What are the responsibilities and job description for the Nursery Worker position at Cobble Creek Farm?
Crops/Commodities:
Christmas trees, nursery stock, pumpkins, corn.
Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays):
Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the outdoor production of horticultural products. Plant, cultivate, and maintain nursery stock, trees, shrubs, bedding plants, plugs, liners, and other horticultural varieties. Prepare fields/soil for planting. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, tractors, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes).. Plant/pot seedlings or ‘liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and other plants with shovel or tree spade.
Perform general plant maintenance. Irrigate and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Train, prune, trim, shear, space, transplant and cull trees and/or plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Shear trees with proper taper and bud cut angle for quality. Tie/position trees and plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade trees. Select trees for cutting according to grade. Cut trees using axe or chainsaw. Drag cut trees from cutting area. Bale trees using tree baler. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twice and/or stapes. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety. Clean/maintain work area.
Loading crops onto customers vehicles, delivery of stock, planting of retail stock, periodic maintenance in retail lot including trimming of dead branches, weeding and fertilizing, sorting stock, restocking, organizing stock, and cleaning in retail area.
Setting up retail areas, which may include: weeding, racking, leveling and maintaining stone areas inside and outside greenhouses where sales take place throughout the year, cleaning areas (sweeping / dusting), setup of display bins and other display items for fall and Christmas, packing away display bins and other display items, trimming and mulching of landscape, maintenance (mowing / weed whacking) of parking areas, maintenance (mowing / trimming) of paths, maintenance of wagons (pressure washing), setting up tree racks, balers and tree drills.
All products installed at job sites is grown/cultivated by VerHulst Nurseries LLC (no outside product), and installed as a subordinate marketing activity to the farming operation (thus qualifying as secondary agriculture under the FLSA at 29 CFR § 780.206).
Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.
Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions.
Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer's products and property. Failure to comply with safety requirements and operating instructions may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate termination.
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 hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences.
Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Must report for work daily wearing work clothing and boots or other durable foot wear. Workers wearing clothing inappropriate for work will not be permitted to start work.
Salary : $16