Farmworker; Diversified (45.2092.00)
Employer
101 US 31 North
Williamsburg, MI 49690
United States
Job description
Workers will perform tasks for various employers as listed on their contract.
Crops: Cherries, Blueberries and Apples
General overview of work task include: Ag equipment operator, cooling pad worker, fresh fruit handler, harvest machine operator, tractor driver, filter operator, hand harvesting, weeding, pruning, mowing, planting, spraying, pitting cherries, paperwork, monitor finished product, stirs/bubbles fruit in bins, takes fruit and tanks to infusion and from infusion to infusion rooms, takes infused fruit to drier to dump and dried fruit from end of drier to storage, receiving fresh fruit from pitting plants, operating driers, quality checks.
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. 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.
Pruning Standard: When pruning just about anything, here is a list of situations you always want to prune out a. Suckers, b. Stubs or broken branches, c. Downward-growing branches, d. Rubbing or crisscrossing branches, e. Upward growing interior branches, f. Competing leaders, g. Narrow crotches, h. Whorls
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 reference requirements. In some instances, pruning will be done from a sixteen-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 trees 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.
Workers will be required to pick up and return ladders to the designated location as provided by the grower at the end of each workday or as directed by the grower or designated supervisor. BROKEN LADDERS SHOULD NOT BE USED, NOTIFY SUPERVISOR IMMEDIATELY IF A LADDER IS BROKEN.
Orchard Maintenance: Workers involved in orchard maintenance may be required to hoe trees, girdle, spread fertilizer, pick up roots and limbs, strip suckers or unwanted growth from trees, dig root suckers, knock fruit off trees, remove vines, lay irrigation pipe, repair, and maintain drip system, and strap and tie fruit trees. Employer will provide all equipment. Instruction will be given for each task and expectations will be communicated to workers. The expectations for these duties will change based on crop and weather conditions.
Special Requirements
Workers must have at least 3 months experience as a farm worker. Applicants must be able to furnish affirmative job references from recent employers operating comparable operations establishing acceptable previous experience. 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.