Farm Workers and Laborers

Farm Workers and Laborers at Millbrook Cricket Farm, Inc. in Richland, MS.

Workers will perform all activities required to breed, raise, and pack live crickets. Crickets are grown in 4-foot boxes weighing approximately 40 to 50 pounds each, stacked on racks up to 8 feet in height inside warehouse production facilities on the employer's farm. Production facilities must be maintained above 90 degrees to ensure correct cricket growth and will reach approximately 100 degrees for extended periods during the summer months. Workers will feed, water, clean, and provide general care for the crickets on a daily basis.

Feeding duties require lifting 50-pound bags of feed, climbing a 7-foot ladder to pour feed into feed bins, and using a feed scoop to place feed on the feed tray in each growing box. The entire production facility is fed three times per week. Watering duties require placing the drinker in each box correctly so that water does not leak out and destroy the box. Eggs and baby crickets must be moved to the appropriate containers and locations as directed by the employer.

Packing duties require climbing a 7-foot ladder, pulling growing boxes from racks, placing boxes on a cart, stacking up to five boxes per cart, and transporting them to the packing area. At the packing area, workers will remove old feed, cricket manure, and fillers from each box, then lift the box and pour the mature crickets into the cricket packer. Workers will pack crickets in boxes and load them onto trucks for shipment. Because this is a live product, all handling must be performed with extreme care and proper technique to avoid loss of crickets, and the work environment is high-stress and deadline-driven.

Preparing boxes for production requires working in a stooped position for extended periods. Fillers removed from packed-out boxes are lined up on the ground and cleaned, typically for approximately two hours per day. After fillers are cleaned, each packed-out box must be cleaned of all dirt, spider eggs, and spider webs, the fillers returned to the box, and the box placed back on the rack for new crickets. All production areas must be swept, cleaned, and maintained to a high degree of cleanliness throughout the season; failure to do so directly reduces production.

Workers will also operate tractors, lifts, small power tools, and hand tools, and will maintain the grounds and buildings located on the farm. Miscellaneous activities will be performed both inside and outside the warehouses.

There are few typical days and workers may be required to change duties and/or locations often and engage in various general functions. Daily duties may vary depending on production, shipping schedule, weather, and facility conditions. The employer reserves the right to increase workers' pay or provide bonuses based on tenure, performance, or other factors that are solely based on the discretion of the employer.

Work begins January 8, 2027 and ends November 8, 2027.

Pay is $15.04 per hour.

Housing is provided.

Typical schedule: about 55 hours per week.