Seasonal Nursery Worker

Seasonal Nursery Worker at Latino Harvesting, LLC. in Frostproof, FL.

Workers will perform assigned duties as described in this clearance order. Citrus Harvesting: Harvesting citrus fruit by hand under supervisor's instructions. The worker will place a picking sack over their shoulder and carry an 18' to 20' ladder from the field truck to the particular area of the grove to be harvested. The picking sack is a canvas bag equipped with a shoulder strap for support, an opening for the insertion of fruit, and an opening to remove fruit. A fully loaded sack weighs between approximately 80 and 100 pounds, depending upon the size, condition, and variety of fruit. Worker positions the ladder against the tree and within reach of the fruit in a secure, leaning position, taking care not to break limbs, damage the tree, knock off fruit, or interfere with other workers, ensuring a secure position to prevent slipping or falling. Worker will remove fruit from the tree by hand and place it into the picking sack. When the picking sack is full, the worker will transport the full sack to the designated fruit tub or bin. Planting Citrus Trees: By hand under supervisor's instructions, planting a tree at a tree space where a tree has been removed (resetting). The worker will clear weeds if needed and dig a hole 3 feet on each side of the removed tree space in line with the other trees in the row. The hole must be approximately 14 inches deep and 5 inches round. Soil removed from the hole must be placed evenly around the perimeter. Worker will evenly sprinkle 1 pound of young tree fertilizer on the soil around the hole, remove the young tree from the citrus pot over the hole, and place the tree in the hole at ground level so the potting mix is even with the surrounding ground. Worker will use their hands to pack the soil mixed with fertilizer firmly around the tree, water the tree roots with 1 gallon or more of water, and place additional soil around the tree roots after watering. Worker will notch the bottom of a plastic pot and slip it over the newly planted tree to act as a sprout inhibitor and tree protector. Worker will properly place the micro-sprinkler between the newly planted trees in the reset space. Workers are expected to perform high-quality work, ensuring proper placement and proper tree planting techniques. General Field Caretaking: Assisting with tree treatments, removal of grove debris, assisting with basic irrigation line maintenance and repair, and general grove maintenance. Workers will remove weeds by use of a hoe/pickaxe from the walk-way and remove all weeds growing around plants by hand. Workers will remove weeds from the growing area by raking piles of debris and dispose of it as directed by the farm manager and/or crew supervisor. Citrus Packing and Packing House Care: Under supervisor instructions, workers will perform basic entry-level duties in the packing facility located on the farm premises. In accordance with applicable regulations, all packing activities involve agricultural products where more than 50% of the commodity processed is produced by the contracting fixed-site employer. Duties include manual sorting and grading of harvested citrus on moving conveyor belts by visual inspection, removing damaged, decay-marked, or off-spec fruit, and placing it into designated discard chutes or bins. Workers will manually wipe or clean fruit as needed, hand-pack graded citrus into cartons, boxes, or bags according to size and quality specifications, fold and assemble cardboard packing boxes, stamp or label packages, and stack packed boxes onto wooden pallets. Workers will keep packing lines, floors, and surrounding work areas clean, swept, and free of debris and fallen fruit.

Work begins January 2, 2027 and ends July 31, 2027.

Pay is $15 per hour.

Housing is provided.

Typical schedule: about 36 hours per week.