AZ Agriculture Equipment Operator

Overview

Job Title: Ag. Equipment Operators

Category: Non-Exempt ~ Seasonal H2A

Department: Production, Harvest, Post-Harvest, Irrigation, Technical Services

Location: Goodyear, Maricopa

At Duncan Family Farms (DFF), we believe our primary responsibility is to produce clean, healthy, life-giving food. As a leading certified-organic grower, we harvest thousands of acres of produce that ships directly from our farms to processors in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Some of our products include Spinach, Spring Mix Lettuce, Kale, Arugula, and Culinary Herbs. Due to our innovative programs, Duncan Family Farms has won numerous awards and is nationally recognized as a ‘showcase’ of progressive farming techniques.

Recent growth has enabled the expansion of our technological portfolio as well as our technical personnel. Duncan Family Farms is based in Goodyear, Arizona, and has farms across the United States.

The position requires a minimum of 3 months of verifiable commercial agricultural employment experience, preferably on a vegetable farm, handling both manual and machine tasks associated with commodity production and harvest activities. Workers must be able to perform manual as well as mechanized activities with accuracy and efficiency. This is hard, strenuous labor, under cold, wet conditions in spring, and extreme heat and humidity in summer.

Responsibilities include driving and operating equipment to support agricultural activities such as tilling soil; planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops. Workers will operate vehicles, mechanized devices, or equipment, including forklifts, tractors, and passenger vehicles. They will control machine processes using mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes, direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, or harvesting activities, and, if they have a clean driving record and can obtain an insurable driver’s license, drive passenger company vehicles.

Additional tasks include loading agricultural products for shipment, preparing materials for plant use, loading materials or equipment for processing; recording agricultural data; and attaching equipment extensions or accessories. Work will also include mechanized fieldwork using power equipment such as tractors, planters, sprayers, cultivators, and other equipment. Workers must be able to operate agricultural equipment with or without direction, comprehend and follow instructions, and communicate effectively with supervisors.

Unusual, complex, or non-routine activities will be supervised. Field workers are expected to perform duties in a timely and proficient manner without close supervision. All workers must observe safety rules and essential postings, including pesticide warning/re-entry notices. Duties may include various tasks related to the production of herbs and vegetables, including manual planting, cultivating, and harvesting of vegetables such as Green/Red Romaine, Green/Red Oak, Green/Red Leaf, Mizuna, Arugula, Green/Red Chard, Tatsoi, Spinach, Kale, culinary herbs, microgreens, and other field crops.

Tools may include shovels, trowels, hoes, tampers, pruning hooks, shears, and knives. Duties may also include tilling soil, applying fertilizers, transplanting, weeding, thinning, pruning crops, applying pesticides, or cleaning, grading, sorting, packing, and loading harvested products. Employees may assist with farm building and field maintenance, repair fences, and/or repair or cover hoop houses. Personal protective equipment must be worn when required.

Employees must report for work daily wearing appropriate clothing and durable footwear. Inappropriate clothing will not be permitted to start work.

Sanitation Requirements: For food safety and personal safety, all workers must follow common sanitary practices at all times. This is especially important during hand harvesting for human consumption. Employees are required to wash hands thoroughly after using the bathroom and before entering fields or packing areas. The employer reserves the right to discharge a clearly unqualified worker, a…