Job Details

Job Posting

Applicants must have 20 days experience with farm, and irrigation work, and livestock care, and provide the contact information of at least one reference who can verify experience and performance. Worker will be required to perform a variety of duties related to the production of alfalfa, barley and cattle for the majority of the workdays in the overall contract period, commensurate with the duties encompassed within the five SOC Codes comprising the field and livestock workers (combined) category.

General Farm Work will include the following responsibilities:

• Maintain, drive, attach and operate farm implements/tractors/equipment to till soil, plant, cultivate, fertilize and harvest crops
• Make minor mechanical adjustments and repairs on farm machinery
• May mix and/or spray chemicals (according to appropriate restrictive use laws, when/if applicable)
• Remove undesirable and excess growth from crops or farm grounds
• Remove rocks from field
• Paint/repair farm structures
• Maintain/repair fencing
• Perform general cleanup of farm areas
• Drive, load/unload farm trucks on, or between, farm worksites
• Operate motor bike or all-terrain vehicle in the course of performing duties
• Workers possessing the proper licensure may be asked to transport other farm workers

Irrigation duties will include the following:

• Hand lines: connect pipes; check alignment of pipe and adjust for proper water distribution; attach lines to water supply; turn on pump; turn valves to start flow of water; disassemble lines and carry pipes across fields at specified intervals; move pipes through freshly irrigated crops and/or plowed fields where mud may be deep at times; lift and carry pipe sections weighing approximately 40 pounds on a sustained basis.
• Wheel lines: start gasoline engines and operate controls to move lines across fields at specified intervals.
• Pivots: push on switch that activates circle sprinkler system.
• Flood Irrigation: lift gate in side of flooded irrigation ditch/pipe permitting water to flow into bordered section of field; shovel and pack dirt in low spots of embankment or cut trenches in high areas to direct water flow; close gate in ditch/pipe when bordered section is flooded; open gate or connect pipe to underground pipe system that releases water flow into reservoir or ditch; siphon water from flooded reservoir or ditch to channel water into designated areas; shovel or hoe soil to clear ditches/furrows and build embankments to appropriately channel water; mix and apply proper solutions to fill holes/cracks in pipes, ditches, and spillways, and make minor repairs to metal, concrete, and wooden frameworks in pipe and ditch valves and gates.
• Other Irrigation Duties: remove pipes/wheel lines from storage and lay out/place in predetermined patterns in fields; lubricate, adjust, repair and replace parts such as sprinkler heads and drive chains using hand tools; observe revolving sprinklers and adjust to ensure proper operation and uniform distribution of water; disassemble, service and store pipes/mainlines/wheel lines after irrigation season.

Other duties as assigned, include: check physical characteristics, observe general condition of livestock and apply the appropriate care; examine animals to detect illness/injury/disease, rate of weight gain or to determine delivery time, assist in delivery; apply or administer medications, vaccines and/or insecticides; mix feed/additives and feed/water livestock; place mineral blocks; drive equipment to haul/distribute feed/water; herd livestock; confine livestock in stalls; clean/disinfect livestock corrals/stalls/sheds; dock, castrate, brand, clip/tag and clamp livestock; maintain records on animals; hoist/stack bales of hay onto wagon/truck

To meet minimum acceptable performance standards when irrigating, the worker must, after a 10-day conditioning period, move an average of at least 48 40-foot sections of 3-inch pipe or 44 40-foot sections of 4-inch pipe per hour under normal working conditions. Extended hours may be required during peak production periods. Work hours may vary and there may be periods when little or no work will be available due to weather, time of year, and the requirements of the cropping program. The worker may be offered work seven days a week, as farmwork must be performed seven days a week. The worker may be offered more than the specified hours per day, but is only required to work the hours specified. The worker may be requested, but will not be required, to work on his/her Sabbath and/or on Federal holidays. Instruction, training, and general supervision will be provided by the farm operator or a designated employee. However, the worker must perform required duties without close supervision and listen to, understand, and follow simple instructions of the employer or supervisor. The worker will be required to return worn out tools, supplies, and equipment before new ones will be provided. Most duties are performed out of doors and entail exposure to heat, cold, dust, rain, and other environmental conditions common in fields, including mosquitoes during certain seasons.