Job Information
Vermont Employer Farmworkers & Laborers & Agricultural Equipment Operator in Starksboro, Vermont
This job was posted by https://www.vermontjoblink.com : For more information, please see: https://www.vermontjoblink.com/jobs/1227796
All applicants must be able, willing and qualified to perform the work described in this job description and must be available for the entire period of employment specified in box 3 & 4, page 1. Hop season starts in early-April and goes through mid-October. Working for hop production will include preparing beds, stringing, training, irrigation management, fertility, pest/weed management, and harvesting. The first few months will consist mainly of repetitive work, which includes setting up our 37-acre trellis for the fields \"stringing\" (mid-April to mid-May) and training our hops to grow to the top of the trellis (mid-May through mid-June). Setting up the trellis involves securing strings to the top of a trellis (using a lift) and then gathering pairs of strings with a clip and using a tool to stomp them into the ground. Training involves selecting the most productive hop bines and wrapping them by hand around each string. Late June through early August gives us time to catch up on general farm upkeep, including weeding and maintaining the health of the plants through collecting various plant data metrics, fungal/pest surveys, and a proper fertilizer regimen. Since there is less farm activity to do during this part of the season, it is a good time to catch up on light construction and maintenance projects. Harvest season is mid-August through late September and will require longer days to get everything harvested on time and into the freezer. Harvest activities will primarily take place in our on-site processing facility. Bines will be pulled from a pile and fed into picking machines. Waste material is sorted from finished cones. Cones are loaded into dryers in bins using a forklift or other mechanical device. The temperature needs to be monitored throughout the drying process. Hops need to be mechanically stirred, and moisture levels need to be taken to determine when they are ready. Dry cones are unloaded by physical and mechanical means. Hop baling involves pushing dried cones into a baling shoot, pressing them into 100150-pound bales using a baling machine, sewing them shut, recording weight, and moving them to the freezer with the aid of a hand truck. All areas of the processing facility must be swept and cleaned at the end of each harvest day. The last few weeks following harvest allow us to clean up from processing, clean and repair equipment and organize the hop yard for the following spring. Some activities include washing machinery, cleaning and rolling up irrigation lines, and removing bits of string that are left hanging from the trellis. Workers who will operate trucks or other multi-purpose vehicles to transport workers from housing (whether on or off farm) to the farm properties; haul tools, supplies, or crops; transport workers from place to place around the farm properties during the workday (including on public roads to reach farmer\'s fields); and/or transport workers to the grocery store, bank, or laundry facilities on an as-needed basis. Those that are requested to drive will be required to possess a valid driver\'s license; no worker will be rejected for not having a driver\'s license. Work requires long periods of standing and bending and kneeling. Workers must be able to lift and carry up to 50 Pounds. The employer will provide 1 day of training and allow 2 days of work for the workers to satisfactorily perform duties described in this job description. Workers may be required to work 8 hours shift between the hours of 7:00am - 7:00pm Monday through Friday and work 5 hours shift between the hours of 7:00am - 7:00pm on Saturdays. Employers will furnish all tools and equipment required at no cost to workers. Workers get a 30-minute Lunch break which is staggered between 11am - 1pm as decided by the workers and manag ment. The beginning and ending times will vary depending on the farm conditions. Workers must be able to take direction in simple English