Farmworker/laborer

Job description

FARM LABORER: Worker will be required to hoe or pull weeds as directed by supervisor. For staking tomatoes/tomatillo/eggplant /specialty variety peppers, workers will stake with 12 to 96-inch stakes by hand with stake pounders weighing up to 20 pounds. Workers may also stake with air driven machines. Workers will apply tying twine between tomato/tomatillo, eggplant and or pepper stakes at spacing interval designated by supervisor. Worker will sprout young shoots on eggplant and the tomato plant as needed for optimum plant potential. Workers will pull out of ground and pick up 12 to 96 inch in length tomato stakes and place them in approved container. Workers will conduct field clean-up and plastic mulch clean-up which includes pulling out of dirt and picking up plastic mulch and drip tape and moving to driveways or end of field as instructed. Workers will cut, pick up string and deposit into approved bulk boxes or containers. Workers will conduct pruning activities. Workers will conduct various field and farm clean up tasks which include, trimming trees, pulling stumps and raking leaves, as directed. Worker will be required to consistently check harvest containers and /trailers throughout the day to verify compliance with quality standards. Worker must be able to identify any crop damage, and check produce size and color.

Greenhouse Activities: Worker(s) will mix soil for filling flats as directed. Worker(s) will fill flats on flat filler machine and stack as directed. Worker(s) will unstack soil trays, feed full trays through seeder, cover with soil, level soil, and then restack on pallet. Worker(s) will then transport seeded trays into greenhouse and place on to table/ground/racks in an orderly manner in accordance with supervisor instructions. Extra care must be taken not to disturb, disrupt or spill the planted seeds from the plastic tray cells during transport from seeder to table/ground/racks. Worker will be required to transplant from plug trays into cell trays by removing plants at root base and transferring to opposite hand as directed by supervisor. Transplanting is done using a two-finger holding style. Worker will insert index finger in the middle of the cell and then insert 1 plant in a continuous motion. Each worker will be responsible for 1 row of the tray. The process will begin with the one person transplanting the inner row and working toward the outer rows. Two other workers will remove trays to layout on table, ground or racks and check to make sure tray cells are full. After transplanting, worker will be required to lay out flats and place on to bed/ground/racks in an orderly manner in accordance with supervisor instructions. Worker will load flats of plants, according to same-lot of plants onto trailers or plant racks to be transported to field to be planted as instructed by supervisor. Worker will be required to differentiate and keep separate different varieties of plants onto trailers or plant racks.
Worker will also work in and around greenhouses doing general greenhouse work, watering and monitoring plants according to supervisors? instructions.

Truck/Semi driving: If worker is eligible to drive under Michigan law and has appropriate license endorsement, worker may be required to drive a semi to and from worksites within a 30-mile radius. Worker will be required to load; unload and transport produce as directed by supervisor. To be eligible for driving job, worker must understand and agree to driving rules, as outlined in work rules below. Worker will be responsible for strapping/unstrapping and loading/unloading of product/equipment on trailers. Worker(s) will be assigned a two-way radio. Worker(s) must use caution when using radios and return devices to the docking station at the end of the day and report any damage to radios. Worker may be asked to change tasks at any time.

Pay will be hourly.

Special Requirements

Job requires worker to complete tasks in general farm labor, barn packing of and the hand harvest of: green slicing cucumbers, roma tomatoes, tomatillo, eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, variety specialty peppers, pickles, berries, currants and asparagus

Experience Requirement: 3 verifiable months of commercial agricultural experience with a vegetable base required. Applicants must furnish job references from employers of the last 3 years establishing acceptable prior experience.

Worker must be able to perform job description duties in safe manner consistent with established safety procedures.
Worker agrees to drug testing as a condition of employment. Testing done at employers expense and not utilized as a pre-employment tool.