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  • From: "Liz Pike" <liz AT laughingbrookfarm.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] child labor
  • Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 16:53:10 -0500

Leigh, your post came in just as I was finishing mine. Yeah, Marc's
comments were tongue in cheek--I hope ; ))

As far as child labor on a farm, is hanging out on a city street any safer??

My children work hard on this farm, and yes some of the stuff is
dangerous....regularly climbing
a vertical ladder to get into the hay mow from where they could possibly
slip onto a concrete floor 10 feet below. They operate a hay elevator,
drive the farm trucks, throw around 60lb bales of hay, feed up, ride &
exercise rambunctious horses. They help catch run-aways, and assist the
farrier and vet. They hatch out chicks, raise orphaned critters, handle my
stallion, feed the Doberman, and flee a particularly nasty rooster ; )).
They also have to listen to mom rant/cuss up a storm (possibly the most
dangerous activity on this farm ; )) when frostfree faucets freeze or the
hay turns out to be broomstraw or a calm horse turns into a bronco the very
second a potential client drives up.

Now that my oldest is a teenager, her friends come over just to hang out &
gladly pitch in. They enjoy working, they WANT to work. All I can offer in
exchange is unlimited eats, swimming in the creek, and an occasional ride.
When the work gets tough/tiring/boring, I tell them they're living reality
tv. So far no one has walked away.

When given the chance to go live with my ex, in a cushy home with NO chores,
no cold fingers, no frost bitten noses, no stomped toes, my kids chose to
stay here. Because they like farm work/life. They like working with
nature, even when it seems all of nature is against us. They enjoy the
feeling of accomplishment and being needed in the family unit--something
alot of kids are missing out on all across this nation while their
<tongue-in-cheek> responsible, pc parents let them vegetate in front of a tv
or computer screen. They're safe...physically...but their brains are fried.

Children working on a farm is NOT about child/slave labor--it's about
growing citizens willing to do whatever it takes to get a job done, even
when conditions are deplorable.

Liz Pike
Laughingbrook Farm
Westfield NC
http://www.marketfarming.com
http://www.laughingbrookfarm.com






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