Agricultural Equipment Operator

at Mark Mueller in Hiawatha, Kansas, United States

Job Description

We operate a seasonal corn and soybean farm and a cow/calf operation, requiring seasonal employees during our busy fall harvest and spring planting/calving seasons. Our corn and soybean harvest runs from August through December. Cattle are brought to our home base in September for fall calving, which begins around September 1 and continues through May 1. Employees will assist with cattle care during the confinement period, including daily feeding, health checks, and assisting with birthing and deliveries. In March/April, employees will begin planting corn, followed by soybeans in April/May. After May 1, we do not require additional assistance for our crop operation, as the crops are in the fields for the summer growing season. Likewise, no assistance is needed for our cattle after May 1, as they are released to pasture and require no daily care. Job duties will include preparing fields for planting and attaching farm implements such as plows, discs, sprayers, or harvesters to tractors using bolts and hand tools. Employees will operate tractors and other farm equipment, load and unload crops or materials manually or using conveyors, forklifts, or transfer augers, and load hoppers, containers, or conveyors to feed machines using forklifts, transfer augers, suction gates, shovels, or pitchforks. They will manipulate controls to set, activate, and adjust mechanisms on machinery, observe and listen to machinery operation to detect equipment malfunctions, and operate equipment to harvest crops. Duties also include driving pickup trucks to haul crops, supplies, and tools; cleaning stalls, pens, and equipment using disinfectant solutions, brushes, shovels, or pumps; and driving trucks, tractors, and other equipment to distribute feed to animals. Employees will feed and water livestock, monitor food and water supplies, inspect, maintain, and repair equipment, machinery, buildings, pens, yards, and fences, and patrol grazing lands on horseback or using all-terrain vehicles. Additional responsibilities include caring for animals, cleaning equipment or facilities, and operating farming equipment to transport crops from the fields and unload them into storage bins. Employees will also be responsible for feeding and performing daily checks on cattle, administering vaccines, assisting with birthing and deliveries, and supporting all aspects of calving. Employer may provide pay increases for performance, longevity and/or experience at employer’s discretion., Employer may provide performance bonuses at the end of the contract at the employer’s discretion.

Family housing not available. Housing will be clean & meet applicable Fed, State and local housing standards. Workers must maintain neat & clean housing. Repair cost of damage, other than normal wear & tear will be deducted from the earnings after damage has occurred and after gaining the employee's written authorization to make the deduction. Housing/utilities provided at no cost to workers unable to return to place of residence the same day. If both male and female workers are hired: separate 

The employer will furnish free and convenient cooking and kitchen facilities and space for food preparation, as well as the necessary equipment, appliances (including refrigeration),cooking accessories, and dish washing facilities (e.g., adequate sinks with hot and cold water under pressure) that are in working condition and will be used by workers to sufficiently prepare three (3) meals a day. Employer will provide transportation to assure workers access to stores where they can purchase groceries and/or other incidentals.