Ok so what you may have been waiting for is what exactly we
do all day and claim to be such hard work. We are picking potatoes on the Pike
farm where, unlike Africa where spud variety means washed or unwashed, there
are several potato varieties with funny names like Harmony and Nadine.
The group is split into 2 groups: the shed workers and the
pickers.
The pickers:
These are the people that pick the potatoes up off the floor
in the paddocks and put them into buckets. The buckets are then emptied into
bins which are each half a tonne like the one I am pouring potatoes into in the
photo. Each bin is worth $30 to a picker so that makes $60 per tonne picked.
The fastest pickers can get up to averaging a bin per hour or just under an
hour. The starting time is sunrise (puke) and you finish when the potatoes are
picked which can be any time from 1 - 5:30pm, Monday to Saturday. You work at
your own pace and take breaks when you want to.
Like everything there are techniques to learn as you go
along and methods to choose to suit you. So it is your lucky day as I will now
give you some insight into the tricks of the trade ;) James is showing the main
choice positions for picking in the photos below:
The fast pickers pick like this first photo but as you can
imagine it is not easy on the back after a while and standing up becomes not an
option. I try to pick like this mainly because the other options kill my
obviously weak knees. I do have a tired position though... This position has
it's fail points though, for instance it pulls your shirt up at the back and if
you unaware of the strength of the aussie sun on your behind you end up looking
like me.. :( It peeled twice and was sore for 2 weeks... hard lesson learnt and
has not been repeated!
Kneel next to the bucket and chuck them in is option 2. It
is very slow and you get really muddy but gets your off your feet for a few
minutes and can relieve the back slightly! It does however mean that the bucket
hits the side of your leg and if you bruise as easily as I do you leg ends up looking
like the next photo haha ;/
The last main option is to sit on the bucket, this being
James's choice position. It is moderately fast and doesn't hurt your back too
much but it's rough on the knees and inside of your legs. I gave up on this
position early and didn't take the bruise photo soon enough after it happened
but if you look close you can see a pretty purple pattern. James doesn't seem
to bruise at all and can mission quickly so :)
The paddock starts off looking like the first photo and ends
looking like the second!
We start off looking all cheerful and cool in our new steel
capped work boots and end up looking like James here...
Is it all bad? Nah this is our view on the way to work :)
The Shed workers:
This is quality and size sorting centre. They start at 7:30
roughly and work till 5. There are 2 15min breaks (usually about half an hour)
and a half hour lunch break (at least 45mins ;) ). They earn $20/hr for their 9
hour days, 4 days a week and a half day Friday. The farm is mainly a seed
potato producer and the larger potatoes that don't fit the seed regulations go
to market. The big potatoes are put on the conveyor belt on top and frot
(rotten) ones go done the shute between the workers on each side. They come out
at a set pace you have to spot the bad ones and get rid of them fast. The boss
comes around and checks on quality so it can be more pressured. It is very
monotonous and would be deathly without music but it is good money. It works
out the same as picking 6 bins in a day which is probably more than most
pickers average. Sage and Leon earn loads more in the field than they would in
the shed but it all depends on the person. This job seems easier but trust me
it has its difficulties... It is very painful on the neck and you can't stop if
you sore or tired. I like it cause it is right near the caravan so I can have
tea in the breaks instead of water on the field and toasted sandwiches and 2
min noodles instead of jam sandwhiches ;) On the down side it is a bit soul
destroying watching potatoes for 9 hours a day and you always finish after the
pickers. I am the chief reserve for packing so if someone is sick or feels like
a day in the sun I take their place in the shed!
So that is the sum of it, you can decide on the quality of
job now that you have the full specs. We are getting fitter and starting to
enjoy it more (other than the early starts which James and I will never
appreciate ;) ). Who wants to come join??
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