Job Duties:
We are seeking dedicated and hardworking individuals for our Sweet Potato harvesting season. This is a seasonal job and if hired, you are expected to complete the full contract period. SWEET POTATO: Will perform assigned duties as instructed by supervisor. May be asked to operate vehicles & skid steer. Duties may vary from time to time PLANTING: Cut slips by hand with knife and place slips in plant boxes. Ride mechanical trans-planter to load slips in planting cups. Walk behind mechanical trans-planter to fill slips by hand. HARVESTING: Will walk fields & harvest sweet potatoes by hand with use of buckets. Potatoes must be sorted by size while separating damaged & undersized potatoes and dump buckets on bucket trucks as instructed by Leader or Supervisor. PACKING HOUSE: (Located on Farm.) Workers may wash and pack potatoes and build or repair potato boxes. Will also sweep and clean trash in Packing House. MISC: These jobs will also involve field work such as clearing ground of rocks, sticks & roots by hand, clearing brush and trees with chain saws, manually weeding fields, draining water from fields, and general field, fence, barns & potato shed maintenance, minor repairs & cleaning of hand tools and mechanical equipment prior to and after use. Workers may be asked to drive tractors. If asked to drive tractors, worker must demonstrate ability as well as understand and adequately communicate in English. May use wood to build and repair boxes for potatoes/vegetables. Workers may help with the harvesting and washing of peas. May load and unload boxers on trucks. Workers with valid Driver’s License may be asked to transport workers to/from grocery store each week and to/from worksite to housing each day.
Special Requirements:
Applicants must be 18 years or older. Applicants need to be familiar with agricultural machinery & safety of (and harm it can do to themselves or others), as well as work in agricultural fields & have some knowledge of food safety and needs to understand the seriousness of working in extreme climates especially heat. Job is physically demanding, requiring attention to detail, the ability to work effectively as part of a team and adaptability to varying work & extreme climate environments. Applicants must have the physical ability to repeatedly walk, stand, climb, sit, stoop, bend, push, pull, all while being aware of the task and others around them. There is a lifting requirement of up to 60 lbs. Awareness of your surroundings and of all agricultural machinery safety is very important, as well as food safety. To ensure the safety of all employees, those interested in operating machinery must be able to communicate with and adequately follow instructions given by management.