Farmworker

Job description

Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the outdoor production and harvesting of field nursery stock. Plant, cultivate, and maintain nursery stock of trees and other horticultural varieties. Prepare fields/soil for planting. Perform grow bag installations. Remove cull stock, debris, weeds, tree stumps, brush, and other growth from the planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, saws, weed eaters, tractors, and/or axes). Plant/Pot seedlings or liners by hand.

Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and shrubs with shovel or tree spade. Perform duties pertaining to lifting, loading, and digging with a skid loader or other mechanical equipment. Prepare product for and assist in loading for transport. Assist delivery driver with securing product on delivery trailers.

Perform general plant maintenance. Irrigate and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Stake, train, prune, trim, shear, space, transplant, and cull trees and/or plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Shear trees with proper taper and bud cut angle for quality. Install deer/woodpecker cover to protect trees. Tie/position trees and plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade trees. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety. Clean/maintain work area.

Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Lay drip line hoses for watering purposes, place emitters on lines at appropriate intervals to provide water to trees. Walk tree rows to ensure trees are being irrigated. Replace clogged or leaking drip emitters, repair leaking or crimped drip line hose.

Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate, and crop conditions.

Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer's products, and property. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.

Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform shoveling, weed eating, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping, and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies.

Perform general nursery work. Workers may be required to assist in the maintenance and possible repair of nursery structures and property as needed. In addition, workers may be required to perform variable tasks such as the following: irrigation, ditching, ditch maintenance, streamside maintenance, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, weeding, fencing, gravel work and other tasks related to a nursery operation. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Equipment: Workers may use hand tools, including but not limited to, hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, weed eaters and saws.

Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and steel toed boots or other durable footwear. Workers wearing clothing inappropriate for work will not be permitted to start work.

Outdoor work required when plants are wet, or during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity, and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours may vary. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Work is done outdoors for long periods of time and requires prolonged periods of standing and/or walking, repetitive movements, and frequent bending and/or stooping.

Special Requirements

This job requires two months of verifiable nursery experience. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Additional hours may be offered during peak harvest or planting periods. Job requires work outside in extremely hot, cold, dusty, and/or wet weather. Perform prolonged sitting, walking, standing, bending, stooping, kneeling, reaching, digging, shoveling, pushing, pulling, lifting, carrying, and loading up to 60 lbs. repetitively. Must be 18 years or older. The employer does not hire persons convicted of sex related, violent, or drug related crimes except under extremely limited circumstances. Individual situations will be taken into consideration at the request of the applicant. Employer is a drug-free workplace. Drug testing and background checks are conducted post hire at the employers expense and is not part of the interview process. Negative drug scr