General Farm / Irrigation Worker

Number of Workers Requested:  3

Worker will be required to perform a variety of duties related to the production of potatoes, sugar beets, wheat, alfalfa, corn, and pumpkins. The majority of the work activities during the overall contract period, however, will be related to irrigation. 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; 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/maintain farm structures; perform general cleanup of farm areas; drive, load/unload farm trucks and Ag exempt, non-CDL 10-wheel trucks; husk/shell/de-tassel corn; pick pumpkins by hand and load into crates; hoist/stack bales of hay onto wagon/truck; operate vehicle, motor bike, or all-terrain vehicle in the course of performing duties; transport crops to market; 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: operate, maintain, and repair 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 Packing of Produce will include the following: Will apply techniques as instructed by the employer to: sort seed according to grade, color, and size; discard diseased/rotting/inferior product and foreign matter; cleanup around conveyors and worksite; place produce in containers or on designated conveyors. Duties related to the Harvesting of Potatoes will include the following: Will apply techniques as instructed by the employer to: remove rocks from rows in front of harvesting equipment; discard diseased/rotting product, rocks, and foreign matter; alert equipment operator of equipment clogging/malfunctions; aid operator in correct machine performance.