Farmworker, Laborer

Job description

The position includes duties associated with the harvesting and packing of tree seedlings. This work can require standing, walking, stooping, bending, and lifting up to 75 pounds for long periods of time outdoors in all weather conditions. This work requires adherence to important safety and quality standard operating procedures and the ability to work quickly and consistently alongside fellow workers with a positive, professional, team based attitude and a consideration for the safety and health of fellow workers and of the consumers who will purchase the seedlings grown, harvested, packed, and shipped from the farm.

Workers will be expected to conform to the specific instructions given for each day’s work. A farm manager, supervisor, or a designated employee will provide instructions and general supervision. The supervisor will make daily individual work assignments, team or crew assignments, and determine location of work as the needs of the operation dictates. Workers may be assigned a variety of duties in any given day and different tasks on different days.

Primary Responsibilities include: Take trees out of bins and place on grading line while straightening to maintain smooth flow of seedlings. Workers will place seedlings neat and straight in bags/boxes. Supervisors will provide instructions to staple box bodies and lids and label bags, boxes and racks. Bags/boxes will be filled to a certain weight, folded and strapped; lids will be placed on boxes and also strapped. Once boxes/bags are secured, they are to be placed on racks/pallets, counted, shrink wrapped and strapped to pallets/racks. Additional duties include: operate quality control stations, count boxes/ bags of seedlings and good/culls in boxes/bags, fill out paperwork and assist in hand loading/unloading trucks/trailers/reefer vans.

Field Workers will operate the hot seat and work on the trailer to fill the seedling bins and pick up seedling left behind by machine.

Farm Equipment Operator During Field Operations:
Workers may be required to operate tractors and other farm equipment during field operations as an incidental activity in the production of seedling. Duties of tractor operators include shuttle trailers to and from field to packing room to be unloaded, drive beside pine lifter to allow workers to fill bins with seedlings and cleaning trailers. Forklift operators will be asked to unload trailers, place/remove the appropriate seedling bins on the grading line, organize bins by color to prevent errors and inspect forklifts. At the end of the grading line the forklift operators will place racks/pallets to be loaded, label racks/pallets with appropriate labels provided by Arborgen, shrink wrap appropriate pallets racks, place in cooler in aisle grouped by appropriate labels and inspect forklifts. Before any worker is required to operate any farm equipment, the worker will be instructed in the proper and safe operation of tractor or forklifts. Workers will be required to operate tractors and forklifts according to instructions and in a manner that protects the operator, other workers, seedlings and equipment. Repeated failure to obey operating and safety instructions may result in termination.

Field Sanitation and Packing Shed Sanitation: Workers may be responsible for picking up trash, cleaning bathrooms, and other similar farm sanitation as part of SOPs and SSOPs within Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), Good Handling Practices (GHPs) Workers will be asked to clean out gel pit daily, clean packing room/break room daily and clean seedlings out fields as necessary.

Special Requirements

NONE