Nursery Worker

Crops/Commodities: field and container nursery stock. Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays): This job requires a minimum of 2 months of prior experience working in a nursery, fruit or vegetable farm, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Disc, cultivate, mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hand pruners, ladders, hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Use power equipment including but not limited to tractors, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chain saws, high lifts, forklift, skid loaders. Must operate agricultural equipment safely, with or without direction. Prepare fields/soil for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using tractor, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes. Plant, cultivate and maintain nursery stock and/or bedding plants in condition for shipping and sale to customers. Pot seedlings or liners by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Perform general plant maintenance. Prune, trim, space, transplant and cull plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Irrigate and apply fertilizer. Pack, label, tag, pull, and store plants by variety. Count, grade, and inventory plants. Prepare plants for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Dig plants. Drum lacing and quarter lacing. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twine and/or staples. Crimp wire baskets. Package, rack and load containerized nursery stock for transplant and unload other supplies, such as palletized fertilizers. Must understand nursery quality control standards and have working knowledge of production procedures. Must harvest crops according to specific standards. Must select and harvest crops pursuant to customer needs. Products must be handled carefully to prevent damage. Prepare greenhouses for winter. Operate greenhouse controls, such as boilers and heaters. Perform general maintenance of nursery grounds and buildings, fixing ditches, erosion control, planting and maintaining landscape beds and trial gardens. Trench irrigation lines, install irrigation lines. Troubleshoot irrigation heads, unblock irrigation heads. Work is done in the field for long periods of time. Workers may assist in handling product weighing up to 60 pounds and lifting to a height of 5 feet. Workers must work on their feet in bent positions for long periods of time. Work requires repetitive movements and extensive walking. Workers with a clean driving record (no major moving violations such as but not limited to Driving While Intoxicated or Reckless Driving) and able to obtain an insurable driver’s license may drive company vehicles. Workers with appropriate licenses and a valid doctor’s certificate may transport other workers to/from work and/or town on a regular basis. Workers with appropriate licenses may drive straight trucks under 26,000 GVW to specified locations within intended areas of employment. Work required in fields when plants are wet with dew and rain, and may be required during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours can range from 10 to over 100 degrees F. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honey bees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker’s ability to perform the job. Workers should be able to do the work required with or without reasonable accommodations. Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Housing provided only to non-local workers (i.e. permanent residence outside normal commuting distance). Only workers may occupy housing. Employer provides separate sleeping and bathroom facilities for each gender. Employer possesses and controls premises at all times. Workers must vacate housing promptly at end of contract period or upon termination, in accordance with state law. Employer does not provide meals. Employer-provided housing includes free and convenient kitchen facilities with appropriate equipment, appliances, cooking accessories, and dishwashing facilities for meal preparation. For workers residing in employer-provided housing, employer also provides free transportation once per week to/from closest town or city for personal errands (e.g., groceries, banking services). Dining, kitchen/cooking facilities and other common areas are shared by all workers. In the event that kitchen facilities become unavailable during the contract period, employer will provide three daily meals in accordance with 20 CFR 655.122(g). In such circumstances, employer will deduct the cost of such meals up to the maximum allowable amount published in the Federal Register, or as otherwise approved by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Seniority level

Entry level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Other

Manufacturing

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