Agricultural Equipment Operators

Job description

Operate 100hp tractors, tractor-drawn machinery and/or forklifts to plant, cultivate, weed and harvest onions, grow and harvest corn and soybeans.

February tasks begin with inspection of planting and cultivating equipment and performing any maintenance or repairs as required. Clean and inspect onion packing equipment and perform maintenance and/or repairs as are necessary.

April tasks will involve the clearing of drainage ditches and roadways of debris and overgrown brush with hand shovels and machetes. Where required, workers will assist in the installation of drainage tile lines to drain excess water from wet fields. Workers will prepare muck fields for planting by hand-picking rock, peat, and other debris. Will navigate the fields with tractor-drawn implements such as wagons, chisel plows, discs, soil conditioners, land-levelers, and spreaders.

Planting-Workers will monitor the planters, mark planter rows with flags at set intervals and ensure that the proper seed and materials are delivered to the correct fields. After the onion crop is planted, workers will assist in preparing the fields and begin planting the row crops (soybeans and corn). After planting, workers will begin to monitor the fields for weed and insect infestations and inform farmers or farm managers of crop progress. Weeds will be removed via hand cultivation which requires extensive bending, stooping, and ground work. Will use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, shears, and knives/machetes.

August-Pre-harvest work will include pulling & moving onions to clear paths for harvest machines, move bins as required. Will inspect, repair and maintain farm vehicles, implements, and mechanical equipment. Tractors and equipment will be operated on farm roads or in farm fields. As necessary, perform maintenance or alterations to the grading line and bagging equipment as conditions warrant.

During onion harvest, will use crop specific equipment such as field lifts, onion toppers, and trucks rigged for floatation. Workers will inspect, maintain, and repair harvest equipment as needed. Onion bins will be filled, covered, and transported from the field to the onion storage facilities

Post-harvest activities include grading onions to certain specifications, operating bagging equipment, loading tractor trailers with finished product, repairing onion boxes, inspecting, maintaining, and repairing grading and bagging equipment as necessary

Workers must have experience in working with farm sanitary and safety practices as required in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) plans. Due to health and safety concerns relating to pesticide application and the operation of equipment on our farm, workers are required to have the ability to comprehend simple oral and written instructions in English. Workers should report for work with own suitable work clothing. Field temperatures can range from 30 to 100+ degrees (F). Workers may be required to work in damp or wet working conditions. After hiring, employer may conduct random drug tests at employer’s expense. Must be physically able to lift up to 80 pounds *Workers referred against this order must have a minimum of 3 months experience in performing tasks described in this order within an onion/row crop farming environment.

Special Requirements

a. Workers must be able to demonstrate that they are physically able to perform the work as described.
b. The employer will provide 0 days of training for worker to reach production standards
c. Employer may require worker to perform any available general farm work if the guarantee referenced in Section 17a Additional Assurance for Clearance Orders is invoked.
d. Employer may terminate worker with timely notification to the NPC and DHS, if the worker: 1) Refuses, without cause, to perform work for which the worker was recruited and hired; 2) Commits serious acts of misconduct; 3) Fails to reach production standards; or 4) Abandons Job (Job Abandonment) is absent for five consecutive previously scheduled days without prior notification to employer.