Farmworker/Laborer - Idaho Department of Labor : Job Details

This job was posted by : For more information, please see: please conduct seated interview. Period of intended Employment: 1/13/2025-10/17/2025. Location: Entiat, WA. Applicant \ MUST HAVE\ 3 months of Tree Fruit Experience .Worker must possess 3 months of fruit tree experience. Must be able to lift and/or load 60lbs. Work may take place when temperatures are below freezing and above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. May require extensive pulling and/or pushing of tools, wheelbarrows, fruit containers, etc. May require worker to sit and/or walk for extensive periods of time while sorting, picking, examining, weeding, transporting, pruning, etc. Workers will be required to stoop and/or bend over while performing farm labor such as weeding, irrigating, pruning, picking, removing debris, etc. There will be repetitive movements while performing most of the farm labor duties, for example picking, sorting, pruning, shoveling, weeding, etc. Employer reserves the right to conduct employer-paid random, upon suspicion and/or post-accident drug testing in accordance with state law. Any employee who declines to take or fails a drug test will be immediately terminated.THIS IS A DESCRIPTION FOR APPLES, PEARS & CHERRIES: 1. Harvest - picking numerous varieties of tree fruit according to established company procedures accounting for difference in the treatment of different varieties. The prevailing practice in the industry is to pay on a piece rate basis for hand harvesting of apples, cherries and pears. 2. Harvest support, including fruit quality checks, sorting and production counts. 3. Harvest preparation including spreading liners in bins, rolling bins into blocks by hand. 4. Hand harvesters may be required to selectively pick only fruit of a certain color and/or size as instructed by the supervisor. Hand harvesters will be required to handle fruit carefully and not bruise or damage fruit when it is placed in the bin. 5. Observation of bruised, damaged or cull fruit by the supervisor will result in a bad bin mark and after three bad bin marks, the employees will receive disciplinary action up to and including termination. A bad bin mark occurs when a bin is inspected and a significant number of culls, bruised or damaged are found by the supervisors. 6. Tractor drivers, including delivery and removal of bins during harvest. Tractor drivers must have a minimum of 3 months tractor driving experience. 7. Pruning and Summer Pruning of fruit trees. 8. Training of trees to trellis, including clipping and tying limbs and shoots to wire. Trellis installation and repair. 9. Pest control, including hand baiting of gophers and mice. 10. Care for fruit trees including weeding, hoeing, trunk painting, fertilizing, and growth selection by hand and by clipping. 11. Apply chemicals under supervision of licensed applicators. 12. Caring for trees, recognize and remove tree disease such as blighted branches in pears. 13. Propping and tying of tree limbs. Picking up props in fall. 14. General farm labor to include picking up garbage around the orchard, removing old string and wire from trellis and orchard blocks, general repairs, and other tasks considered necessary for the efficient operation of orchard properties. 15. Brush removal, mowing, fence repair, irrigation system operation and repair. 16. Hand tools, such as pruning hooks, shears, and/or picking bags will be utilized. 17. Safely sets and uses ladders. Much of the picking will be done from an aluminum ladder up to 12 feet in height. 18. Pruning and thinning may be done from the ground or ladder up to 12 feet in height, or from a motorized platform. 19.Tree Planting. 20. Site PreparationTHINNING: THINNING IS A MANUAL PROCESS USED TO CONTROL THE SIZE AND QUALITY OF GROWN FRUIT. THE WORKER MUST POSSESS THE ABILITY TO PICK UP, HANDLE A 10 FT. OR 12 FT. ORCHARD LADDER WEIGHING 4 POUNDS. FURTHERMORE, THE WORKER MUST BE ABLE TO USE SCISSOR LIKE CLIPPERS. THIS PROCESS REQUIRES THE WORKER TO REMOVE, IN SOME CASES, NOT LIMITED TO THE SMALLEST FRUIT BLOSSOM, BUD AND/OR IDENTIFIABLE FRUIT FROM WITHIN A CLUSTER OF OTHER FRUITS. THE WORKER WILL BE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND REMOVE FRUIT THAT IS MISSHAPEN, DAMAGED AND/OR WITH OTHER QUALITY PROBLEMS AS DIRECTED BY SUPERVISORS. THINNING MAY BE PERFORMED FROM A MOTORIZED PLATFORM AND/OR FROM THE GROUND OR A LADDER. TRAINING: TRAINING IS A PROCESS IN WHICH THE FRUIT TREE IS MANIPULATED TO INCREASE YIELD AND/OR QUALITY AND PROPER FRUIT LOAD. TRAINING MAY BE PERFORMED FROM A MOTORIZED PLATFORM AND/OR FROM THE GROUND OR LADDER. THE WORKER MUST POSSESS THE ABILITY TO PICK UP, HANDLE A 10 FT. OR 12 FT. ORCHARD LADDER WEIGHING 40 POUNDS. SOME EXAMPLES TRAINING TASKS ARE BUT NOT LIMITED TO: TYING, TAPING OR CLIPPING APPLE, PEAR, OR CHERRY LIMBS TO WIRES. TYING UP OR DOWN APPLE, PEAR, OR CHERRY LIMBS. TRAINING AND LIMB POSITIONING OF APPLE, PEAR AND CHERRY TREES. SUCKER REMOVAL, CLUSTER THINNING, SHOOT POSITIONING, HEDGING, OR LEAF REMOVAL. PROPPING AND SUPPORTING APPLE AND PEAR TREES. PRUNING: PRUNING NUMEROUS VARIETIES OF APPLE, CHERRY AND PEAR TREES ACCORDING TO ESTABLISHED COMPANY PROCEDURES BASED ON THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TREATMENT OF DIFFERENT VARIETIES. WORK WILL BE PERFORMED ON TREES FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME USING A VARIETY OF PRUNING EQUIPMENT INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HAND SHEARS, HAND LOPPERS, HAND SAWS. FURTHERMORE, THE WORKER MUST PO