Vegetable Planting, Harvesting, Packing, and Field work

Work description

The worker will perform job duties as assigned by supervisor. They will vary from time to time depending on crop ripening and weather. The vegetable Planting, harvesting, packing, and field work season is temporary and will last from October to May. In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to work outside 6 to 7 hours a day in all kinds of weather including, but not limited to extreme cold and hot conditions, direct sunlight, and rain and have the required physical strength and endurance to perform the work rapidly and skillfully with their hands. Workers will perform prolonged walking, bending, stooping, reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting, and carrying 0-75 lbs. The worker will be given specific instructions as to how to properly perform the work specified in the Job Description and Requirements Section on the first day of work. Quality work must be performed and adhered to and no messy work will be permitted. If the worker works by the piece rate, he/she must make the federal minimum salary. At the end of the first work week, the worker will be evaluated. If the worker does not perform the work as specified under the Job Descriptions and Requirements, he/she may be terminated. The employer will provide the tools necessary to perform the described job duties without charge to the worker. The employer will charge the worker for reasonable costs related to the workers refusal or negligent failure to return the tools or due to such workers willful damage or destruction of the tools. Field Work- The employee will perform various field work to include but not limited to the following: Prepare the fields for planting-this will consist of putting down and taking off plastic ground cover, digging trenches, installing and repairing irrigation, planting, weeding, picking up trash, burning trash, and other miscellaneous work. Stringing and Unstringing crop-the employee will take the plant, vine, or bush and place down stakes and tie string from stake to stake and then secure the vine or bush around the twine to help keep it off the ground. At the end of the harvesting season the workers will remove the stakes, twine, and plastic ground cover. Cucumber Hand Harvesting and Packing- In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to walk down the field row carrying a harvesting bucket and bend down and look for the ripe cucumbers, gently twist them off the vine and place them in the harvesting bucket. The worker then takes the full bucket of cucumbers over to the loading truck and hands it to the truck loader to dump them into large plastic bins. An empty bucket is given back to the worker and the process is started again. Pepper Hand Harvesting (Bell pepper, Jalapeño, Cubanelle, Long Hots, and Poblano)- In order to perform this kind of work, the worker must be able to walk down the field row carrying a harvesting bucket, bend down and look for the ripe peppers, gently twist them off the bush and place them in the harvesting bucket. The worker then takes the full bucket of peppers over to the loading truck and hands it to the truck loader to dump the bucket into large plastic bins. The empty bucket is given back to the worker and the process is started again.

View the official U.S. Department of Labor source

Last updated: October 7, 2026