding, thinning, or pruning crops; applying pesticides; or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. Packing House is part of the farm.
Planting – Workers will carefully hand transplant plants with a provided hand-shovel. Plants shall be handled with care as not to break, damage, or bruise the plant, while removing it from the tray, plant it in the center of the hole. The plant shall be placed into the ground, so the root structure is entirely covered with ground soil. Plants may be planted mechanically with a planter and the worker will ride the machine and place plants in the drops as the machine moves along the row. Seeds may be planted by hand. Seeds will be placed into the holes in the row. Workers will also plant strawberry plants as directed by supervisor.
Thinning – Workers must be able to carry a 10-foot orchard ladder weighing 40 pounds. Workers remove smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within fruit cluster. Worker identifies and removes misshapen, damaged and/or other not quality fruit as directed by employer.
Pruning – Pruning numerous varieties of apples trees according to established company procedures based on difference in treatment of different varieties. Workers perform pruning on trees for extended periods of time using variety of pruning equipment including hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws, and 12-foot ladders. Pruning and thinning may be done from the ground or up to 12-foot ladder or from motorized platform. Workers may be required to selectively prune only certain size and color trees as instructed by Employer. Workers must possess or acquire pruning skills to identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood, and shoots/suckers with hand pruning saws and clippers, mechanized equipment in pruning activities.
Farm Equipment Operation – Workers may be required to operate a 50hp or smaller tractor and other farm equipment during field operations incidental to the production of the crop. Before any worker is required to operate any farm equipment, the worker will be instructed in the proper and safe operation of a 50hp or smaller tractor and applicable equipment. Workers may be required to operate a tractor and engage in general tractor work, including but not limited to transporting, pulling, pushing, tillage, and the loading and unloading of product. Workers will be required to operate equipment according to instructions and in a safe manner that protects the operator, other workers, trees, crops, and equipment. Failure to obey operating and safety instructions will result in progressive disciplinary action.

Workers will care for young non-producing fruit trees including weeding, hoeing, trunk painting, and hand fertilizing and growth selection by hand and clipping. Workers will hand thin apple trees to ensure proper fruit load. Workers will prune, train, and position apple tress to trellis, including clipping and tying limbs and shoots to wire from ground or up to 12-foot ladder or from motorized platform. Provide general labor to assist in the new orchard establishment by clearing

property, plating trees, building trellis, repair and spreading of composted material and any other labor considered necessary for efficient structure of new orchard properties. Workers will complete harvest preparation including spreading liners in bins, roll

Special Requirements

Must be 18 years old or older. A valid Drivers' License required to transport workers to fields and grocery store. Workers should come prepared wearing appropriate clothing and footwear for the environmental and working conditions described. Cell phone can only be used during breaks, emergencies, and communicated with supervisor when needed. Lifting requirement may have a range of 5 - 50 lbs. All tools, supplies and equipment will be provided at no cost to workers. Must be able to work with minimum supervision. Workers should expect periods of little/no work due to weather conditions beyond employers control. Hours and days of work may vary due to weather conditions. Most of the workday is spent in agricultural fields and involves exposure to sun, wind, rain, soil, mud, dust, heat, cold, humid, and other natural elements. Workers may stand in one place for long periods of time and must be able to climb, stand, sit, stoop, squat, kneel, crouch, bend (from the waist), push, pull, rea