Orchard Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
apples, cherries, wine grapes.
Primary tasks will be thinning, planting, training and trellising trees, pruning, summer pruning and harvesting of apples, cherries and wine grapes.

General - workers will perform any of the following duties: orchard clean-up, building and repairing tree trellises, spreading compost, removal of strings and wire from trellises and other hand tasks. Care of young non-producing fruit trees, including weeding, tree trunk painting, hand fertilizing and hand clipping. Training of apple, and cherry trees to trellises including limb positioning, clipping and tying limbs and shoots to wire. Must be able to train trees to trellis without constant management supervision. Propping and tying of apple and cherry trees and limbs. Workers will install, deploy and remove shade cloth; install, maintain and operate irrigation system. Ability to pick up, use and safely handle a 12 foot orchard ladder weighing approximately 40 lbs. is necessary for performance of general orchard duties.

Qualified workers (workers who possess at least one season of previous experience performing the following duties) may be offered tasks including, but not limited to, the operation of general purpose vehicles to transport workers, equipment and product from one field location or facility to another, the operation of tractors, planters, sprayers, cultivators, cherry dryers and /or forklifts. Workers will be instructed in safety and operation of vehicles/equipment before driving/operation. Vehicles, tractors forklifts 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. Under supervision of certified pesticide applicator, may mix and apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and/or fertilizer.

Planting:
Workers will prepare fields for planting by clearing cull stock, brush and debris; dig holes, plant seedlings or ‘liners' by hand (including riding on the planting machine, reaching and grabbing a tree and dropping it in the hole and inserting liners in a mechanical planter); shovel dirt around newly-planted trees.

Thinning:
Thinning is a manual process used to control the size and fruit quality of grown fruit. Employees will be given appropriate training by supervisors. Ability to pick up, use and safely handle a 12 foot orchard ladder weighing approximately 40 lbs. is necessary for performance of thinning tasks.

This process requires the employee to be able to appropriately remove the smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a cluster of other fruits. Workers will be expected to be able to identify and remove fruit that is misshapen, damaged and/or have other quality problems as directed by supervisors.

Pruning/Summer Pruning:
Pruning numerous varieties of apple and cherry trees according to established company procedures based on the difference in the treatment of different varieties. Work will be performed on trees for long periods of time using a 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 ladder up to 12 feet in height or from a motorized platform. Workers pruning apple and cherry trees may be required to selectively prune only trees of a certain size as instructed by the crew boss.

Workers are expected to have requisite pruning skills to be able 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 clippers and pole pruners. Occasionally workers may be required to use chain saws and other mechanized equipment in pruning activities.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience working on a fruit and/or vegetable crop farm handling manual tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Applicants must be able to furnish verbal or written statement establishing relevant prior work experience. Workers must be able to perform all work activities with accuracy and efficiency. Primary tasks will be thinning, planting, training and trellising trees, summer pruning and harvesting of apples, pears, cherries and wine grapes. Work week is Monday through Saturday. Sunday work may be offered but not required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer paid post-hire drug testing may be required upon reasonable suspicion of use or after employee-caused accident where injury to self, others or damage to equipment occurred. Must be willing to work 1st or 2nd shift hours.