Agricultural Equipment Operator

Crops/Commodities: potatoes, small grain. Primary duties (performed the majority of workdays): Drive tractors and planters, and operate other mechanized farm equipment to plant, cultivate, and harvest potatoes. Use farm equipment to cut, pull, dig, thresh, clean, chop, bag, or bundle crops. Load/unload harvested potatoes or other materials manually or with mechanized equipment such as conveyors, or handtrucks. Tasks include starting and stopping the potato washing machine, riding on and grading potatoes on a potato harvester, laying and picking up irrigation pipe, cutting and preparing potato seed, separating potatoes and removing stems, repairing wooden and plastic potato storage boxes, washing and sanitizing potato storage boxes, washing and sanitizing refrigerated potato storages and cleaning fields by picking up missed potatoes and rocks into buckets. Grade, size, and sort product according to color, shape, size, appearance, feel, and/or quality, in accordance with supervisor's instructions and employer standards. Inspect products for damage/defects and discard inferior products and foreign matter. Place product in bins/trays and other containers according to grade and mark grades on containers. Weigh products and record weight and/or grade. Handle product carefully to prevent damage. Operate equipment safely, with or without direction. Must follow quality control standards and production procedures. Clean/sanitize work station and equipment. Worker will drive 10-wheel, straight-frame potato field truck to/from specified destinations within area of intended employment; maneuver trucks into and out of loading and unloading positions. Destinations will included, but are not limited to, fields and plant facility. Operator will perform duties in both on-road (paved) and off-road conditions. Worker must possess the ability to successfully operate in rough and adverse off-road conditions and ability to drive truck underneath the harvester boom safely, as instructed by the harvester operator. Worker must possess the ability to read a map, understand directions, use GPS and successfully navigate to a specific location; regularly climb up and down, on, into and out of truck; complete pre-trip and post-trip inspection and paperwork on trucks; perform all preventive maintenance duties to assigned fleet vehicle, as well as assist with reactive maintenance on assigned fleet vehicle. Operator is responsible for daily, weekly and monthly surface and deep cleanings of assigned fleet vehicle, including exterior, chassis, engine area and cargo carrying box. Worker may also operate pull tractor and tillage implements; and will operate hosteling truck to jockey trailers from loading lines for filling and weighing purposes. Mow, cut, and weed fields. Prepare and/or clear land for planting using mechanized or hand equipment to remove trash, rocks, or other debris or material that may interfere with planting or harvesting activities. Level land by moving dirt and other materials. Equipment may include tractors, dozers, planters, mowers, plows, sprayers, cultivators, power shears, chainsaws, bobcats, skid loaders, high lifts, and trucks or other vehicles. Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery. Adjust speeds of cutters, blowers, and conveyors and height of cutting head. Clean, adjust, repair, and perform routine service on equipment (e.g., lubricating grease points, inspecting and maintaining fluid levels, checking belt and conveyor tensions, and maintaining tires, wheels, bearings, belts, and other wear parts). Repair or replace defective parts. Attach farm implements (e.g., plows, harrows, discs, sprayers) using hand tools. May assist with other general farm maintenance or repairs. Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.

Salary : $19