Nursery Worker

Job description

Crops/Commodities:
ornamental, shade, and fruit trees.
Workers will plant, cultivate, harvest, propagate, grade, and ship trees. Workers will take cuttings from trees, place in containers pre-filled with dirt and transplant seedlings to prepared areas.

Manual tasks related to the growing of nursery stock will include some combination of the following: preparing fields for planting by clearing cull stock, brush and debris; planting seedlings or ‘liners' by hand; hand digging, loading, unloading or transplanting nursery stock; straightening, tying, pruning and shearing trees and shrubs; cutting, pulling or removing and mowing weeds or grass; moving irrigation equipment; spraying herbicides and insecticides and applying fertilizer.

When pruning, it is vital to prune the unwanted branch while protecting the stem or trunk wood of the tree. While pruning trees, workers will receive proper tools for the particular job, i.e., saw, pruners and hand snips. The supervisor will set a standard or pattern for each job and will demonstrate and communicate this to workers. Workers will be assigned rows of trees and must prune each tree according to the predetermined standard. Workers must remove all resulting material from the trees rendered form performing pruning tasks. When pruning is complete on each tree, each worker is required to rake and scatter the resulting brush in the center of the tractor/equipment rows.

Duties performed in the field may include preparing soil, planting, pruning, cutting, deadheading, pinching, trimming to shape, spacing plants, weeding, ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, potting, fertilizing with granular or liquid fertilizer, cleaning work areas, transporting plant materials in the nursery/greenhouse areas, loading and unloading plants and all other duties associated with ornamental/shade plant production. Between harvesting, workers will be required to perform duties to prepare crops for marketing. Workers may unload and restock for storage.

Work may also include mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment may include tractors and other equipment. Workers will be expected to be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direction.

Work is to be done for long periods of time. Workers will assist in loading trucks with product weighing up to and including 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time. Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers' ability to perform the job. Workers are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 100 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Considerable stooping and kneeling is required. Care must be taken to prevent damaging plants.

Persons seeking employment as an experienced nursery worker must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.

Employer may request, but not require, workers to work more than the stated daily hours and/or on a worker's Sabbath or federal holidays. Worker must report to work at designated time and place each day. Daily or weekly work schedule may vary due to weather, sunlight, temperature, crop conditions, and other factors. Employer will notify workers of any change to start time. Workers will have an unpaid lunch break.

TERMINATION. All workers will be subject to a five-day trial period, during which the employer will evaluate workers' performance of required tasks.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of three months of verifiable agricultural field work employment experience, preferably on a tree nursery. Workers will be expected to perform manual jobs as well as equipment operation with accuracy and efficiency beginning with planting through harvest. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.