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  • From: Allan Balliett <aballiett AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Wages
  • Date: Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:47:06 -0400

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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