General Farm / Harvest Worker

Number of Workers Requested:  6

Worker will be required to perform a variety of duties related to the production of grain and potatoes. The majority of the work activities during the overall contract period, however, will be related to general farm work/irrigation/crop production. General Farm Work will include the following responsibilities: maintain, drive, attach and operate farm implements/tractors/equipment to till soil, plant, cultivate, fertilize and harvest crops; operate new model grain combines/potato harvester/tractors with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) equipment; make minor mechanical adjustments and repairs on farm machinery; may mix and/or spray chemicals (according to appropriate restrictive use laws, when/if applicable); remove undesirable and excess growth from crops or farm grounds; remove rocks from field; paint/repair farm structures; maintain/repair fencing; perform general cleanup of farm areas; drive, load/unload farm trucks; operate motor bike or all-terrain vehicle in the course of performing duties; workers possessing the proper licensure may be asked to transport other farm workers. Irrigation duties will include the following: Hand lines: connect pipes; check alignment of pipe and adjust for proper water distribution; attach lines to water supply; turn on pump; turn valves to start flow of water; disassemble lines and carry pipes across fields at specified intervals; move pipes through freshly irrigated crops and/or plowed fields where mud may be deep at times; lift and carry pipe sections weighing approximately 40 pounds on a sustained basis. Wheel lines: start gasoline engines and operate controls to move lines across fields at specified intervals. Pivots: push on switch that activates circle sprinkler system. Other Irrigation Duties: remove pipes/wheel lines from storage and lay out/place in predetermined patterns in fields; lubricate, adjust, repair and replace parts such as sprinkler heads and drive chains using hand tools; observe revolving sprinklers and adjust to ensure proper operation and uniform distribution of water; disassemble, service and store pipes/mainlines/wheel lines after irrigation season. Duties related to the Cutting/Sorting of Seed Potatoes will include the following: Will apply techniques as instructed by the employer to cut and sort potatoes by: using knife to cut potato into sections; place potatoes on machine that cuts potatoes into sections; push button to start machinery; tend/ monitor machine to ensure proper movement of product; discard diseased/rotting/inferior product and foreign matter; report malfunctions; general cleanup. Duties related to the Harvesting of Potatoes will include the following: Will apply techniques as instructed by the employer to: discard diseased/rotting product, rocks and foreign matter; alert equipment operator of equipment clogging/malfunctions; aid operator in correct machine performance; general cleanup. Duties related to the harvesting of grain will include the following: clean and perform light maintenance on machinery; use augers and other machinery to load/unload storage bins; use broom/shovel to clean and empty storage bins; set up and remove ventilation pipes in storage bins.