Job Description

Full Time: Yes

Number of Workers Requested: 13

Job Duties: Crops/Commodities: nursery stock, Christmas trees. Nursery: Workers must be able to perform all duties of entry level workers as well as perform additional mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency preferably including ball and burlap (B&B) field harvesting. Manual tasks related to the growing of nursery stock will include some combination of the following: preparing fields for planting by clearing cull stock, brush and debris; planting seedlings or ‘liners' by hand (including riding and inserting liners in a mechanical planter); digging, loading, unloading or transplanting bare-root nursery stock; straightening, tying, staking, pruning and shearing trees and shrubs; cutting, pulling or removing and mowing weeds or grass; moving irrigation equipment; spraying herbicides and insecticides and applying fertilizer. While fertilizing workers will be expected to pick up and carry 60 pounds of fertilizer and distribute it with a 4-ounce cup. Accurate visual calibration and proper placement of fertilizer is required. Tasks related to harvest of nursery stock will include the following: taking inventory and grading plants, preparing trees and shrubs for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary; digging; wrapping burlap or other covering around root balls and securing with twine and/or staples; crimping wire baskets; lifting, carrying and loading nursery stock; and unloading, moving or loading supplies, including wire baskets. Hand digging of ornamental evergreens and conifers up to 5-6' will be performed by workers which will be expected to harvest between 40 and 45 plants per hour. Plants must be handled carefully to ensure that leaves, limbs and roots are not broken during digging, handling, wrapping and/or transplanting processes. Crews of workers will be required to maintain the pace of the average crew member. Crew work may include hand hoeing around nursery stock. Weeds are to be removed by the root and not at ground level. Shearing conifers and evergreens must be performed with proper taper and angle of bud cut for quality. Christmas Trees: Workers will perform heavy manual field work including but not limited to planting, cultivating and harvesting Christmas evergreen trees on a tree farm. Removes brush, ferns and other growth from planting area using tractor, mattocks and brush hooks. Plants seedlings using planting bar or augers. Workers must properly prune and shape trees as instructed by a company supervisor. Workers may scatter fertilizer pellets over planted area by hand or spreader. May spray herbicides or pesticides. Shears tops and limb tips from trees as specified by supervisor to control growth, increase limb density and improve shape Selects trees for cutting according to markings or size, species and grade and fells trees using axe or chain saw. May drive trucks or tractors to transport trees from the field to central loading area. Drags cut trees from cutting area, runs trees through tree baler and loads trees onto trucks for transport. Supplemental General Information: 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 and other tasks related to a wholesale nursery operation. Workers will be instructed in the safety and operation of all equipment before operation. Equipment should be operated in a manner to protect the operator, other workers, products, trees, crops and equipment. Repeated failure to obey safety requirements and operating instructions may result in termination. Work will also include heavy mechanized field work using power equipment. By way of example and not limitation power equipment may include power shears, chain saws, high lift and fork lift, loaders and tractors.

Job Classification: 45-2092.00 - Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Experience Required: Yes

Months of Experience Required: 2

Special Requirements: This job requires a minimum of two months verifiable prior experience working on a tree and shrub nursery and/or Christmas tree farm, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Applicants must be able to furnish verifiable job reference(s) or comparable third party documentation from recent employer(s) establishing acceptable prior experience. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. Saturday work required. Must be able to lift/carry 60 lbs.

Number of Hours Per Week: 48

Work Schedule (Start/End time): 7:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

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