agricultural equipment operator

We operate a seasonal corn and soybean farm where employees perform a variety of agricultural duties throughout the growing and harvest seasons. Workers are responsible for loading and unloading crops or containers of materials, either manually or using conveyors, hand trucks, forklifts, or transfer augers. They mix specified materials or chemicals and dump solutions, powders, or seeds into planters or sprayer machinery as needed. Employees spray fertilizer or pesticide solutions to control insects, fungus, weeds, and diseases, using hand sprayers when necessary. They observe and listen to machinery operations to detect equipment malfunctions and manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust machine mechanisms. Employees operate and tend equipment used in agricultural production, such as tractors, combines, planters, seed drills, manure spreaders, and irrigation systems. They maintain and perform routine repairs on farm machinery and notify supervisors of any malfunctions. Duties also include attaching farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors using bolts and hand tools. Workers load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines with products using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. In addition, employees may direct and monitor the activities of work crews engaged in planting, weeding, cultivating, or harvesting. They drive and operate farm machinery to plant, cultivate, harvest, and store grain crops; till soil; plant and fertilize fields; and tow harvesting equipment or operate self-propelled combines. Workers may also walk beside or ride on planting machines to insert plants into planter mechanisms at specified intervals, and drive trucks or farm semi-trucks to haul crops, supplies, tools, and farm workers. Other responsibilities include guiding products on conveyors to regulate flow through machines, discarding diseased or rotten products, and positioning boxes or attaching bags at discharge ends of machinery to catch and close full containers. Employees record crop information such as pesticide use, yields, or costs, and complete required agricultural documentation. General farm maintenance duties include cleaning work areas, maintaining grounds and landscaping, and performing repairs on farm buildings, fences, and other structures. Employer may, at its sole discretion, provide pay increases based on longevity or experience. Employer may also, at its sole discretion, offer performance-based incentive bonuses that are not guaranteed and are determined by the employer. Workers returning for a consecutive season will be paid at their previous season’s rate if that rate exceeds the current published rate.