AGRICULTURAL EQUIPMENT OPERATOR

Work description

Operate trucks or other multi-purpose vehicles to transport workers from housing (whether on or off farm) to the farm properties; haul tools, supplies, or crops; transport workers from place to place around the farm properties during the workday (including on public roads to reach farmer’s fields and/or transport workers to the grocery store, or bank on an as-needed basis. Load agricultural products into trucks, and drive trucks to market or storage facilities. Not all workers are requested to drive; drivers will be required to possess a valid operators license. No one will be rejected for the position that does not possess a class D license. Manually plant small fruit trees. Use hand tools such as pruning hooks, shears and knives. Transplant, thin and prune fruit crops. Construct trellises and repair fences. Harvest fruits such as apples, peaches, pears, plums, apricots & nectarines. Pick apples for fresh market and/or processing. Productivity must be at least 100 boxes per day of fresh market apples. All fruit to be handled with care to avoid bruising. Apples injured by bruising during picking shall not exceed 4% bruise rate as defined in the US standard for grades. Each workers picked fruit shall be inspected daily. Workers will be directed to strip all tree fruit 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. Workers must be physically able to pick tree fruit, most of which is done from ladders, with lower branches being picked from the ground. Picked fruit is placed in a metal framed canvas picking bucket with canvas straps that slip over the head and rest on the shoulders. Filled bucket, weighing up to 40 lbs, is emptied into bulk bins with a capacity equal to 20 1 1/8 bushel boxes. Workers required to handle ladders up to 24` long and weighing about 2 lbs per foot. Must be physically able to lift up to 75lbs on a consistent basis throughout the day. While working in the field, all cell phone usage is limited to emergency use only. Due to health & safety concerns on our farm workers must understand basic instruction in English. Workers referred as a result of this order must have a minimum of three months of verifiable experience in performing the tasks described in his order.