Orchard Worker
Employer
10273 Lummisville Road
Wolcott, NY 14590
United States
Job description
Crops/Commodities:
Apples.
Apples: Workers will manually plant and cultivate apples; use hand tools, such as shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears and knives. Duties include tilling soil, transplanting, weeding, thinning, pruning, and picking.
Identify plants, pests and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Inform farm managers of crop progress. Clear and maintain irrigation ditches.
Prune trees seasonally to promote optimum growth of tree and fruit. Gather pruned branches from area for disposal. Perform pruning and suckering by cutting terminal growth and water sprouts from inside of tree using hand pruner. Thins trees from orchard to eliminate diseased or nonproductive trees using chain saw. Workers will also pick and plant trees as needed.
Workers will make sure bins are clean and free of debris before placing harvested apples into the bins. Worker places ladder firmly against or within tree in a secure position so as not to break limbs or knock off fruit and to prevent slipping or falling. All fruit is to be handled with care to avoid bruising. Fruit injured by bruising during picking shall not exceed 1% (WNY) for fresh and 1% (WNY) for processing. Each worker's picked fruit will be inspected according to instructions given each day by the orchard foreman. Workers will be directed to strip all fruit from tree at one picking or to spot pick (selective picking) according to size and color depending on crop conditions and state of maturity. Fruit picked as drops is never mixed with tree fruit. Worker places ladder firmly against or within tree in a secure position so as not to break limbs or knock off fruit and to prevent slipping or falling.
Workers may be asked to perform nursery work which will include budding, care of nursery trees, plant trees, grafting and weeding as directed by management.
Workers may help with the pruning, thinning, and other manual labor duties, as directed by management.
Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, insect spray, related chemicals, etc. may affect workers' ability to perform the job. Workers should report to work with their own suitable work clothing. Field temperatures may range from below 0 to greater than 90 degrees (F) with possible wet/snowy conditions.
Use, possession, transfer, offer, sale or manufacture of marijuana and/or controlled substances strictly prohibited. All work sites are alcohol and drug free work places. Employees must not report for work, enter the employers' property or perform work while under the influence of or having used alcohol, marijuana, illegal controlled substances, or any other substance that may in any way adversely affect alertness, coordination, reaction time or safety. Employer-paid post-hire drug and alcohol testing required after an accident at work.
Workers must work at a sustained, vigorous pace and make bona fide efforts to work efficiently and consistently that are reasonable under the climatic and other working conditions, also considering the amount, quality and efficiency of work accomplished by their coworkers. Employees who do not produce a sufficient number of piece rate units to earn the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) for all hours worked during a pay period will instead be paid on an hourly basis at the Adverse Effect Wage Rate for the pay period. Workers paid on an hourly basis who fail to perform their duties in a timely and proficient manner will be provided with up to three warnings and will be coached/instructed regarding how to work faster and more efficiently. Upon issuance of the third warning the employee may be terminated.
Persons seeking employment as experienced Orchard Worker III or IV must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.
Special Requirements
This job requires a minimum of three months of verifiable prior experience working in tree fruit or vegetable crops, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer reserves the right to post-hire, employer-paid drug testing after an employee has an accident at work.