[Market-farming] Wages

Allan Balliett aballiett at frontiernet.net
Tue Mar 24 21:47:06 EDT 2009


We are really getting the shaft on our H2-A farm workers this season. 
Until they arrive, I'm hiring local people to help on the farm. It's 
a nightmare, really. The average person doesn't last more than 3 days 
(and by 'day,' I actually mean 4-6 hours) and doesn't arrive on time 
on any of those days.

I'm looking now to try to hire some High School students. Local 
farmers have told me that I should pay High School students about $5 
an hour. That seems very light to me, but, then again, $8.50 to $10 
we offer adult workers seems very high for what we are getting in 
return. (In fact, what we get in return is VERY depressing when I 
look at what it costs us. Worse, of course, is how much of my own 
time is consumed in just the acting hiring and re-hiring. Oh, here's 
a new time waster: this is the first year we've had 'shopping 
WWOOFERS," wwoofers who want to come to the farm for a tour to see if 
they want to come back later and wwoof. I've yet to understand how 
come people think I've got so much time. I should have gone into 
soybeans, I think.)

Anyway, sorry for the tirade.

Thanks

-Allan in WV


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