Agricultural Equipment Operator - NY 26-0015

Job Order

Occupation: 44-2091 Agricultural Equipment Operators

Job Summary

Drive and control equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops.

Workers must be able to perform both manual and mechanized agricultural tasks with accuracy and efficiency. This role involves hard, strenuous labor under varying environmental conditions, including cold and wet weather in the spring and extreme heat and humidity during the summer.

Workers will plant, cultivate, and harvest fruits and vegetables for fresh market and/or processing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Field Preparation & Planting

Workers may perform the following duties:

• Prepare soil by tilling, digging, and ground preparation

• Plant seeds, roots, bulbs, and transplants

• Work on planters during planting operations

• Spread plastic or other ground covering and remove plastic by hand after use

• Transplant plants by hand

• Stake, tie, trellis, and prune plants

• Install poles and wires for vine crops

• Propagate and plant hops

• Cut rhizomes and store in cold storage until planting

• Fill bins with potting soil and plant rhizome pieces in pots in greenhouse environments

• Sort and separate hop plants by untangling vines carefully

Crop Maintenance

Workers may perform the following tasks:

• Weed and thin plants manually

• Apply pesticides, fertilizers, and crop protectants

• Train hop bines by wrapping them on string without damaging plants

• Fix loose or missing strings and ensure compliance in hop acreage

• Remove broken or damaged poles and install replacements

• Maintain vertically straight hop poles and tamp them into place

• Remove weeds manually with hand tools

• Spread plastic or netting over crops and remove when no longer needed

Harvesting Duties

Workers will:

• Pick, cut, lift, or pull crops during harvest

• Tie vegetables into bunches or remove tops

• Grade, size, and field pack products

• Pick up hop bines and hop clusters after harvest

• Cut hop bines in the field

• Load hop bines onto trucks and transport to picking machines

• Unload hop trailers and hang hop bines in picking machines

Additional hop processing tasks may include:

• Bale and sew hop bales

• Stencil hop bales

• Cut bale cloth with heated knife

• Mix hops with pitchfork and push hops to pit

• Track harvest information on sheets

• Clean and sweep baler floor

Packing & Post-Harvest Work

Workers may work in packing areas performing tasks such as:

• Boxing and weighing produce

• Sorting, grading, and packing vegetables

• Loading and unloading trucks

• Handling products weighing up to 60 pounds

• Lifting products up to 5 feet high

Irrigation & Farm Maintenance

Workers may perform irrigation and maintenance duties including:

• Install and maintain irrigation systems and water lines

• Place irrigation pipes and fittings

• Move and install irrigation equipment

• Install or remove drip tubing

• Dig and maintain ditches

• Install and remove levee gates

• Assist with farm building and field maintenance

• Repair fences or cover hoop houses

Sanitation & Food Safety

To ensure safe crop production:

• Workers must follow USDA GAP certification standards

• Workers will receive training on these standards

• Failure to follow food safety standards may result in dismissal

Workers will also help maintain sanitary conditions by:

• Sanitizing equipment and restrooms

• Cleaning lunch tables

• Picking up packing materials, boxes, labels, and trash

• Discarding unwanted materials from fields

Equipment & Driving Requirements

Workers with a clean driving record (no major violations such as DUI or reckless driving) and the ability to obtain an insurable driver's license may be required to:

• Drive company vehicles

• Transport crops, tools, and fellow workers

• Operate tractors or trucks between fields and facilities

Hand Tools Used

Workers may use various hand tools including:

• Shovels

• Hoes

• Knives

• Trowels

• Tampers

• Pruning hooks

• Shears

Crops Grown

Workers may work with a variety of crops including, but not limited to:

• Asparagus

• Cucurbits

• Sweet Corn

• Cabbage

• Cauliflower

• Kale

• Romanesco

• Hops

• Parsley

• Various herbs

Team Leader Opportunities

Some workers may be selected as working team leaders .

Selection may be based on:

• Performance

• Experience

• Tenure

Team leaders may receive higher compensation based on these factors.

Physical Demands & Work Environment

This job requires significant physical labor.

Workers must be able to:

• Stand, bend, and stoop for long periods

• Perform repetitive movements

• Walk extensively throughout the workday

• Lift up to 60 pounds regularly

Environmental conditions may include:

• Wet plants from dew or rain

• Light rain, snow, moderate winds

• Direct sun and high humidity

• Extreme temperatures ranging from 10°F to 105°F

Workers must also:

• Wear appropriate work clothing and durable footwear

• Use assigned personal protective equipment (PPE) when required

Workers with allergies to ragweed, goldenrod, honeybees, or agricultural chemicals may have difficulty performing some job tasks.

Additional Requirements

Workers must:

• Be physically capable of performing manual agricultural labor

• Report to work daily prepared for outdoor farm work

• Perform additional tasks such as ditching, shoveling, hoeing, hauling, and other general farming duties