Nursery Worker

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Crops/Commodities:
nursery stock - ornamental shrubs, trees and perennials.
This job requires a minimum of three months of prior experience working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Jobs may include any combination of planting, cultivation, hoeing, transplanting, fertilizing, propagation, pruning, preparing soil, weeding, spraying and watering, mowing, loading/unloading trucks. Plants, cultivates and maintains in condition for shipping and resale to customers ornamental shrubs, trees and perennials. Pots seedlings, prunes, transplants, spaces, irrigates and culls plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Packs, labels, pulls and stores plants according to variety. May uncover and/or recover winter storage houses. Weeds, mows, loads/unloads trucks and wagons. May operate tractors and other mechanical equipment under supervision. Performs any other duties involved in the maintenance of plant materials and nursery stock and maintenance of holding yards and shipping areas.

Workers may perform heavy mechanized field work using power equipment. Take inventory and grade plants, prepare trees and shrubs for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary; dig; wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and securing with twine and/or staples; crimping wire baskets; lift, carry and load nursery stock; and unload, move or load supplies, including wire baskets. Prepare fields for planting by clearing cull stock, brush and debris; plant seedlings or ‘liners’ by hand (including riding and inserting liners in a mechanical planter); hand dig, load, unload or transplant bare-root nursery stock; straighten, tie, prune and shear trees and shrubs; cut, pull or remove and mow weeds or grass; move irrigation equipment; apply agricultural chemicals: herbicides and insecticides and apply fertilizer.

Work is to be done for long periods of time. Workers are expected to perform duties including boxing, weighing and loading of product. Workers will assist in loading trucks with packaged product weighing up to and including 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet for long periods of time. Workers should be able to work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. 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 are exposed to wet weather early in the morning through the heat of the day, working in fields. Temperatures may range from 10 to 100 F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Workers should be physically able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations.

In addition, workers may be required to perform variable tasks relating to nursery production such as the following: irrigation, ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, weeding, product installation and other related tasks.

Employer assures that workers will be provided transportation from living quarters to work site every day (for workers who must be provided housing under the applicable regulations.)

The employer may discipline the worker, including brief suspension of work activities (“time out”) for a period determined by the supervisor, suspension from employment for a set period of days or termination of employment as described in the “Work Rules."

Workers may not report for work while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Except for moderate alcohol consumption in company housing during non-working hours, the possession or use of illegal drugs or alcohol on Company property is prohibited and will be cause for termination.

Requerimientos

This job requires three months of prior experience working in a nursery handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs. Employer-paid post-hire upon suspicion and post-accident drug testing required.