Agriculture Technician

BCforward; Chatham; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading staffing agency is seeking an Agriculture Production Technician in Chatham, ON. The position involves working in seed production, requiring physical strength and the ability to follow safety protocols. Responsibilities include seed inspection, packaging, and maintaining high-quality standards throughout the process. Candidates must be dependable and able to work long hours in varying environmental conditions.

Qualifications

• Must be able to lift to 50lbs and follow directions.
• Candidates must provide their own CSA steel toed boots.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Perform duties including seed inspection, packaging, and maintenance.
• Work long hours with rotational shifts.
• Comply with safety and site policies.

Skills

Ability to lift up to 50 lbs

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Ability to work independently or in a team

Reliable and dependable

Ability to adjust to changing conditions

Job description

Overview

BC Forward is Looking for Agriculture Production Technician at Chatham, ON - Direct Offer

Position: Production Technician

Duration: 05+ Months (possible Extension)

Location: 7399 Queen's Line, Chatham, ON N7M 6E4

Work Type: Onsite

Shifts

• Shift 1 Base = $21.00/hr - Hours: 6:00am - 4:00pm
• Shift 2: $24.00 - Hours: 4:00pm - 10:00pm
• Shift 3: $23.00 - Hours: 10:00pm-6:00am

Note:

Candidate will be expected to work 12-hour shifts of Continental work weeks

• Shift Times: 4 will work the 8 hours shifts and 4 will work the 12-hour rotating shift
• The shift will be 8-hour shifts from 6:00am - 2:30pm and afternoons from 2:00pm to 10:30pm.
• 12-hour shifts: 6:00am-6:00pm / 6:00pm -6:00am 2 days on shift / 2 days off shift / 3 days on shift. It ends up you work every other weekend 1 being days the other nights. - it is a 2-week rotation.

Description

Must be able to lift to 50lbs, follow directions, ability to learn different jobs such as treatment, conditioning and packaging. Ability to multi-task and prioritize depending on demand. Strong verbal and written communication skills. Candidates will provide their own CSA steel toed over the ankle work boots and all other PPE will be provided.

Applicable Skills/Experience

• Ability to safely perform duties in timely fashion while maintaining seed quality
• Ability to work independently or with a team
• Ability to adjust to changing conditions and anticipate needs
• Ability to make independent decisions
• Reliable and dependable - Exceptional attendance required.
• Pass a background check and other pre-employment screenings
• Have reliable transportation to the site and be able to arrive at the work site as instructed
• Maintain enthusiasm, good attitude, honesty, and a willingness to treat all with respect
• Ability to work long hours and rotational shifts, including over-time as needed.
• Ability to communicate verbally and written
• Ability to lift, push, pull up to 50 pounds, work in and outdoors, walk on uneven surfaces

Additional Details

• Regular and reliable attendance is a requirement of the position.
• Transportation to and from assignment location is the responsibility of the worker.
• It is recommended that workers bring meals and snacks in a cooler if cool storage is not provided.
• Must abide by site seatbelt policy – seatbelts must be worn in all motor vehicles on Corteva property.
• Must abide by site electronic device policy – The use of mobile phones and/or other portable electronic devices by an individual operating a vehicle is permissible when it is done with hands-free technology. Only use mobile phones and/or other portable electronic devices with hands-free technology (i.e., only by voice commands or single-touch activation without holding the device).
• Cellular phone/mobile device (including iPods/MP3 players) are not allowed in working areas during work time. Use is restricted to break area during scheduled lunch and break times.
• Food and drink are not allowed in the work area.
• Park only in marked and appropriate areas as directed by Corteva.
• Corteva is a smoke-free workplace.

Site Information

Chatham Site info: Please enter the site from the East driveway (caution traffic light) and proceed to the front office parking area to the west of the building. Please be mindful of the warehouse traffic; the site speed limit is 25 km per hour and note that we are a smoke free facility, so smoking is not permitted (even in your car) on the property at all.

Please park in visitor parking by backing into your space and once you enter the front door, please sign in at the reception desk.

Duties

The General Operator/Production role is a role that may vary due to the seasonality of the business. In the spring and summer, you will be assigned to teams supporting a variety of responsibilities. You could spend time inspecting and maintaining our seed crops or you could support seed inventory management at the plant. Fall is a busy season with harvesting and seed packaging in full swing. In the winter, you will be cleaning & packaging seed, supporting maintenance work, warehousing and shipping seed to ensure our customers have the product they need for the coming planting season. Year-round responsibilities for this role would include 5S (cleaning) of the location, painting, and overall plant upkeep.

September-October:

• Receive and process trucks hauling crop from the field for weighing and unloading. Ensure carriers are safely unloaded in the receiving building with the correct variety. Collects samples using truck probe. Ensure quality soybeans are unloaded. Ensure correct information is entered on scale ticket and in computer.
• Complete a wide range of harvest activities: ex.: husk and sort operations
• Operate dryer to dry crop within the prescribed safety, quality, and financial requirements
• Shelling and storage of crop from bins in the dryer facility
• Supply the Conditioning department with a constant supply of seed
• Apply appropriate treatment to seed

November-March:

• Label, tag, bag and palletize seed
• Enter inventory information into computer
• Stage seed for shipment in warehouse

Warehouse Activities - including forklift operation, driving of a forklift in the act of: Picking, Pooling, Staging, Receiving, and loading and unloading carrier’s trailers, other product movements as required etc. Work with Shipping and Scheduling Team to utilize standard operating procedures (SOP) to maintain safety and quality. Maintain Corteva as a reliable supplier of quality products and services to be delivered to our customers worldwide. Assist the Dock personnel with the handling of bags while picking ordered. Responsible to follow standard operating procedures for PPE, movement of bags, and pedestrian walkways. Assist in cleaning and 5S duties throughout the warehouse.

Packaging – Bagging- Palletizing- Assist the Packaging Operator/Team Lead with the operations of packaging equipment, machine, and/or tools that they have been trained to safely operate/use.

Responsible to follow standard operating procedures for equipment, machine, and/or tools. Assist in tracking of material inventory. Team to utilize work instructions to maintain safety & quality.

April -August:

• Retag in-house seed.
• Re-bag backhaul (returned) seed
• Inspect pro boxes to ensure they are free of debris and clean
• Wash pro boxes as necessary
• Box Wash - Assist the Box Wash Operator/Team Lead with the operations of box wash equipment, inspection process, repair process and/or tools that they have been trained to safely operate and use. Responsible for following standard operating procedures for equipment, machine and tools. Assist in audits of clean boxes and tracking of metrics for the box wash area. Various other duties as assigned by supervisors and team leads.

Standard PPE for agency workers is:

• Leather gloves
• CSA approved safety glasses
• Hearing protection
• Hi-viz safety vest
• Long sleeves (for any handling of our treated seed, packaged or unpackaged)
• CSA approved steel-toe boots (covers the ankle and has the green CSA triangle). Possibly available at south side Marks and/or Peavey Mart.
• Hard hat - hard hat to be hi-viz and have a Class E rating.
• Corteva will supply an orange hard hat to the agency worker, along with any other specialty PPE they require for a task.