Field Worker

Job description

General Farm Workers to perform the following duties:

Head (Iceberg) Lettuce Harvesters – Lettuce harvest workers work as members of a harvest crew and perform the following tasks: thinning, cleaning, general labor and harvest of lettuce by walking in assigned furrows behind a harvesting machine platform or harvesting machine, selecting size and quality of lettuce to be harvested as specified by supervisor. Bends and grasps selected lettuce and cuts it from the roots using a harvesting knife. Trims outer leaves from the head and cores it with the coring knife.  Worker inspects the head lettuce for defects. Worker places head lettuce onto the belt.  The process is repeated.  The cored lettuce is then carried down the belt to be dropped in a bin where workers inspect quality, core, remove loose leaves, and sort bin to capacity.  Worker discards lettuce that does not meet specified quality standards. Place trimmed lettuce meeting quality standards as directed by supervisor.   Bins are constructed and sorted directly on the trailer on a pallet by workers. Workers stand on trailer’s platform placing bags in bins and directing product from belts into bins until fill. Workers check quality, close bags, and place tarps over filled bins. Workers label and mark cartons, totes, or bins as required. Harvested product is immediately mechanically cooled and workers may close bins to prepare harvested and cooled product for transport off farm. Bins may weigh up to 50 lbs. empty. Pallets may weight up to 95 lbs. empty and are carried by two workers.

Romaine Lettuce Harvesters – Lettuce harvest workers work as members of a harvest crew and perform the following tasks: thinning, cleaning and general labor and harvest of lettuce. Workers may cut, bag, pack, and/or load romaine lettuce in the field.  Cutting is done by walking in uneven furrows behind a harvesting platform machine or belt.  Under the direction of the field supervisor, worker determine size and quality of the product to be harvested.  Using a harvesting hand knife and bending at the waist, the worker cuts the head from the roots and trims the outer leaves from the head to prepare it to be packed into a carton, tote, or bin.  The worker places the product on a table for the packer to tie, spot wash, wrap, seal and/or place into a carton, tote or dump onto belt.  Worker discards lettuce that does not meet specified quality standards. Workers place trimmed lettuce meeting quality standards as directed by supervisor. The cartons or totes for the product are constructed by unfolding and bending the material as designed to form a box.  Workers stand on trailer’s platform placing bags in bins and directing product from belts into bins until fill. Workers check quality, close bags, and place tarps over filled bins. Workers label and mark cartons, totes, or bins as required. The process is repeated. The cartons, totes or bins are then stacked onto pallets on the deck of the harvester or trailer. Bins may weigh up to 50 lbs. empty. Pallets may weight up to 95 lbs. empty and are carried by two workers. Harvested product is immediately mechanically cooled and workers may close bins to prepare harvested and cooled product for transport off farm.

Special Requirements

Job Requirements:



Minimum Job Qualifications: Three months experience vegetable harvest and row crop cleaning

Work is performed in open fields and may involve exposure to mud, dust, wind, heat, cold, and other natural elements. Temperatures can range from 30 degrees Fahrenheit to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the period of employment. Workers should come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear for the environmental and working conditions described. Requirements: 3-month row crop cleaning experience and harvesting experience to avoid crop damage and personal injury. Written verification of experience is required. Must be able to use shears, clippers, hoe, and other agricultural tools, no smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, or weapons of any sort in the housing or work fields. Ability to understand English or Spanish is required for training and safety purposes. Workers must be able to physically perform the work stated herein