Irrigator

Description

Position Summary:

The Irrigator ensures efficient and effective irrigation across blueberry and hazelnut crops. This role includes operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting irrigation systems to optimize water delivery and support healthy crop growth. The role is essential to support organizational goals and model best practices, guided by our values of Excellence, Accountability, Transparency, and Stewardship (EATS).

Job Duties And Responsibilities

• Develops, implements, and valuates irrigation efficiency to support healthy crop growth.
• Irrigates crops by controlling water flow through irrigation systems, ensuring precise delivery to blueberries and hazelnuts.
• Ensures uniform water distribution over fields, avoiding both flooding and dry spots.
• Controls water flow by adjusting valves, pumps, and timers.
• Checks, unplugs and replaces irrigation emitters for consistent water flow.
• Identifies and repairs leaks in irrigation hoses, pipelines, and other system components.
• Cleans and maintains filter screens, motors, and other equipment to ensure system efficiency.
• Greases pump motors and maintains components like impeller shafts to prevent breakdowns.
• Prepares irrigation systems for water delivery by starting and adjusting pumps, opening or closing valves, and setting systems for automatic operation.
• Monitors booster pumps and other components for optimal performance.
• Reports issues such as pipeline leaks, equipment malfunctions, or field damage (e.g., large holes, fallen branches) to the supervisor promptly.
• Monitors fields for signs of irrigation problems, crop stress, or environmental damage.
• Keeps drainage systems, ditches, and pipelines clear of debris to prevent waterlogging or blockages.
• Controls weeds around irrigation pumps, filter stations, and critical areas to maintain system efficiency.
• Replants missing, weak, or dead plants in assigned fields and provides proper care to ensure their establishment.
• Removes trash, debris, and fallen branches from fields to maintain a clean and safe work environment.
• Secures field markers, maintains fencing and ensures driveways and access points are clear and functional.
• Performs all duties in a safe manner, adhering to company safety policies and procedures.
• Assists in other farm operations and departments when work demands it.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
  
  

Requirements

Essential Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily, including all important aspects of the job- whether performed daily, weekly, monthly, or annually; and any duty that occurs at irregular intervals. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Knowledge of irrigation systems, including drip and sprinkler systems, and their maintenance.
• Ability to troubleshoot and repair irrigation equipment.
• Basic understanding of soil moisture management and crop water needs.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Skilled in adjusting and repairing sprinklers, hoses, sump pumps, and other small equipment.
• Ability to safely operate a 4-wheel ATV to check water.
• Ability to learn quickly from on-the-job training.
• Ability to communicate effectively with fellow employees and management.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Compute rate, ratio, and percent.
• Ability to understand and effectively follow directions provided in written and/or oral form.
  
  

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent, preferred.
• Previous experience in farm irrigation or a related role is highly desirable.
• Bilingual verbal and written English/Spanish, preferred.