2026 Fall Farm Hand/Grounds Crew Member

Nelson Produce Farm is hiring for the 2026 Fall Farm Hand/Grounds Crew Member position in Valley, NE. This hands-on role supports the operation's day-to-day production and care work. Reliable execution and early communication matter because the work directly affects plants, animals, equipment, coworkers, customers, or the surrounding property. What you will do • Seed, transplant, cultivate, irrigate, harvest, wash, pack, and store crops according to the farm's plan and food-safety procedures. • Use and care for assigned hand tools, wash-pack equipment, carts, and field equipment within training. • Monitor crops and communicate pest, disease, water, weather, quality, or harvest-timing concerns promptly. • Support the day's farm setup, grounds work, maintenance, and seasonal projects, completing the assigned field, visitor-area, material-handling, cleanup, or repair-preparation work before the farm opens or changes activities. • Move supplies, produce, pumpkins, signs, barriers, containers, tools, and event materials carefully; keep paths and work areas orderly; and report damaged equipment, unsafe footing, crop issues, or missing supplies promptly. • Assist neighboring farm teams during busy periods, protecting food crops, animals, irrigation, equipment, visitors, and coworkers while following the lead's boundaries for machinery, driving, maintenance, and guest-facing tasks. How the work fits together Farm priorities follow crop condition, weather, harvest commitments, and customer orders. The crew checks urgent irrigation and harvest needs first, then moves through field production, post-harvest handling, accurate packing, storage, and cleanup. Each employee's work affects both crop life and the quality customers receive. At Nelson Produce Farm, the employer also makes these role-specific priorities clear: Support the day's farm setup, grounds work, maintenance, and seasonal projects, completing the assigned field, visitor-area, material-handling, cleanup, or repair-preparation work before the farm opens or changes activities. Move supplies, produce, pumpkins, signs, barriers, containers, tools, and event materials carefully; keep paths and work areas orderly; and report damaged equipment, unsafe footing, crop issues, or missing supplies promptly. Assist neighboring farm teams during busy periods, protecting food crops, animals, irrigation, equipment, visitors, and coworkers while following the lead's boundaries for machinery, driving, maintenance, and guest-facing tasks. What the employer is looking for • At least 16 years old, able to lift more than 40 pounds, and prepared for active outdoor work in changing weather across uneven farm ground and a busy seasonal setting. • Dependable transportation to 10505 North 234th Street in Valley, reliable attendance through the agreed fall period, and willingness to learn more than one form of farm, grounds, setup, or maintenance work. • Dependable attendance, direct communication, and willingness to follow the employer's safety, quality, and customer- or production-care procedures. • Ability to complete the role's active, in-person work and to ask for instruction before using unfamiliar tools, equipment, products, or animal-handling methods. Schedule, conditions, and compensation Full-time and part-time seasonal arrangements may be available. The public farm calendar is closed Mondays, with daytime hours Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday and extended hours Friday and Saturday; employee shifts may begin before guests arrive or continue after closing. The employer does not publish the wage, guaranteed weekly hours, exact shift pattern, season end date, overtime treatment, or employee benefits for this role. Applicants should confirm those terms, weekend expectations, age-based task limits, training, and weather procedures during the interview. The employer does not publish a numeric wage range on this page, so no compensation has been estimated. Applicants should confirm the final hours, overtime treatment, starting assignment, travel or reporting point, supplied equipment, and benefit eligibility directly with the employer before accepting an offer. This is an in-person agricultural production position with a small operation. Daily priorities can change with weather, plant or animal condition, equipment availability, customer schedules, and the season. The successful person should arrive ready to work, communicate early when a task or condition is unclear, follow the employer's safety and quality procedures, and leave tools, vehicles, production areas, and job sites secure and ready for the next shift. Applicants should expect active work that may include long periods of standing or walking, bending, lifting, repetitive hand tasks, noise, dust, mud, pollen, heat, cold, rain, or work around moving equipment. The exact physical demands differ by assignment. Candidates should discuss any accommodation needs with the employer and confirm the final schedule, overtime treatment, training period, travel expectations, and benefit eligibility before accepting an offer. Only compensation and benefits expressly published by the employer are included here; unpublished terms have not been estimated. How to apply Complete the application linked from the careers page and select Farm Hand/Grounds Crew. Provide complete fall availability, earliest start date, reliable contact information, and examples of farm, gardening, maintenance, equipment, setup, construction, warehouse, event, or other sustained outdoor work. Questions may be sent to info@nelsonproduce.com.