Field Workers (Harvest), Ag Equipment Operators

About the role

This position involves heavy field work harvesting a variety of crops including lettuce, greens, and cabbage. Workers will cut, bag, pack, and load produce in the field, working behind harvesting platform machines or belts, walking in uneven furrows.

Responsibilities

• Determine size and quality of product to be harvested under supervisor direction
• Use harvesting hand knife to cut produce, bending at the waist, trimming outer leaves
• Place product on table for packers to tie, spot wash, sort, wrap, seal, and place into cartons or totes
• Secure empty containers from designated racks and insert lining material as necessary
• Fill cartons or totes to specification
• Push filled totes, cartons, or bins onto conveyor belt for loaders to close/cover and stack on pallets
• Construct cartons by unfolding and bending material to form boxes
• Label and mark cartons as required
• Lift and stack cartons, totes, or bins onto pallets on harvester deck or trailer
• For parsley, Italian parsley, mustard greens, Chinese mustard, cilantro: cut product from stem, clean by hand defective leaves, trim stems, and tie, sleeve, or band product
• For kale-collard: strip or cut desired leaves from plant, place on belt loose or tie bunches, trim before packing
• For turnip greens: bend and pull turnips by tops, remove excess dirt, select size and quality, tie according to individual sizes
• For Savoy, red, and green cabbage: cut head from roots and trim outer leaves

Requirements

• 1 month work experience with the produce defined in this application, including harvest work
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds frequently
• Ability to use hand tools, including harvesting knives
• Cannot be color blind (must distinguish colors of crops)
• Must be able to work under conditions where skin and clothing become heavily soiled with mud, water, grease, etc.

Physical demands

• Walk in uneven furrows behind harvesting platform machine or belt
• Bend at the waist for cutting and trimming
• Kneel or stand on beds for certain crops
• Lift cartons and totes with product weighing up to 50 lbs
• Carry empty pallets weighing up to 95 lbs between two workers