Job Information
Arader Farm Nursery Worker in Collegeville, Pennsylvania
2 Fulltime H-2A Seasonal Jobs available 04/28/2024- 12/15/2024.
Crops/Commodities: Christmas Trees, corn, pumpkins.
Detassel corn. Walk through fields and pull tassel off plants as directed. Rogue corn and remove off-type plants.
Christmas trees: Prepare fields/soil for planting, cultivating and harvesting evergreen trees. Cutting trees with gasoline-operated chain saws. Dragging trees from cutting area and shaking trees with mechanical shaker. Baling trees using a mechanized baler. Shearing trees with knives, pulling cones off, fertilizing and coloring trees with sprayers. Piling trees to stack. Will load and unload trees (at heights up to 12 feet) with elevators onto trucks for transport. Work includes tagging and inventory of trees. May make wreaths, roping, or other Christmas-related items from cut greenery produced on the farm.
Perform general plant maintenance. Irrigate and apply fertilizer or other chemicals. Train, prune, trim, shear, space, transplant and cull trees and/or plants to ensure availability of marketable products. Shear trees with proper taper and bud cut angle for quality with knife or mechanically with a Beneke. Tie/position trees and plants by tying or wrapping as necessary. Count, inventory, and grade trees. Select trees for cutting according to grade. Cut trees using axe or chainsaw. Drag cut trees from cutting area. Bale trees using tree baler. Wrap burlap or other covering around root balls and secure with twice and/or stapes. Pack, label, tag, pull, sort, and store plants by variety. Clean/maintain work area.
Perform manual and mechanized tasks associated with the outdoor production of horticultural products. Remove cull stock, debris, tree stumps, brush, ferns, vines and other growth from planting area using hand tools or mechanized equipment (rakes, shovels, hoes, tractors, mattocks, brush hooks and/or axes).. Plant/pot seedlings or liners' by hand or mechanical planter. Propagate plants from cuttings. Prepare trees for digging by tying or wrapping as necessary. Hand dig trees and other plants with shovel or tree spade.
Install/maintain irrigation systems and water lines. Move and install irrigation pipes and equipment. Dig and maintain ditches. Install and remove levee gates.
Apply pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other crop protectants. Apply fertilizers, plant growth chemicals, conditioners, and other plant related treatments at the correct times depending on plant type, growth, climate and crop conditions.
Workers must operate all equipment properly and in a manner that protects operator, others, the employer's products and property.
Mow, cut, and weed fields. Perform ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, ground preparation, and other manual tasks. Bending, stooping and kneeling required. Use hand tools including but not limited to hoes, shovels, shears, clippers, loppers, and saws. Lift, carry, and load/unload products or supplies. Assist with farm building/field maintenance and repairs. Repair fences.
Must wear assigned personal protective equipment when required. Outdoor work required when plants are wet, or during light rain, snow, moderate winds, direct sun, high humidity and extreme temperatures. Temperatures in fields during working hours may vary. Workers may be required to work during occasional showers not severe enough to stop field operations.
Saturday work required.
Requirements:
- Three months experience working in a Christmas tree farm or nursery handling manual tasks .
- Must be able to lift a minimum of 60 pounds
- Employer-paid post-hire drug testing required
- Exposure to extreme temperatures
- Extensive pushing/pulling/sitting/walking
- Frequent stooping, and repetitive movements
The full terms and conditions of the job (form ETA790a) should be reviewed and provided to qualified applicants from this website: seasonaljobs.dol.gov.