Harvester

Number of Workers Requested:  63

Workers will properly harvest apple, peach, and nectarine trees. Peach and nectarine trees are harvested between the end of June through the beginning of September, while apples are harvested during August through November. Workers must be physically able to harvest trees, most of which is done from ladders, with lower branches being harvested from the ground. Workers pick apples, peaches, and nectarines from trees for fresh market sale. Picking requires a basic understanding of fruit maturity indicators, such as background color, flesh color, firmness, seed color, and presence of watercore. Peach and nectarine trees are spot picked. Peach and nectarine fruit are also field graded. Employees will spot deficiencies in firmness, bruising, split-pit, etc, and appropriately separate graded fruit. Apple picking requires the ability to differentiate between several apple varieties that are spot picked, and later varieties that are often strip picked. Fruit is placed in metal-framed canvas covered picking bucket with canvas straps that slip over the head and rest on the shoulders. Workers empty the filled bucket, weighing up to 40 lbs into bulk bins.