Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse

Pruning: Work Involves cutting strategic branches out of either cherry, peach, plum or apple trees as directed by farm managers. Work will involve carrying and climbing a 30-pound ladder to a standing height of 5 feet above. Work will involve use of 36" wooden-handled pruning shears and/or hand held small shears. Work will involve pulling by hand new vertical growth (called "suckers") in apple trees. Additional equipment could include battery-powered hand shears… moving parts with blades must be handled with the utmost care. Work also involved the operation of a 3-wheeled, self-propelled pruning tower. This is a gas-powered vehicle requiring frequent maintenance and familiarity with mechanical equipment. Heavy branches in older trees require the use of a chainsaw. Thinning: Work entails selectively removing small fruit (approx. 1/2 in diameter) of peach and apple to a desired spacing on the tree to allow better fruit growth and healthier, more consistent production. Work entails carrying and climbing a 30-pound ladder to a standing height of 5 feet above grade. Work may entail the use of a 24" padded wooden club to break up large peach clusters. Harvest: (Peaches) Work involves selective picking ripe peaches exhibiting good uniform red/yellow color and moderate firmness. Most peach varieties are picked 3 to 4 times in order to achieve optimal conditions for all fruit. Work involves using a picking strap temporarily attached to a wooden peach crate that holds 25 pounds of harvested product. Individuals will need to carry this assembly until such a time when the crate is full, but not overflowing. The crate then needs to be carried back to the truck or tractor holding the harvested fruit as switched out for an empty crate. Repeat. (Apples) Work involves picking ripe apples exhibiting good, uniform color, firmness & sugar content specific to each variety. Proper instruction will take place at the beginning of the season as well as for each different variety that warrants specific consideration. In particular, the Honeycrisp variety will need extra care in harvesting and handling, as it is both a sensitive and valuable crop. Most varieties are picked 1or 2 times to maximize quality. Honeycrisp is picked in upwards of 5 times to achieve the same quality. (Apples) Work involves using a padded galvanized harvest bag that contains about 3/4 of a bushel (30#) of apples. Crew members carry this bag over their shoulder with a woven cotton strap and move up and down specific rows of apples filling the bag. Once filled, the bag is walked back to one of our tractors pulling a specific trailer containing multiple 18-bu. bins. The bag is lowered gently into the bin so as to not bruise the fruit. Apples fall out the bottom of the bag. The worker then secures his bag and repeats the process. (Peaches & Apples) Work entails carrying and climbing a 30# ladder to a standing height of 5 feet above grade. (Cherries) Work requires carefully selecting cherry fruit with particular attention to stem retention, for freshness. Some selective culling in the orchard may be required. Large trees require frequent trips up and down the aforementioned ladder. Hand-harvested fruit is placed into a 15# pale affixed to each worker’s chest with crass-back straps. The pale is emptied upon filling into Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) at a central drop location, usually on the back of a tractor or pick-up truck that moves with the crew as they progress through a picking area. Staggered Start Dates - The employer will be staggering start dates based upon the seasonal need of the crop. Below are the dates and # of workers; start date is on or around the dates based upon the need of the crop. Start Date: 05/25/2026 - 3 workers / Start Date: 07/06/2026 - 4 workers / Start Date: 08/03/2026 - 3 workers

Salary : $14