Farmworker/agricultural Equipment Operator

Crops/Commodities: Nursery Stock. 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. Load and unload crops or containers of materials, manually or using conveyors, handtrucks, forklifts, or transfer augers. Spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus and weed growth, and diseases, using hand sprayers. Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions. Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery. Operate or tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, and irrigation equipment. Adjust, repair, and service farm machinery and notify supervisors when machinery malfunctions. Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools. Load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products, using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. Direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities. Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants in planter mechanisms at specified intervals. Guide products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, and to discard diseased or rotten products. Position boxes or attach bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch products, removing and closing full containers. Irrigate soil, using portable pipes or ditch systems, and maintain ditches or pipes and pumps. Drive farm trucks and front end loaders to haul crops, supplies, tools, or farm workers. 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. 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.

Salary : $16