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  • From: Carla Maness <manessfarm AT gmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Hiring
  • Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:23:53 -0600

Lisa,
your response made me laugh! Years ago I worked on a vegetable research station and when I would complain about our seasonal work crew my boss would always tell me" they are bodies. We need bodies."

I have tried to keep that in mine with our own work crew. We spent years swearing we would stay small enough to not require outside help. Myself full time, and my husband when he got home from work. The demand at our market increased, we kept growing more to try and meet the demand and about 7 years into this we decided we could use a little help especially when my school teacher friend mentioned she would like to work out here part time.

She will be returning for her 3rd summer in 2013. She works hard, knows what to do and is a big help. She can only work 2 days a week, and only from the 1st of June to the 1st of August. So, while she's a great asset, it leaves us with a marketing season that goes year round and she's here for 2 months. So... we picked up a college student this year with an interest in wanting to farm some day.  He's a very hard worker, works fast, and does a good job. The problem? He can't remember anything!!!  Every day was like the first day. I had to show him over, and over, and over how to do something, where the beans were, how to pick the squash, all things he'd just done a few days before. It was frustrating, at least for me, but he was such a fast tomato picker that I may have to keep him around! :)

Carla
Perkins, OK. where we were really hoping for a blizzard and got nothing. We need the moisture!

 


 


On Wed, Dec 26, 2012 at 5:52 PM, Burke Farm <burkefarm AT gmail.com> wrote:
In the last 3 years, my mantra has become, "Even bad help is better
than no help."  Hiring several part timers works best for me.. that
way when they go to the fair, an amusement park, get sick, etc I have
others I can call, and I can be flexible.  Those who stay, show up,
and do good work get a raise and training on the more desirable jobs.
Those who are not great help stay at minimum wage and get to weed more
often.  Now this coming year I am venturing into hiring someone to
watch the kids, a whole other set of issues!!

Lisa Burke
Farming Engineers LLC
z5b, central IN
not as much of a blizzard as they said it would be.
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