Farmworkers and Laborers

H2ajobs; Babson Park (FL); On-site; USD 17,000 - 22,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing provided

Meals provided

Free transportation to town

Job summary

H2ajobs is seeking farm laborers in Florida to harvest citrus and strawberries. Workers will carry 80–100 lb picking sacks, climb ladders, and sort fruit, ensuring careful handling to avoid damage. Housing and meals are provided, with weekly transportation to town.

Applicants must be 18+ and able to work in outdoor grove conditions. Safety and efficiency are emphasized as workers sort fruit, perform field tasks, and may drive tractors for field duties.

Qualifications

• Must be able to perform physically demanding labor for long periods.
• 18 years or older and able to follow instructions.
• Experience with agricultural equipment beneficial.
• Reliable and detail-oriented.

Responsibilities

• Harvest fruit without damaging trees and place into picking sacks.
• Move full sacks to containers and transport to storage.
• Climb ladders with sacks safely.
• Perform grove cleanup and equipment handling.
• Follow supervisor instructions and comply with safety rules.

Skills

Physical stamina

Endurance

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Job description

The worker will place a picking sack over their shoulder and carry an 18' to 22' ladder from the grove truck to the particular area of the grove to be harvested. The picking sack is a canvas bag equipped with a shoulder strap for support, an opening for the insertion of fruit, and an opening to remove fruit. A fully loaded sack weighs between approximately 80 and 100 pounds, depending upon the size, condition and variety of fruit. Worker positions ladder against the tree and within reach of the fruit in a leaning position, taking care not to break limbs, damage the tree, knock off fruit, or interfere with other workers, in a secure position to prevent slipping or falling and possible injury to themselves or other workers. Worker will remove fruit from the tree and place it into the pick sack. When picking sack is full, take full sack to fruit container located in the grove and drop fruit from pick sack into container. In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be physically able to harvest citrus, fill his assigned sacks, and transport it to the tub. The employee must be able to climb ladders with extra weight of the sack. Workers will take the wrap off the trees. Strawberries: While carrying a bag of strawberry plants, workers will walk down row, while bending, and place one or two plants into each hole in the plastic as instructed and firm dirt around plant. Worker will walk down row as instructed and cut/trim runners, leaves and blooms, as directed from each strawberry plant as necessary. Gently remove fruit from branches and vines making sure not to damage fruit. Pickers are expected to work quickly and efficiently. Strawberries grow on low-lying plants, so you must have the endurance and strength to bend over for a long period of time. You will need to kneel for a long period of time collecting the strawberries; once you have removed fruit from the plant you will need to place them in a container. Once the container is full, take it to the shed or designated quality area (located on the farm). Fruit pickers must be detail-oriented, fast, and reliable so they can remove fruit without loss. Prune strawberry bushes by hand using pruning shears and loppers. Remove debris from fields using hoes, shovels, baskets, etc. Fruit harvesters will pick sort and gather fruit with their hands. Must carefully, yet quickly, inspect fruit and bushes for signs of disease, insect manifestations, worms, rot, and remove or replace bushes as directed by farm manager. Each worker must pick the plants clean of all ripe fruit. It is the picker's responsibility to sort good product from contaminated or rotting fruit to ensure produce is routed to appropriate facilities for cleaning and distribution. May be asked to drive a tractor in Strawberry fields spraying herbicides, spreading fertilizer, plowing, and laying plastic. Tree Injections - These activities may include administering tree antibiotics to the tree trunk of trees in the groves by drilling holes in the tree trunk. Worker will have a bucket with a spout that you stick into the tree for a day. Next day, worker will come back and redo the process, this will be time consuming. Grove Clean-up - Workers may be required to perform miscellaneous grove clean-up work. These activities may include removing ladders, debris, boxes and discarded fruit from fields to clean growing areas. Other activities may include pruning, pulling vines and weeds by hand or with hoe, painting trees, repair and or replace irrigation equipment and maintaining fence lines. Workers with valid driver’s license/authorization may be asked to transport workers to/from field, grocery, housing, etc.

Housing: Employer-provided (including mobile or range)

Meals: The employer will provide housing with a free, convenient, and fully equipped kitchen facilities with refrigerator, stove, pots, pans, utensils and counter space for cooking, that will enable the workers to prepare their own meals. Kitchen facilities will include dishwashing facilities with adequate sinks that have hot and cold water under pressure that are in working conditions to sufficiently prepare three (3) meals a day. Employer will also provide free transportation once per week to/from closest town or city to buy food, banking services, and other necessaries. Transportation will be in an approved bus/van/car/truck at no cost to workers.

Transport: Inbound: Employer will provide and pay for lodging in consulate city, a charter bus/van/car/truck/public transportation or plane (travel insurance may be required), to the place of employment from the place from which the worker has come to work for the employer.

Experience wanted: 0 months

Applicants must be 18 years or older and able to follow the supervisor instructions. It is recommended that you have experience with Agricultural Equipment and knowledge of Agricultural Field work due to safety reasons related to possible equipment injury, heat stroke possibility, and food safety. Employer may conduct a criminal background check and/or random drug testing may occur, pre-hire for any new client or post-hire for any reason deemed necessary, at the employers expense. All tools, supplies and equipment will be provided at no cost to the worker. Workers should come prepared wearing appropriate clothing and footwear for the environmental and working conditions described. Cell phone can only be used during breaks, emergencies, and communicated with supervisor when needed. The worker must be able to harvest on the average of one volumetric tub per hour (equivalent to 10-bushel boxes per hour) in grove conditions that are considered good picking.