Agricultural Equipment Operator

Job description

Crops/Commodities: potatoes

Driving tractors and planters, will plant, cultivate, and harvest potatoes. Workers will drive and operate one or more GPS equipped farm machines, such as tractors, Bottom Switch plows, Grimme planters, Windrowers, line equipment with holding tanks, dry brushers, grading tables, harvesters, pumps, tilling equipment, trucks, holding tanks, case-loaders, pivots, pilers,
windrowers, Dammer Dykes (cultivators) and other mechanized, electrically powered or motor-driven equipment, on farms or in farm equipment repair shops. Workers will operate the farm machinery, equipment and vehicles. Workers will be instructed in the safety and operation of the equipment before driving the equipment. Workers will be expected to be able to
operate equipment, with or without direction, in a manner that protects the operator, visitors, other employees, crops, trees, facilities and equipment. Failure to comply with operating and safety standards may result in termination. This is a very demanding and competitive business in which quality specifications must be rigorously adhered to. The equipment workers
will be operating and maintaining is expensive and dangerous. Workers are expected to follow the employer’s requests to not only prevent damage to the equipment, but to also prevent injuries to workers. Any equipment damaged by a worker’s failure to follow instructions or damaged due to malice will be charged to the worker.

Workers may hitch soil conditioning implements, such as plow or harrow to tractor, and operate tractor and towed implement to furrow and grade soil. Workers will drive tractors and operate designated towed machines, such as drill or manure spreader, to plant, fertilize, and dust crops. Prepares harvesting machine by adjusting speeds of cutters, blowers and conveyors and height of cutting head or depth of digging blades according to type, height, weight and condition of crop being harvested, and contour of terrain. Attaches towed or mounted-type harvesting machine to tractor using hand tools or drives self-propelled harvesting machine to cut, pull up, dig, thresh, clean, chop, bag or bundle crops.

Workers will perform irrigation activities, including setting up and moving and maintaining irrigation pipes and equipment. Adjusts and lubricates machines and equipment to ensure efficient operation. Workers will be required to prepare farmland for planting. This includes removing trash, trees, stumps, rocks and any other debris or material that will interfere with planting and harvesting crops. Workers will be required to dig ditches for the installation of pipe and to prevent erosion. Workers may be required to pile the debris up for burning. Workers may be required to operate rakes for root and limb removal. Workers may operate dozers, tractors, front end loaders, bobcats and various other pieces of land clearing equipment. Workers may be required to level land by moving dirt from one location to another using trucks and equipment.

Workers are required to work in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required to work during light rain, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 30 to over 100 degrees. Allergies to goldenrod, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides or honeybees may affect a worker’s ability to perform the job. Workers should be able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

Workers hired pursuant to this job order will be subject to a trial period of up to 5 business days during which their performance of required tasks will be evaluated. If the performance during the trial period is not acceptable to the employer in its sole discretion the worker will be terminated.

Special Requirements

This job requires a minimum of 3 months of verifiable prior experience performing duties associated with operating and performing routine maintenance on GPS equipped potato farming equipment. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third-party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience.
Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire drug testing is required upon reasonable suspicion of use and after a worker has an accident at work. The employer will offer 3 shifts per 24 hours with an unpaid lunch break Monday through Saturday: (Shift 1) 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (Shift 2) 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (Shift 3) 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Must be willing to work 1st, 2nd or 3rd shift hours. Persons seeking employment as experienced agricultural equipment operator must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.