Watermelon Harvesting & Packing

Job description

The worker will perform job duties as assigned by the supervisor. They will vary from time to time depending on crop ripening and weather. The watermelon harvesting and packing is temporary and will last from May to June.

Watermelon Hand Harvesting-In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to walk down the field row and use a knife to hand-cut ripe watermelons off the vine for harvesting. The watermelons are then loaded in a bus by forming part of an assembly line, in which the first worker bends down picks up the watermelon and it is passed on to consecutive workers by passing, catching, lifting, until it reaches the worker on the bus, who then sets it down and stacks them until the bus is considered full.

watermelon Field Drivers-The field drivers will drive the buses out to the field where the field workers who are harvesting the watermelon will load the watermelon onto the bus until full. They will then drive the fully loaded bus back to the packing shed where the packing shed workers will unload them onto a belt. The process is then repeated again.

A properly licensed worker will be required to transport workers to and from work each day. A properly trained worker will assist in operating various farm equipment to assist with harvest, and hauling of crop to the packing shed. A qualified worker may be requested to be a working team leader.

Equipment and Vehicle Operation-The workers may need to drive and/or operate various agricultural farm equipment and vehicles to perform the work on the farm such as field trucks, tractors, and forklifts. The workers must use safety and precaution when using agricultural farm equipment and vehicles. All passengers must be seated and practice safety and precaution. The passengers must wait to exit the agricultural farm equipment and vehicles when the driver comes to a complete stop and gets off the vehicle. The workers will keep the agricultural farm
equipment and vehicles free of trash. Only properly licensed drivers will be permitted to operate the agricultural farm equipment and vehicles. Workers must take care to operate all equipment safely and follow all safety requirements outlined by the employer.

Special Requirements

The worker must be responsible and consistent on the job. The worker must be able to lift 0-75 lbs., do repetitive movements, extensive pushing and pulling, walking, frequent stooping continuously throughout the day, and work in all kinds of weather conditions.