*Jobseekers If you are interested in the position, meet the experience requirements, and are willing to commit to the entire contract period, please go to your local workforce center to be apprised of all terms and conditions of employment and application instructions. Position: Farm Worker Requirements: This job requires a minimum of three months' experience in thinning and/or harvesting tree fruit. Ability to lift and carry 65 lbs. Job description: Blossom and Peach Thinning: Thinning is a manual process used to control the size, crop load, and fruit quality of cultivated fruit. Employees will be given appropriate initial and ongoing training as needed by supervisors. Ability to pick up, use, and safely handle an 8-10 foot orchard ladder weighing approximately 40 lbs. is necessary for the performance of thinning tasks. This process requires the employee to remove fruit buds, blossoms and/or identifiable fruit from a branch or from within a cluster of other fruits. Workers will be expected to be able to identify and remove fruit that is smaller, misshapen, damaged and/or with other quality problems as directed by supervisors. Harvesting of peaches is specifically targeted to precise timing based on the maturity of the individual fruit. Different varieties of peaches will be picked according to the criteria and procedures established by company owners/supervisors. Harvest of Peaches: Workers will use ladders ranging from 8 ft. to 10 ft. in length and weighing approximately 40 lbs. Care must be taken when picking peaches or pears not to damage or bruise the fruit. Properly filled fruit packs weigh up to 35 lbs. Workers must be able to climb the ladder with the 35-lb. picking sack or tote. Workers are required to snap fruit off of tree using their thumb and palm of hand to avoid bruising. Each piece of fruit must be carefully placed in the sack or bucket to avoid bruising. Foreman or owner will give demonstrations of how the fruit must be picked. Picking requirements will be explained to all workers prior to the season's start. Pruning: Pruning numerous varieties of peach trees according to established company procedures based on the difference in the treatment of different varieties. Work will be performed on trees for long periods of time using a variety of pruning equipment, including hand shears, hand loppers, hand saws, and 10 ft. ladders. Workers pruning peach trees may be required to selectively prune only trees of a certain size as instructed by the crew boss. Workers are expected to possess or acquire pruning skills in order to be able to identify and remove stubs or broken branches, downward-growing branches, branches which rub against each other, shaded interior branches, dead wood and shoots/suckers, and selectively remove diseased limbs and branches with hand pruning saws and clippers, mechanized clippers and pole pruners. Occasionally workers may be required to use chainsaws and other mechanized equipment in pruning activities. Careful pruning requires knowledge of what to prune, how much to prune, and fruit trees' growth habits. General: Workers may be asked to perform any combination of general orchard tasks, including planting, weeding, cultivating, tilling, transplanting, laying out irrigation pipe, installing sprinklers, assisting in repairing fences, unloading trucks, clearing fields, raking and burning brush, rock picking and any other of a number of tasks necessary in raising fruit of maximum quality. On occasion, workers may also sort graded fruit, pack fruit by hand according to packing instructions that may include mechanized packing equipment, and deliver pallets of finished product to cold storage. Anticipated hours of work per week: 40 hours per week Schedule: Monday-Saturday, 8 am to 3:30 pm Anticipated period of employment: 05/10/2025 - 09/30/2025 Application deadline: 07/20/2025 Job location: Palisade, CO Wages: $17.84 per hour. Effective 1/1/25, overtime must be paid after 48 hours w rked per week, or 56 hours worked per week for up to 22 "peak weeks" for highly seasonal employers. Contact the Mesa County Workforce for more information. WFC STAFF: OFFICIAL JOB ANNOUNCEMENT (ETA 790) IS ATTACHED TO THIS JOB POSTING UNDER "DOCUMENTS" **