# Hired Help



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Lost one of my part time help last week.Worked for me for 12 yrs driving tractor mostly cutting hay,diging and plowing.His back can't take the bouncing.Last yr he couldn't make it half the time for what ever reason.Only worked 60 hrs cutting hay all yr.I would like to hire someone but nobody can get it thru their head when its time to make hay,it's time to make hay.Had alot of offers for help but everyone has stipulations.Like I camp weekends,fishing season,hunting season,sports,don't work after dark and on & on.And then you got the guys that drink to much.Or the ones that are fried or just plain can't do it.Or they don't show up.Or their GF is calling them every 10 min.End of Rant.


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## Jake_NEIA (Dec 19, 2008)

Sw-

We see the same thing here. We usually have a high school kid around to help. They just don't know what REAL work is. If they can't sit on there a$$ and run the skid loader or use the gator to carry a bucket of feed or a bale they don't want to do it....A little manual labor never killed anybody....did it?

A GF will ruin a good worker. Our previous high school kid was a GREAT work, but you could always tell when he had a GF. His work would start slipping.

I'm not much help I guess. If I didn't have my own plate full already I'd come up and help ya this summer in a heartbeat.

Jake


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## gwillie44 (Nov 24, 2008)

You guys act like this is news? You are forgetting we all were young once! Girls were always on the mind at ages 16-22, and if you had a girlfriend, she as top priority. It's just part of growing up. As far as phone calls are concernced, tell them they can only use their phone during lunch and dinner breaks. Take home message, don't forget what it is like to be young!


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## Erock813 (Jun 3, 2008)

My daughter just broke up with her boyfriend....boy,am i gonna miss the help....lol..its so hard to find good free labor these days...


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## chadl (Mar 23, 2009)

my daughters ex boyfriend is coming to work in about 30 days. I promised him a job i think i might love him more than the daughter. Hows this gonna work


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## kfarm_EC_IL (Aug 5, 2008)

I have one Junior or Senior pick the crew he wants to work with. 1 on the crew must be freshman. The freshman is the next crew leader. As long as I make sure to always have a younger kid coming up this system works for me. The crew leader I have now want put up with much and so he only gets people that will work. But that is also why he gets paid more. Takes those headaches and gives them to someone else. I have enough to do.

I think I pay fairly well, I think. Try to make sure we have fun while working if that is possible. I read one time a farm that beofre the year even started they took everone out to eat at a fancy resturant. They believed that got them fired up for the season. Also helped in recreitment. May try that sometime.

One other thing I try to do is get a few kids that couldn't have gotten a job somewhere eles. I do have to teach them a lot, but they almost always remain with us until they graduate.

Good help is important to our operation. Just like a dependible baler.


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## Dano1124 (Mar 30, 2009)

Some good reading...my dad used to farm me out to the guy up the street when I was a kid...1960's and 70's. I had a blast...and yes it was hard work. We did squares with a cycle, side rake and a pick up truck. I think the tractor was a Ford Jubilee...

He cut, I helped rake (taught me how to run the tractor), he baled&#8230;(my spot was on the twine box watching he knotter). I would move the truck and toss bales in the bed and he would stack. I would run the tractor near any bee hives&#8230;ground hornets really made him sick if he got stung.

We would put up about 1,500 per year. No pay&#8230;just hot dogs! It was great getting to hang out with the big folks. I guess these days an 8-14 year olds don't want to know.

With today's equipment 8-14 is not really a good age to put some of them on some equipment for safety and cost reasons. I just paid 40K for my tractor&#8230;.I would have a real hard time letting them loose without some real close supervision, not to mention child labor laws&#8230;.

There seems to be more opportunities for employment these days as there were back in the day. Most of them are "want fries with that". I'm not knocking it I did it for 3 years in school&#8230;I was able to get time off or adjust schedule to get haying done.


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