Farmworkers And Laborers

Job description

The farm work position includes duties associated with the planting, cultivation, harvesting of various fruits and vegetables. This work can require standing, walking, stooping, bending, and lifting up to 50 pounds for long periods of time outdoors in all weather conditions. This work requires adherence to important food safety and quality standard operating procedures and the ability to work quickly and consistently alongside fellow workers with a positive, professional, team based attitude and a consideration for the safety and health of fellow workers and of the consumers who will purchase and consume the crops grown, harvested, packed, and shipped from the farm.

Crops Contained in Request: Apples and Cherries

Workers may perform the following job duties on any of the commodities listed above and various points during the duration of the contract.

Tree Fruit (Apples) General Info
Workers will perform various tasks involved in planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruit, according to supervisor’s instructions. Workers may till soil, plant stock, pick up rocks/roots/debris, and do pruning activities using a variety of non-mechanical tools. Workers will also perform irrigation work and assist with deer repellent.

Duties may include training of vines and trees, removing blossoms to improve yield and quality, aid in irrigation duties, aid in minor repair of wooden fruit containers and thin and/or harvest fruit. Workers will harvest fruit according to color, size and degree of maturity as specified by supervisor and place into half-bushel baskets taking the extra time, care and effort not to bruise or scar the fruit. Workers may carry full containers weighing approximately 50 lbs. to truck or trailer and stack according to supervisor’s specifications. Fruit thinners will thin fruit using hands to remove excess fruit, taking care to walk around entire tree before moving onto next. Workers will be required to stay on their assigned row.

Tree Pruning
While pruning trees, workers will receive proper tools for the particular job, i.e. saw, pruners, chain saws, loppers and hand snips. These tools will be returned to the employer at the end of the task. The cost of tools destroyed maliciously or lost carelessly will be deducted from worker's wages. Workers will be assigned rows of trees and must prune each tree according to the size of the tree and the need for the pruning. Workers must take care not to damage limbs that are not being pruned. Workers must prune trees according to the above referenced requirements. In some instances, pruning will be done from a 16-foot ladder weighing up to 30 lbs. All workers must be able to lift and carry ladder, as well as work from the top of the ladder. Workers must remove all resulting materials from the tree rendered from 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 middles.

When pruning just about just about any tree, including apple trees, you always want to prune out suckers, stubs or broken branches, downward growing branches, rubbing or crisscrossing branches, upward growing interior branches, competing leaders, narrow crotches and wholrs.

Tree Thinning
Workers will start with one branch and work systematically around the tree, leaving the largest and healthiest fruit (looking for fruit that is poorly developed, insect damaged, or with scabs, and scars). For clusters, select the smallest least healthy fruit and thin to one or two fruits. Clusters growing under the branch remove, as these will not get the sunlight and airflow required for developing a quality fruit.

Special Requirements

The employer may conduct drug/alcohol testing post-employment and at the employer's expense.

The employer may conduct criminal background checks post-employment and at the employer's expense.