Farmworker

Job description

Plant, cultivate, harvest, and pack blueberries, and palmetto berries; and prune berry bushes. Use hand tools such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, loppers, and knives. Harvest berries by walking down assigned rows picking all ripe berries and placing into buckets. Workers must pick the plants clean of all ripe berries according to supervisors' instructions. Berries are perishable and must be picked and packed within a limited time of harvest. Workers may be given a picking card to keep throughout the workday and a hooked belt to carry two - 1 gallon picking buckets. When buckets are filled, the worker will take to the supervisor who then punches their picking card, dumps the berries carefully without damaging the berries and gives picking buckets back to harvester to begin the process again. Operate agricultural equipment to harvest berries, load, and transport berries to packing shed. Clean, pack, load and unload harvested products. Grade and sort products according to specified factors and discard defective, inferior and/or foreign matter. Place acceptable products in specified containers according to grade. Use pallet jack to load berries as needed. Inspect bushes for damage, disease or insect infestation and remove or replace as directed by farm manager. Prune and thin bushes according to supervisor's instructions. Load mulch on trailer and move to fields. Unload and spread mulch around plants as needed. Remove weeds and grass from around the bushes and from the row middles, maintaining a 3 to 5 foot weed free strip between rows. Clean fields when harvest activities are complete. Participate in irrigation activities, such as set up, maintain, repair, and operate irrigation equipment. Till soil and apply fertilizers and pesticides. Clean, repair, and maintain packing shed for purpose of food safety requirements. Clean in and around work areas, housing areas, and maintain buildings and grounds. Clean, adjust, and repair agricultural equipment. Construct trellises and repair farm fences and buildings. Licensed drivers may transport workers and may be offered additional hours. Assist with Good Agricultural Practices policies.
Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job. Persons seeking employment in this position must be available for the entire period requested by the employer. Employer reserves the right to discharge an obviously unqualified worker, malingerer or recalcitrant worker who is physically able but is unwilling to perform the work necessary for the employer to grow a premium quality product, or for any other lawful reason.

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. Workers will have an unpaid lunch break. 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.

TERMINATION. All workers will be subject to a 2 day introductory period, during which the employer will evaluate workers' performance of required tasks. Employer reserves the right to terminate a worker at the conclusion of the 2 day introductory period if the worker's performance fails to satisfy the employer's reasonable expectations, or is otherwise unacceptable.

Special Requirements

Three months of farmwork experience is required. Work outside in inclement weather conditions including extreme temperatures. Lift, carry and load up to 50 lbs. Work on feet for long periods of time. Walk, push, pull, bend, reach and stoop repetitively.