Job Information
Idaho Department of Labor Farmworkers and Laborers in Boise, Idaho
This job was posted by https://idahoworks.gov : For more information, please see: https://idahoworks.gov/jobs/2137235
Consultant, please conduct a seated interview. Period of Intendant Employment 2/1/2024
11/18/2024 . Place of employment: Yakima, Washington. Worker must possess 3 months
orchard/tree fruit work including working with an orchard ladder, training, pruning, thinning
apples and harvesting fruit.
Job Description
Worker must possess 3 months orchard/tree fruit work including working with an orchard ladder,
training, pruning, thinning apples and harvesting fruit. Must be able to lift and/or load 60lbs.
Must be able to work on a motorized platform and ladder. 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. PRUNING: Pruning numerous varieties of apple 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 hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws, and 12-foot ladders.
Pruning and thinning may be done from the ground or a ladder up to 12 feet in height or from a
motorized platform. Workers may be required to selectively prune only trees of a certain size
and color as instructed by the crew boss. THINNING: Thinning is a manual process used to
control the size and quality of grown fruit. Must possess ability to pick up, handle a 10 to 12-foot
orchard ladder weighing up to 60 pounds. This process requires the employee to remove, in
some cases not limited to the smallest fruit blossom, bud and/or identifiable fruit from within a
cluster of other fruits. Workers 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. TRAINING:
Training is a process in which the fruit tree is manipulated to increase yield and/or quality. The
Worker must possess ability to pick up, handle a 10 ft. or 12 ft. orchard ladder weighing up to 60
pounds. Training may be performed from a motorized platform and/or from the ground or ladder.
Some example training tasks are but not limited to: Tying, taping or clipping apple limbs to
wires. Tying up or down apple limbs. Training and limb positioning of apple trees. Shoot
thinning, sucker removal, cluster thinning, shoot positioning, hedging, or leaf removal. Propping
and supporting apple trees. APPLES Harvest: The Worker will hand harvest apples. This can be
performed from a motorized platform and/or from the ground or a ladder. The Worker will attach
harness, bucket or bag and picks low hanging fruit while standing on the ground and higher
branches while standing on a ladder. The Worker will pick according to grade, color and size by
grasping fruit with the hands and removing from the tree in a motion so as not to harm adjacent
buds on the tree branches. The Worker will carry harness, bucket or bag of up to 60 lbs. and will
place fruit into wooden bins, 4x4x3 which hold approximately 25 bushels of fruit. Care must be
exercised at all times to prevent bruising of fruit or breaking of branches. The Worker may be
required to examine harvested fruit in bins and sort out any fruit not meeting the grade, color
and size specifications. The Worker must possess the ability to pick up; handle a 10 ft. or 12 ft.
orchard ladder weighing up to 60 pounds. CHERRY Harvest: The Worker will hand harvest,
cherries, this can be performed from a motorized platform and/or from the ground or a ladder.
The Worker will attach harness, bucket or bag and pick low hanging fruit while standing or on a
ladder. The Worker will pick according to grade, color and size by grasping fruit with the hands
and removing from the tree in a motion so as not to harm adjacent buds on the tree branches.
The Worker will carry harness, bucket or bag of up to 20 lbs. and will place fruit into plastic lugs
which hold approximately 30 pounds of fruit. Care must be exercised at all times to prevent
bruising of fruit or br