Job Description
Harvest and Field Pack Manager
November 2006

Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables (FFV) harvests, packs and ships many truckloads of produce every week, from leaf lettuce and peas in June through winter squash and cabbage in November.  The job of the Harvest and Field Pack Manager (HFPM) is to co-ordinate all aspects of the harvest and field pack / post harvest handling process.

Weekly Priorities    The HFPM works with a FFV partner and the Sales Manager at the start of every week to outline harvest and packing priorities for the week, and to merge them with the week’s shipping schedule.  Then the HFPM works to manage the week’s harvests with the field crew, and to transition the packing and post-harvest handling of all produce into the hands of the Shop Manager.  Truck loading deadlines are set, but weather and crop conditions can be wildly variable week to week:  the HFPM must be flexible in prioritizing and re-prioritizing work day-by-day.

Harvesting   All produce at FFV is harvested by hand, and the HFPM will be in the field harvesting with the field crew for many hours each week.  This involves the operation of tractor tools that aid the collection and packing of the crop in the field.  In addition, the HFPM will work with a FFV partner to arrange smooth and efficient transitions from one harvest to the next, from one farm to the next etc.   Time management and good co-ordination with all members of the FFV crew are essential here.

Field Packing    Many crops at FFV are bunched, washed and packed into a box for final delivery directly in the field, then loaded onto a truck to return to the shop where the Shop Manager takes over.  Others are picked into field bins and are returned to the shop for later packing (to be supervised by the Shop Manager).

Careful and efficient management of this post-harvest handling is essential to preserving quality in the crop.  This is the primary responsibility of the HFPM. 

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Requirements     The ability to speak Spanish is essential for the HFPM, as (s)he will be communicating with the field crew (most are from Mexico) about all aspects of the harvest process every day.  Likewise, the HFPM must be respectful and co-operate well with the field crew, many of whom have been with the farm for many years, and who have many responsibilities of their own.

The HFPM must be an energetic worker, with the ability to set and respect deadlines, and the willingness to work whatever hours are necessary to get the job done.  (S)he must also have the flexibility to re-work plans hour-by-hour when weather and/or other factors require.

Finally, the HFPM must have the ability to lift heavy loads routinely, and to operate a forklift and/or other tractor tools associated with the harvest.