Rice Farmworker

Drives and operates rice-farm machinery to prepare land, till soil, build ditches and levees, and harvest rice crop: Hitches farm implements to tractor, and drives tractor along existing swaths and contours of rice field to plow and level fields and build or shore up ditches and levees of flood-irrigation system. Plants rice seed, or soaks rice seed in water and loads germinated seed onto airplane for aerial seeding of field. Loads fertilizer and weed killer into airplane, and stands at edge of field or positions markers indicating field pass by airplane to prevent overlap and gaps during aerial spraying. Drives tractor with harrow attachment over aerially seeded fields to cover seeds with dirt. Sets mowing controls and drives combine through fields to cut and thresh rice, stopping to adjust controls when amount of grain observed in chaff and amount of chaff observed in grain hoppers exceed allowable amounts. Transfers grain from combine hopper to grain truck, using transfer auger. Patrols irrigation ditches to detect obstructions and earthen deterioration, and removes debris and shores-up levees and ditches with shovel to ensure complete flooding of fields. Starts irrigation pumps, removes levee gates, and breaks apart levees to flood or drain field sections as directed. Performs miscellaneous duties, such as cleaning and lubricating farm equipment, loading and unloading trucks, and repairing buildings and fences.