Farmworker/laborer

Job description

General Farm Labor:

HAND THINNING: Thinning is a manual process used to control the size and quality of grown fruit. Worker must have the ability to pick up and handle 10-foot orchard ladder weighing 40 pounds, or to work from a moving platform, or to work from the ground. Worker removes smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within fruit cluster. Worker identifies and removes misshapen, damaged, and/or other inferior quality fruit as directed by Employer. Worker hand thins apple or cherry trees (by hand or with clippers) to ensure proper fruit load based on grade, tree size, color and size specifications as determined by the Employer. Worker clips blossoms from young trees to encourage tree growth.

PRUNING: Worker will prune numerous varieties of apple and cherry trees according to established company procedures based on difference in treatment of different varieties. Worker will prune for long periods of time using variety of pruning equipment including hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws, or chain saws. Pruning may be done from the ground, on a ladder that is up to 16-feet, or from a motorized platform. Worker prunes, trains, and positions apple trees to trellis, including clipping and tying limbs and shoots to wire from ground, on a ladder that is up to 10-feet, or from a motorized platform. Worker may be required to selectively prune only certain size trees as instructed by Employer.

Worker must possess or acquire pruning skills to identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood, diseased branches and shoots/suckers by using hand pruning saws and clippers, or power equipment for pruning activities.

Special Requirements

Job requires worker to complete tasks in general farm labor, hand harvest of apples.

Experience Requirement: 2 months verifiable experience in tree fruit hand harvest required Applicants must furnish job references from recent employers establishing acceptable prior experience within previous 5 years.
Drug testing done at employers expense and not utilized as preemployment tool.