Seasonal Crop Farmworker

Seasonal Crop Farmworker at Hays Harvesting, Inc in Plant City, FL.

Crops: Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries, Vegetables and Melons, Cucumbers, Bell peppers, Peppers, Squashes, Onions, Eggplant: Strawberries: Duties may vary from time to time. Workers will perform assigned duties as instructed by their supervisor. Workers will lay plastic to build the beds for strawberries. Workers will walk down row while pulling plastic down the bed until it is completed and will even up end of row with a shovel to make them straight or clean out ditches at end of row. Unload plastic and drip-tape from truck and load plastic and drip- tape on field machine as needed. Run drip irrigation tape along rows and prepare ground covering in fields. While carrying a bag of strawberry plants, workers will walk down row, while bending, and place one or two plants into each hole in the plastic as instructed and firm dirt around plant. Workers will walk down row as instructed and cut/trim runners, leaves, and blooms from each strawberry plant as directed. Remove debris from fields using hoes, shovels, baskets, etc. For the strawberry harvest, workers will harvest, sort and gather fruit with their hands. Each worker shall handle berries carefully to avoid bruising. Bruising will weaken the berry. Each worker is expected to move with the crew from row to row to maintain the efficiency level. Each worker must pick the plants clean of all ripe fruit. It is the picker's responsibility to sort good product from contaminated or rotting fruit to ensure produce is routed to appropriate facilities for cleaning and distribution. Upon completion of each box picked, the worker will take his/her completed box to the assigned area (on the farm) to be viewed for grade, palletized and receive credit on his/her picking badge. Upon completion of the assigned row, the worker will move to the next vacant row to be picked. Strawberries grow on low-lying plants, so you must have the endurance and strength to bend over for a long period of time. Workers will need to be kneeled for a long period of time collecting strawberries. Fruit pickers must be detail-oriented, fast, and reliable so they can remove fruit without loss. Workers must be able to withstand working in the direct sunlight and weather conditions ranging from hot and humid weather, moderate rain and cold while performing their required duties.

Work begins January 1, 2027 and ends June 15, 2027.

Pay is $15 per hour.

Housing is provided.

Typical schedule: about 40 hours per week.