Farmworker: Diversified (45-2092.00)

Job description

Crops: Watermelons, Cantaloupes, Sweet Corn, Pumpkins, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower and Gourds.
Sanitation Requirements: For food and general personal safety purposes, all workers will be required and expected to follow common sanitary practices at all times. This is particularly critical when hand harvesting crops for human consumption. Employees are required to cleanse their hands by washing them thoroughly with soap and water after using the bathroom and before entering the fields for harvest activities or the packing facility for packing operations.

Workers will perform various duties to plant, cultivate harvest, pack, grade, repack produce grown on the employer’s farm. This may include preparing ground/field for planting by removing rocks, sticks, trees, and brush. Workers may also be required to install and move irrigation pipe/systems, Aluminum pipe, and T-tape maintaining system. Workers may be required to operate forklift; various farm implements and farm licensed vehicles. Workers will be weeding, loading trucks, record keeping, using backpack sprayers, operating field sprayer, cutting corn stalks and bundling, trimming trees, piling/burning, bee keeping, driving semi-truck with current CDLs and perform farm and facility maintenance including mowing grass and performing landscaping duties. Workers must follow their employer’s instructions to ensure all sanitation procedures are followed.

Cantaloupes, Pumpkins, Gourds, Pumpkins, Squash and Watermelons: Workers will be expected to punch and make holes to prepare the black plastic for planting plugs. Workers must be careful not to damage the tender young plugs. Workers will be expected to perform routine maintenance activities including pulling weeds and cleaning drip irrigation equipment. At harvest, workers will be expected to select the melons based on the standard disclosed to the worker by the supervisor. Workers will walk along rows and cut melons according to size, color, shape, and degree of maturity using a knife. May carry to trailer or windrow for loading at a later time. Also, the workers will be expected to grade, sort, and place in shipping containers. After harvest is completed, workers will be required to remove mature melon vines from the plastic as well as preparing the plastic for the next planting cycle, if applicable. May also be required to remove old or damaged plastic and irrigation drip tape along with any other trash, rocks, or debris from the planting areas. Workers will assist in preparation of field areas prior to installation of new plastic and drip tape.

Special Requirements

Must have three months experience hand harvesting a perishable crop. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers. Must be physically able to meet and perform all job specifications stated in job order. Must be able to work in the hot humid weather for extended periods of time. Workers are subject to random drug testing at no cost to the employee. All drug testing will occur after the worker begins his or her employment and is not a part of the interview process. Failing or refusing a drug test will result in immediate termination.