Farm Worker Jobs in Tennessee

INTRODUCTION

This position involves various tasks related to the cultivation and harvesting of tobacco and diversified crops.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Greenhouse:

• Workers may seed plant trays.
• Workers may clean and wash plant trays.
• Workers may apply water and fertilizers to plants in trays.
• Workers may clip and mow plants.
• Workers may load plant trays onto trucks and wagons.

Setting Tobacco:

• Workers may ride setting machine to plant tobacco.
• Workers may plant by hand.
• Workers may load plant trays onto equipment for setting.
• Workers may stack and remove trays from fields.
• Workers may prepare fields for planting.
• Workers may reset missing plants by hand.

Top/Oil Tobacco:

• Workers may pull suckers from plants.
• Workers may break tops & bad leaves from plants.
• Workers may apply oils to tops of plants.

Cutting Tobacco:

• Workers will cut ripe plants off at the ground using tobacco knife and spear stalk over metal spear on to a wooden stick (stick is 48” long, one end is stuck in the ground and metal spear is placed on other end).
• Workers will drop sticks in standing tobacco, before cutting, by hand or by machine.
• Workers will transfer loaded sticks from ground to wagon or trailer in an orderly fashion. Industry standard is six (6) plants per stick. (Stick and plants may weigh up to 80 pounds)

Housing Tobacco:

• Workers will transfer loaded stick from wagon or trailer to other workers standing on rails in the tobacco barn. Workers standing on rails will either hang sticks between rails and separate plants or transfer to another worker standing on the rails above them (rails may be 48” apart and from 6 feet to 40 feet above ground).

Stripping Tobacco:

• Workers may place wood & sawdust in barns for curing process.
• Workers will remove tobacco from rails in the barn and transport tobacco to stripping room.
• Workers will pull leaves from plant stalks by hand and place in bailing machine.
• Workers will operate bailing machine and may be asked to separate leaves into two (2) or more quality grades of tobacco prior to bailing.

Diversified crops: Corn, hay/straw

• Workers may fill planters with seed from 50lb. bags.
• Workers may operate equipment to prepare fields.
• Workers may spray crops for weeds and grass.
• Workers may apply water and fertilizers.
• Workers may restock trucks and equipment with seed bags.
• Workers may use equipment to prepare fields for planting.
• Workers may load and unload harvested crops for shipping and storage.
• Workers may clip and mow hay fields.
• Workers may use equipment to rake and bale hay.
• Workers may pick up bales and place on wagons or trucks.
• Workers may place bales in sheds and barns for storage.
• Workers may clean and prepare fields for neat crop.

Other Related Duties:

• Workers may chop weeds from between plants with a hoe.
• Workers may remove tops and suckers from plants and apply side dressing.

Alternative Work:

This could include workers preparing barns, preparing land for planting, draining fields, firewood, cutting of trees and maintenance of tools and equipment, and other work that is directly related to growing tobacco or crop and activities for which the worker was hired. Such work will be offered when climate or crop conditions preclude working in the primary activities stated above. Alternative work may only be required if the first week wage guarantee listed in 20 CFR 653.501 is invoked.