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market-farming - Re: market-farming Apprentices Versus Hired Help

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  • From: "Liz Pike" <liz AT marketfarming.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: market-farming Apprentices Versus Hired Help
  • Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 08:32:16 -0400


Del said: Thursday, May 03, 2001
>I pay my interns the going scale for work. I pay for their transportation,
>food, and lodging.. I train them and work them like slaves. (14 hour
days,
>7 days a week)

Today you said:
>Internships are for education not slave labor.

So which is it, Del??

I'm sorry folks. I feel like I'm reading alot of whining because you've
chosen a field in which labor is a prime factor--and when your own labor
isn't enough and you need to "buy" more--then you bitch because no one else
has the same "vision", "passion", etc. The labor market is tighter now than
ever--whether for the mall, or on our farms. If I had hired staff, I could
work more acreage. But I don't want hired help, so I have to be content
with what we can work ourselves--and accept those limitations.

After reading your posts, no wonder farm labor is tough to find. If I
worked myself 14 hour days, 7 days a week, 100 hours a week--I'd be one very
unhappy camper, and every one else around me would be absolutely miserable
(hell, no they wouldn't--they wouldn't hang around for that crap.) But my
farm, and my way of life would vanish. If I couldn't keep it up for our 10
month growing season, what makes me think to expect that out of an
employee/intern/slave?

Farming is a way of life--not a job. Which means downtime(a most important
& necessary concept to teach up & coming new farmers). Our downtime is for
everyone---Sundays off--ride, swim, hike, nap, etc. It was good enough for
my great & grandparents who farmed for 75 years (with help--who also got
off), so it's good enough for me. If I can't make it in 6 days, the 7th
won't help.

Liz Pike
Laughing Brook Farm
Westfield NC
http://marketfarming.net/laughingbrook/



> I am sorry to say that I have observed the abuse of farm workers, farmers'
> children and farmers' families. I don't even think you ought to be able
to
> force your own children to work on the farm. My parents never asked me to
> do their work for them.
> internships. Believe me. When employers were paying for our student
> interns the abuses didn't occur>
> Del
>
>
>
> ---
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