Nursery Worker

Job description

Workers will perform tasks for various employers as listed on their contract.
Crops: Wholesale Ornamental grasses, sedges, and grass like plants.
Greenhouse/Nursery: Workers may perform any combination of the following duties concerned with preparing soil and growth media, cultivation, and otherwise participating in horticultural activities: haul, spread, dig, rake, and mix media to prepare the growing areas for production; cover and fill cold frames and greenhouses in preparation for planting, planting beds/fields; haul/move plants, load trucks, plant, spray, weed, water, split, prune, trim, shape and space products; fertilize with granular or liquid fertilizer; tie, bunch, wrap, and pack trees and shrubs to fill orders and load onto trucks for marketing; in a greenhouse, or in an outdoor production area transplanting seedlings and liners into containers and place in growing area.

Additional job duties: Working in onsite show beds, stock beds and fields (assist with planting and maintaining), assist plant shipment cleaning, organizing, boxing, and tagging plants for shipping.

Farm Equipment Operation: Workers may be required to operate farm equipment during daily operations, as an incidental activity. Before any worker is required to operate any farm equipment, workers will be instructed in the safety and operation of the tractor before driving the tractor. Tractors should be driven in a manner to protect operator, other workers, products, trees, crops, and equipment. Repeated failure to obey safety requirements and operating instructions may result in termination.

General Maintenance: Workers will perform various duties for up keeping of the nursery, greenhouses, fields, equipment, and buildings. These duties may include painting of nursery buildings, fence repair, mowing, weed eating, and other general building and ground maintenance.

GENERAL CONDITIONS APPLICABLE TO ALL CROPS: Fieldwork begins at assigned time usually shortly after daylight. Work is performed during light rain and in high humidity and in temperatures ranging from 100 (+) degrees to 35 degrees F. Workers will work on their feet in bent, stooped, and crouched positions for long periods of time. Workers will make fast, simple, repeated movements of fingers, hands, and wrists. Workers must be able to bend, stretch, twist, or reach out with the body, arms, and/or legs. Workers will use muscles to lift, push, pull, or carry heavy objects, such as potted plants. Workers will frequently lift trees ranging in weight 75 lbs. and occasionally 100 lbs. Workers may occasionally lift trees weighing up to 100 lbs. Workers will supply their own work clothes. All the tasks in this Job Description constitute one (1) job; the employer may assign workers to different tasks on any day or to multiple tasks during the same day in the sole judgment of the employer. Workers may be required to perform work on the farm that is incidental to farming the crops listed in the application, such as performing hand cultivation tasks, bedding and potting plants, pulling grass, weeding or hoeing, cleaning and repairing farm buildings, pallets, seed beds, racks, grounds, mowing, weed eating, operate tractor/farm equipment, sprayers, incidental crop set up, move irrigation pipes and equipment, gardening, weeding and shrubbing, etc. All other duties assigned under this order will be those duties of Horticulture Workers, SOC code 45-2092.01. This is a very demanding and competitive business in which quality specifications must be rigorously adhered to. Sloppy work cannot and will not be tolerated.

Special Requirements

All applicants must have at least 3 months experience working in a commercial greenhouse. Applicants must 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. Workers are subject to random drug testing at no cost to the employee. All drug testing will occur after the worker begins his or her employment and is not a part of the interview process. Failing or refusing a drug test will result in immediate termination.