Farm Worker

Phillips Farms is a 300 acre, family-operated farm in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. We produce a wide range of fruits and vegetables. We also grow a variety of ornamental plants in our greenhouses. During the summer months, we invite customers onto our farm to pick their own fruit and enjoy a day outside with their families.

All the tasks in this job description constitute one job; the employer may assign workers to different tasks on any day or to multiple tasks during the same day at the sole judgment of the employer and/or manager.

Employees will prepare greenhouse and horticultural space. Fill greenhouse containers with soil and other greenhouse mediums. Perform a variety of greenhouse jobs, including but not limited to, seeding, planting, tagging, transplanting, trimming, cutting, tying, and deadheading greenhouse crops. Stick cuttings from existing plants. Irrigate, fertilize, and apply pesticides to greenhouse crops. Select plants for sale and prepare plants/crops for sale and the field. Move plants by hand and nursery carts within and between greenhouses, from greenhouse to field, and from greenhouse to packing house and retail market located on farm property. Clean and sanitize greenhouse containers, nursery carts, greenhouse space and greenhouse equipment. Maintain and repair greenhouse irrigation systems, climate control systems, and greenhouse structures.

Operate tractors, tractor-drawn machinery, and self-propelled machinery to level, plow, harrow, and fertilize ground, or to plant, cultivate, spray and harvest crops. Prepare fields and orchard grounds for agricultural use. Cut and trim trees and branches solely for the purpose of agricultural field and orchard use. Prune large limbs of fruit trees, remove broken, fallen or old fruit trees, and clear fallen tree debris from fencing, driveways, and production fields and orchards. Haul and spread topsoil, fertilizer, peat moss, and other materials to condition soil. Prune and thin perennial fruit crops outdoors using ladders and motorized platforms. Plant fruit trees, vines, bushes, and plants. Seed and transplant vegetables, herbs, and ornamental crops. Walk beside or ride on planting machines while inserting plants or trees in planter mechanisms or ground at specified intervals. Install, move, maintain, and repair plastic mulch, drip tape, fruit trellis and fruit netting. Cover and uncover plants with frost/freeze protection. Perform cultural work including, but not limited to, fertilizing, staking, tying, trellising, vine/branch training, pruning, thinning, weeding, and cultivating. Install, operate, repair, and maintain irrigation using portable pipes, pumps, or ditches. Harvest, field grade, and bunch/pack fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals, based on correct size, color, and ripeness, by hand and/or using harvesting equipment. Place crops into appropriate containers/bins and load trucks and wagons by hand. Transport crops from the location of harvest to the packing house and retail market all located on farm property. Set up market. Remove plastic mulch, drip tape, stakes, strings, and crops when harvest time is complete.

Employees will use a variety of hand tools and equipment, including but not limited to, ladders, rakes, hoes, shovels, wheelbarrows, clippers, shears, knives, pruning saw, chainsaws, and bow saws. Operate various farm machinery including, but not limited to, trucks, tractors, wagons, forklifts, pallet jacks, manure spreader, tillage equipment, levelers, sprayers, trenchers, mowers, motorized platforms and various types of planting, harvesting, and cultivating equipment. Attach farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors, using bolts and hand tools. Manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery. Observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions. Adjust, repair, maintain and service farm machinery, vehicles, implements and mechanical equipment necessary to this farming operation.

Identify plants, pests, and weeds to determine the selection and application of pesticides and fertilizers. Mix and dump chemicals, powders, and solutions into spray machinery. Apply pesticides and fertilizers using hand sprayers and tractor drawn sprayers.

Record agricultural inventory data, crop status, pesticide use, harvest times and crop yield. Inform farmers and/or farm managers of crop status and progress. Maintain inventory of agricultural materials, equipment, and products and order supplies as appropriate. Drive trucks and farm

machinery to transport workers, tools, equipment, and crops around the farm in completion of agricultural duties.

Load and unload wagons and trucks by hand and forklift. Prepare, sort, wash, and pack crops and products for sale, storage, and processing. Guide products on conveyors. Discard of defective products. Palletize and stack trays, bins, boxes, and other containers. Label containers and bins appropriately. Prepare agricultural products for additional processing. Move materials, equipment, and supplies around farm property. Clean containers, materials, supplies, or work areas, using cleaning solutions and hand tools.

Perform building, greenhouse, fencing, and farm grounds maintenance, repairs, cleaning & sanitation. Clean and maintain packing and cold storage areas.

In addition to the above jobs, employees may be asked to perform any additional agricultural and horticultural tasks at the request of the employee or manager. Allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honeybees, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, or related chemicals may affect a worker's ability to perform the job.

Employer may request, but not require, workers to work more than the stated daily hours and/or on a worker's Sabbath or federal holidays. Workers will have an unpaid lunch break. Workers must report to work at designated time and place each day. Daily or weekly work schedules may vary due to weather, sunlight, temperature, crop conditions, and other factors. Those seeking employment in this position must be available for the entire period requested by the employer.